Marques Morel

Marques Morel is an American songwriter/story-teller, midwestern-twanger/folksinger, guitar-thumper/harmonica wailer, street-performer/wandering troubadour, steadfast woodcutter/migrant worker, a father, a son, and a friend to all. 

 

Originally from the Illinois corn country, he has performed just about anywhere that anybody would listen: big city street corners around the world, county fairs, folk festivals, hole in the wall taverns/divebars/honky tonks, cabin porches, backyard barbeques, listening rooms, theatres large and small, and beside many campfires and woodstoves with and amongst the ghosts of his heroes. Marques has had the great honor of sharing stages and greenrooms with some of the great songsters of our time- Charlie Parr, Arlo McKinley, Joe Pug, Willy Tea Taylor, Riley Downing, Billy Don Burns, Pokey LaFarge, and Chicago Farmer to name a few of his favorites.

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Marques has released four original albums to date: "Live and Raw in Rockford" (2013) and "Searching for America" (2014) were recorded bare bones with passion before his disappearance from from the muse for about 6 years before returning to the studio for "Trail of The Ghost" (2021) and "Wind and Rain" (2022). Morel recorded his yet unreleased “Tales and Tellings” record at Bomb Shelter studio in Nashville, TN. It was produced by the legendary Andrija Tokic (The Deslondes, Alabama Shakes, Ian Noe, Luke Bell, etc.) and is projected to be released in June of 2024. 

 

Known for his intense and infectious energy on stage and his gritty and honest songwriting and delivery, Marques Morel has been described by his fans as “raw and rustic,” “guts on the floor,” and “wild, dark, fun and unpredictable.”  He has been compared to icons such as John Prine, Woody Guthrie, Johnny Cash and Townes Van Zandt.  Marques currently plays around 150 shows a year (some of them free at a beer joint near you) and will be found performing either as a one man show accompanied only by his old guitar, harmonica on the rack, and makeshift kick drum, or with his dynamically spirited band, The Midnight Wind.