Jetty Road are an Australian country music trio comprising identical twin sisters Lee Bowman and Paula Bowman, both on vocals, with Julian Sammut on lead guitar. Founding multi-instrumentalist member, Simon Ross left in 2012. They have released five albums, Full Circle (2005), Dirt Roads City Lights (2007), Life at a Million Miles (2009), Far Away Places (2011) and Hearts on Fire (2015). The group have won two Country Music Awards of Australia Golden Guitar trophies. Hearts on Fire peaked in the top 40 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
History
Jetty Road's founding members are identical twin sisters Lee Bowman, on vocals and acoustic guitar, and Paula Bowman (both born on 30 April 1976) on vocals, with Julian Sammut (born 7 June 1973) on lead guitar and Simon Ross (born 16 June 1976) on guitar, harmonica, mandolin and accordion. The four met during their tertiary educational studies at Box Hill Institute of Music (1995–97). Several years after graduating the quartet began writing and recording music. They were named after the Bowman's childhood home on Nungurner Jetty Road, Nungurner (see Shire of Tambo) and made their debut by busking at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in January 2005. They placed second in the Tamworth Busking Championships.
Jetty Road released their debut album Full Circle on One Stop Entertainment in January 2005. A single, "Run to You", was released in that year, which peaked at #21 on the national Country Tracks Top 30 Chart. The song was selected as the opening track on John Nutting's ABC Saturday Night Country Hottest Hits, Vol. 2. By 2006 the group had added Ben Cant on drums and Russell Cochrane on bass guitar.
At the beginning of 2007 Jetty Road met Australian country musician, James Blundell and spent the next 18 months touring together. Their second album, Dirt Roads City Lights was released in that year.
2008
Jetty Road received their first finalist nomination in the 36th Country Music Awards of Australia (Best Group or Duo). They won the TIARA Award for Best Group; the following month their Dirt Roads City Lights album won Victorian Album of the Year at the Victorian & National Country Music Awards. June 2008 saw the band undertake their first international tour, performing in Nashville, Canada and the UK.
2009
In January 2009 they won Best Group at the Australian Country Music People's Choice Awards. They also won their second consecutive TIARA Award. In March 2009 Jetty Road's third album Life at a Million Miles was released (Compass Bros), produced by band member Julian Sammut and co produced by Nashville-based Australian expat Mark Moffatt. The band undertook their second international tour (June – September) to Canada, the United States, France, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Austria and Norway. Upon returning to Australia, they won Group/Duo of the Year, Album of the Year and Artist of the Year at the Australian Independent Country Music Awards in October.
2010
In January 2010, at the 38th Country Music Awards of Australia, the band won their first CMAA (Golden Guitar) Award in the category, Best Group or Duo, for their track, "Million Miles". They scored an additional two finalist nominations that year, for Album of the Year (Life at a Million Miles) and Single of the Year ("Million Miles").
Jetty Road won Best Group and Best Song (Million Miles) awards at the Australian Country Music People's Choice Awards, as well as Best Group (National), Victorian Album of the Year and Victorian Entertainer of the Year at the Victorian & National Country Music Awards. A few months later they won the National Music Oz Award for Best Country Act.
Mid 2011 saw Jetty Road touring extensively throughout Canada and Europe and song writing with Canadian writers/artists including The Road Hammer's Jason McCoy (I'm A Dreamer/Welcome to the Party), The Higgins (Let It Out/Look At Me) and write and sing a duet with George Canyon (Wrong). In October Jetty Road recorded their fourth album Far Away Places in Vancouver at The Factory Studios with Canadian producer Paul Shatto and David Wills.