Oklahoma boasts no shortage of homegrown country hit-makers, from Toby Keith and the red-tressed Country Music Hall of Fame 2011 inductee, Reba McEntire, to Vegas-headlining superstar Garth Brooks.
Within the parameters of traditional country music, though, there exists a sub-genre dubbed "Red Dirt" music. Born in the dance halls and backrooms of Oklahoma and also Texas, the Red Dirt movement first found a life and fan following all its own, and then secured its own share of country-radio airplay beginning in the 1990s.
Thus, from its humble "niche" beginnings, Red Dirt country, which derives its moniker from the color of Oklahoma’s soil, has blossomed into a healthy musical movement that has spawned its own Americana-country-meets-Southern rock stars—back-roads hit-makers, if you will—that boasts the likes artists such as Cross Canadian Ragweed, Wade Bowen, Jason Boland, Randy Rogers and Stoney LaRue, to name just a smattering.
Oklahoma Gives Rise to Newest ‘Red Dirt’ Musicians to Watch
An outfit hailing from Stillwater, Okla., which has been called the epicenter of the Red Dirt movement, is one of the newest and most promising acts to make its official foray onto the Red Dirt landscape. Known as The Damn Quails, the lineup is billed as a singer-songwriter duo consisting of Gabriel Marshall and Bryon White. A host of rotating players, however, fill in the pair’s musical backdrop—from upright bass and mandolin, to drums steel guitar—that includes regulars Biggie, Jon Knudson, Luke Mullenix and Tom Young.
With some 40-plus original tunes in the group’s live-show arsenal, The Damn Quails’ popularity has experienced a regional groundswell as of late. Moreover, thanks to fellow Red Dirt stalwarts The Great Divide—whose members were, once upon a time, afforded their big break thanks to a deal with Atlantic Records—The Damn Quails’ Marshall and White have found a new wing under which to rest. Specifically, that is, TGD frontman Mike McClure, a respected songwriter and producer in his own right, has signed on to produce The Damn Quails forthcoming independent CD, which is slated for release this summer.
The Damn Quails Plot Release of Debut Country CD
The inaugural Damn Qail disc, which will be unleashed on the Squandered Records indy label, is in production at this writing, but reports from the act’s PR camp suggest it will contain a refreshing amalgamation of various styles and genres that, while diverse, are also cohesive and solidly qualified to carry the “Red Dirt” brand.
This scribe was afforded a preview track, California, from The Damn Quails upcoming CD, and it doesn’t disappoint. With a clear folk-influence audible in the vocal work, the tune features a pleasingly jangly-yet-sometimes lonesome-sounding lead guitar, with a keyboard infusion that adds new dimension to the Americana-yet-country-esque concoction that is both soothing and groove-friendly—never mind its lyrical plea to “Get me outta this city … get me out of L.A. … We’re all fallin’ into the ocean.”
'Red Dirt' Country Act Will Embark on 2011 Summer Music Tour
Following the official release of the act’s debut offering, The Damn Quails will embark on a 2011 summer tour that will also see the launch of the band’s new website (www.thedamnquails.com). In the interim, however, for those who adore the earthy-yet-outlaw grooves of the Red Dirt persuasion, The Damn Quails are a lineup to watch and listen for, not to mention a duo whose original sound is a strong contender for critical acclaim.
Lisa L. Rollins - Texas native Lisa L. Rollins, Ph.D., is an award-winning feature writer, interviewer and journalism educator.
