Viktor Krauss (b. 1969, Champaign, IL) is a Nashville-based bassist and composer whose expansive career spans nearly four decades. Since relocating to Nashville in 1992, he has amassed more than 800 album credits as an instrumentalist, composer, songwriter, and producer. His versatile musicianship has supported an extraordinary range of artists, including Bill Frisell (Nashville, Gone, Just Like a Train, Good, Dog Happy Man, Disfarmer), Robert Plant and Alison Krauss (Raise the Roof), Lyle Lovett (Step Inside this House, My Baby Don't Tolerate, Natural Forces, It's Not Big, It's Large etc.), James Taylor (American Standard), Tom Jones, Shawn Colvin, Sheryl Crow, Carly Simon, Jerry Douglas, Kacey Musgraves, Buddy Miller, Chet Atkins, Larry Carlton, Shelby Lynne, James Newton Howard, The Chieftains, Peter Rowan, Harry Connick Jr.,  J.D. Souther, Joan Baez, Indigo Girls, Dolly Parton, Rodney Crowell, Graham Nash, Michael McDonald, John Fogerty, Elvis Costello, Kenny Rogers, Janis Ian, Jewel, Michael Feinstein—among many others.

 

As a solo artist, Krauss describes his music as “soundtracks without a movie,” blending jazz, Americana, and classic rock. His debut album, Far From Enough (Nonesuch, 2004), featuring Bill Frisell, Jerry Douglas, Steve Jordan, and Alison Krauss, reached #6 on the Billboard® Contemporary Jazz Chart. His follow-up, II (EMI, 2007), showcased collaborations with Dean Parks, Matt Chamberlain, and guest vocalists including Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, Ben Taylor, and Shweta Jhaveri. His most recent release, Vignette, is a collaboration with acclaimed lever harpist Maeve Gilchrist.

 

In 2006, Krauss was awarded a prestigious fellowship at the Sundance Institute Film Composers Lab. His film scoring work includes collaborations/placements with iconic directors such as Ken Burns and the late Robert Altman. Additionally, selections from his solo recordings are featured as musical interludes ("bumpers") on National Public Radio.

 

A committed educator, Krauss has shared his expertise as a guest speaker, clinician, and artist-in-residence at higher education institutions such as Berklee College of Music, Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and Belmont University.