Hear Bluegrass on the Water
Alison Krauss needn't wonder whether her music is making a difference in people's lives.
The proof will be in the audience Friday when the bluegrass balladeer dynamo headlines the 2nd annual Powertel Music Fest at the Reservoir's Old Trace Park.
Alison Higginbotham of Opelousas, LA., is so enamored by Krauss, her parents are making the four-hour drive to Jackson so the 10-year-old can see the show.
Alison, who suffers from cerebral palsy (she doesn't speak, and has limited use of her legs and arms) and mental disabilities is arguably Krauss' biggest fan.
"Alison Krauss' music soothes her," said Karen Higginbotham, her mother. "She cries when I don't play it. The first thing she does when she wakes up in the morning, and the last thing she does at night, is point to her tape player, letting us know she wants to listen to the CD."
After Alison had surgery on her feet last fall, Higginbotham figured out a way to coerce her into taking her first post-surgery steps. She'd place the tape recorder with the CD playing on one side of the room, and Alison would walk to it. Then she'd take it to the other side of the room, and Alison would walk back again. That helped Alison regain her walking ability, Higginbotham. Now, she dances to the music, rocking back and forth, and side to side.
"Her face just lights up when we play it. Her tape started to drag because we played it so much, so I had to buy her the CD. Alison has got to be her number one fan. I don't think anyone listens to her CD as much as she does."
The Higginbothams had planned on buying their own tickets to the concert but when Krauss' people found out the extent of the impact she's had and continues to have on Alison, they sent them free tickets and backstage passes. Karen Higginbotham said she didn't realize just how popular Krauss was until the locals started hearing they were coming to the concert. So when they meet the singer after the show, the Higginbothams will present her with a souvenir basket, courtesy of Opelousas merchants.
Krauss, a native of Champaign, Ill., discovered the violin at an early age, when she began making the rounds at fiddle contests and bluegrass festivals.
Her initial acclaim was an instrumentalist, a standout fiddler who won championships, but soon her voice captivated everyone's attention. She nailed her recording contract at 14.
Now 26, she and her group, Union Station, have earned nine Grammy Awards, including these in 1998: Best Bluegrass Album, So Long So Wrong (certified gold); Best Country Instrumental Performance for Little Liza Jane; and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, Looking in the Eyes of Love.
Now That I've Found You: A Collection, released in 1997, went double platinum.
"Alison Krauss is truly an American music phenomenon," said Leon McCullouch, Powertel's Jackson market manager.
"She has played to capacity crowds all across the country, and we are truly fortunate to have an artist of her caliber agree to headline our annual event benefiting the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra."
The Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of concertmaster Robert McNally, will perform the first half of the evening's programs. Alison Krauss & Union Station will perform the second half.
"Krauss is certainly a perfect pick" for the concert, said Darko Velichkovski, MSO president. "I can't think of anything more appreciate than bluegrass on Friday night next to the lake.
She's certainly a great musician, a great fiddle player, which goes with the standards of excellence we hold for musicians. We expect to have a great turnout."
The Higginbothams, are driving to Jackson today so everyone should be well rested and ready for perhaps the most meaningful family outing they've ever had. Karen Higginbotham says Krauss' soothing voice has become such a fixture in her home, if she doesn't hear at least one of her songs on a daily basis, "I feel lost."
"I think it's her lovely voice," she said of her daughter's adoration of Krauss. "One of Alison's favorite songs is When You Say Nothing At All.
It goes 'The smile on your face lets me know that you need me.' That's how Alison lets me know things, by the smile or the frown the face. It just gives me goose bumps when I hear (that song)."
By Andrea Wright Dilworth
Clarion Ledger Staff Writer (Jackson, MS)
June 11, 1998
This was a thrilling experience for my family to meet Alison Krauss because of the impact her music has had on our daughter, Alison. Alison continues to love listening to Alison Krauss. Her development continues to improve -- we believe that Alison Krauss's music has played a major role in Alison's developmental progress.