Open Road
Harkening back to the sounds of such first-generation pioneers as Bill Monroe and the Stanley Brothers, Open Road is a traditionally minded bluegrass unit formed by relative youngsters (i.e., in their late 20s, early 30s). The Fort Collins, Colorado, group began in the late '90s when lead singer and guitarist Bradford Lee Folk, who worked at a cattle ranch, met up with Caleb Roberts, an electrical engineer who hailed from Columbia, South Carolina. (Roberts was a founding member of Slim Cessna's Auto Club, an alt-country band that infused punk energy with incendiary gospel.) Roberts, who had always intended to form a traditional bluegrass group, found a more-than-ready ally in Folk, who possessed an uncanny tenor and had grown up listening to bluegrass in his native Missouri. The two added bassplayer Ben O'Connor, fiddler Jean Ballhorn, and banjoist Mark Leslie (later replaced by Jim Runnels) to form Open Road, a name borrowed from a gentile style of Stetson hat favored by well-dressed bluegrass players. Top-notch dobro player Sally Van Meter produced the band's self-titled 2000 debut, which included a slew of old bluegrass covers and several tracks penned by Folk. The group released its sophomore effort, Cold Wind, on Rounder Records in 2002. By that time, Robert Britt had replaced Ballhorn on fiddle and Eric Thorin had supplanted O'Connor on bass. Open Road was nominated in 2001and 2002 for "Emerging Artist of the Year" by the International Bluegrass Music Association.
© Erik Hage /TiVo
Discography
17 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Windy Daze
Folk - Released by Cherry Red Records on Aug. 21, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Windy Daze ((Expanded Edition) [2021 Remaster])
Rock - Released by Esoteric on Jan. 1, 1971
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stars Shine in the Night
Rock - Released by Open Road Tunes on Mar. 30, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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… In The Life
Country - Released by Rounder Records on May 4, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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A Thousand Tomorrows
Pop - Released by iMD-OPENROAD on Sep. 1, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Deep Sleep
Miscellaneous - Released by Glory Road Music on Jun. 17, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Banshees and Leprechauns
Folk - Released by iMD-OPENROAD on Oct. 9, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Lights of Hollywood
Jazz - Released by Rhombus Records on Oct. 4, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo