Academy has a new queen

A bluegrass princess has replaced the Queen of Soul as the Grammys’ top female winner.

Aretha Franklin had already collected six Grammys before Alison Krauss was born in 1971, but on Sunday Krauss won three times to bring her total to 17. Franklin, 61, took her first since 1988, making her career tally 16.

“There’s no way to really comprehend something like that,” said Krauss, 32. “I’ve always loved [Franklin’s] voice. Hasn’t everybody? I’ve got her records and a biography on video. I remember going to the jukebox when I was a kid and playing her records, [singing] ‘Who’s zoomin’ who....’ Whoa! Isn’t she great?

“I mean, I’m still at the stage of my career where I’m always pinching myself to make sure I’m not dreaming when I think about how great it is to be making music at all with the band ... to be able to make a living doing what you love.”

The singer and fiddler has accumulated her awards steadily since her first one in 1990, winning in a variety of roles -- instrumentalist, collaborator, producer, vocalist. Her Grammys Sunday came for country instrumental and bluegrass album, both with her band Union Station and a duet with James Taylor on a song from an album tribute to the Louvin Brothers.

Krauss has risen to the Grammys’ top echelon while resisting the lure of commercial pop crossover.

“People in bluegrass feel that they are truly part of a tradition that is all about being devoted to the quality of the music,” she said. “The only thing we have to do when we go into the studio is be concerned with making the best record we can make.”

Times Staff Writer Robert Hilburn contributed to this article.