The Damn Quails

The Damn Quails started as a a weekly jam session at The Deli in Norman, Oklahoma. Looking back, the fact that the band began so organically, could be considered somewhat of a miracle. At the epicenter of these weekly jams was Bryon White and Gabe Marshall. Both had been playing music in the Oklahoma area for some time, and when these two forces collided the harmony between them was undeniable. Some would say that it is hazardous to put two guys on stage that can write, sing, and play guitar. As everyone knows, egos can get in the way. This wasn't the case with Bryon and Gabe. Their singing, songwriting, and guitar playing utilizing both electric and acoustic guitars, meld together in such a way that it's hard to tell where one starts and the other stops.



The early jam sessions started drawing all sorts of characters. Musicians with all types of instruments showed up and word soon spread as the Monday night shows were packed with music fans eager to watch the proceedings unfold. You never knew what was going to happen, and that, after all, was the point.

Some of the musicians became more and more regular and the semblance of a band was formed. A guy known only as Biggie showed up with his harmonica. Luke Mullenix played the bass and Thomas Young became the resident drummer. In addition to this a multi instrumentalist named Jon Knudson came with a variety of instruments including, keyboard, resonator guitar, saxophone, and mandolin to name a few. These guys became the core of what became The Damn Quails. Others drifted in and out, always welcome, after all, the more musicians the bigger the sound.

At this point, Oklahoma Legend, Mike McClure took notice of the band. Mike was at the forefront of the Red Dirt movement as the lead singer and songwriter of The Great Divide. He went on to produce countless records including many by Oklahoma's favorite sons Cross Canadian Ragweed, Turnpike Troubadours, Stoney LaRue and many more. Mike knew that he heard the real deal in The Damn Quails, and they soon began work on their first record "Down The Hatch".

"Down the Hatch" was released on October 25th, 2011 and received rave reviews from across the country. The record spent many weeks on the National Americana Chart, and has had several top 20 singles on The Texas Music Chart including "Fool's Gold" "So So Long", and "Me and The Whiskey".

Touring behind "Down The Hatch", The Damn Quails developed quite the reputation for their live performances. Combining the sounds of folk music, country, americana, and rock 'n' roll, the band has developed an extremely loyal and well listened following. What the band is doing isn't being done by anyone else. This is a band that is strictly in it for the music and with miles of road ahead of them, we are all lucky that their plan is to make as much music as possible for many years to come.