The Oklahoma Thunderband was a legendary rock/blues/country fusion group performing in the Tulsa Oklahoma area in the late 70’s and early 80’s.  Founding members Paul Hamilton on guitar, bassist Jerry Cartwright, drummer David Matthews, with Larry Megill on harmonica and fiddle and John French at keyboards were originally cast as the South Side Killers erstwhile house band at the notorious Mickey’s County Darlin’ in mid town Tulsa Oklahoma.  Being onstage at one of the most popular roadhouse country nightclubs in the vibrant Tulsa music scene of the era five nights a week was a cauldron of creativity for the group.  As house band for Mickey Crocker, regionally famous country recording artist, they were also provided many opportunities to perform with major artists of the day including Michael Murphy, Barbra Mandrell, Asleep at the Wheel, Papa John Creech, Ray Wylie Hubbard, David Alan Coe, Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks, Oakridge Boys, Hank Thompson, and Bill Caswell to name a few.

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With the departure of French to pursue other projects, younger brother to guitarist Paul, Bobby Hamilton brought a new energy to the group and elevated the entire enterprise to new levels.  During this time frame they formed relationships with songwriter Lynn Murray who wrote and co-produced three of the four songs in their initial singles releases with Antique Records.  Murray later joined the group as guitarist/vocalist when they left the club to pursue their own fortunes in the music business.

As an independent entity after leaving the confines of the house band scene they set to writing and recording new material.  Their past accomplishments include opening shows for Earnest Tubb, David Alan Coe, Alvin Crow and the Pleasant Valley Boys, Asleep at the Wheel and Rare Earth.  During the late 70’s through harmonica player Larry Megill they formed a relationship with legendary Texas Guitarist and record company executive Slim Richey and during this period released their album project through Flying High Records and was the house go to group at the timeless Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa Oklahoma.  Through the final stages of recording and release the Hamilton brothers left and were replaced by Mark Fuller who authored three of the songs on the album and guitarist Gary Humphrey who were on the final release of the album. 

Oklahoma Thunder Band Discography 1977 -  1980

Antique Records

Freight Train........................(Lynn Murray)

Summer is Comin’ Down......(Paul Hamilton)

Country Melody...................(Lynn Murray)

Got to Keep Cookin’ ............(Lynn Murray)

FLYING HIGH RECORDS

(OKLAHOMA THUNDER BAND Album release)

Tulsa County Home....................(Lynn Murray)

City Life...(Megill,Cartwright, Murray, Matthews)

Sugar Mama...............................(Bill Caswell)

Rock and Roll............................(Lynn Murray)

Freight Train..............................(Lynn Murray)

Got to Keep Cookin’...................(Lynn Murray)

Pain County Jail..........................(Mark Fuller)

Music in My Blood’......................(Mark Fuller)

Gone A Long Time.......................(Mark Fuller)

Roly Poly......................................(Bob Wills)

From Jam Magazine June 1981 by Todd Web  OKLHAOMA THUNDER/ OKlahoma Thunder Band

Pictured on the cover , looking very much at home under the canopied stage at Tulsa's Cain's Ballroom, the band of the same name jams away as one of the Wills Brothers stares on benevolently from his picture frame at stage left.  It's no wonder that Wills is smiling;  the Oklahoma Thunder band plays a mean brand of western swing--spirited and spiced-up western swing the way it's SUPPOSED to be played.  The six member band (Jerry Cartwright, Mark Fuller, Gary Humphrey, David Matthews, a helluva drummer, Larry Megill and Lynn Murray) puts in some Claptonian blues in one standout tune, "Music in My Blood" but mostly cranks out blue-chip country western rock and raunch and the aforementioned western swing with ease and grance and plain old all-American good taste.  The three-pronged guitar crossfire of Fuller, Humphrey and Murray is augmented by the harmonica and fiddle of Megill - the latter giving he group that Texas Playboy sound that would and should make EVERY music lover smile like Buddha himself.  You don't even have to be Bob Wills or a Playboy or even from Texas.  The nine original tunes have an appeal that is universal.