Bering Strait followed a notably circuitous route toward securing a major-label contract in Nashville. Originally from Obninsk, Russia, the ensemble—featuring Ilya Toshinsky on guitar, banjo, and vocals (born November 28, 1977), Natasha Borzilova handling vocals and guitar (born August 19, 1978), Sasha Ostrovsky on dobro, steel guitar, and lap steel (born August 11, 1980), Lydia Salnikova on keyboards and vocals (born August 10, 1980), plus Alexander Arzamastsev on drums (born September 15, 1973)—was assembled by a music instructor with a deep appreciation for bluegrass. Sergei "Spooky" Olkhovsky (born February 15, 1978) later stepped in to replace the group’s initial bassist, while original mandolin and fiddle player Sergei Passov departed following his contributions to the debut recording. The musicians started performing publicly during their teenage years, which led to early trips to Nashville in the first half of the 1990s. A local manager eventually took notice, arranged their relocation to the United States, and pursued a recording agreement on their behalf. Although they inked a deal with Arista Nashville, the imprint closed before any album could be made. Its former president relocated to the fledgling Gaylord label, prompting the band to join him there and cut tracks under producer Brent Maher, yet that arrangement also dissolved. Only in January 2002 did the same executive bring them along to his new position at Universal South, the recently established Universal subsidiary. Their self-titled debut finally appeared in January 2003, and the lengthy struggle was chronicled in the 90-minute documentary The Ballad of Bering Strait.
