Sons of the Desert (band)
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1989 in Waco, Texas, United States |
| Headquarters | Waco , United States |
| Products | Country music |
| Website | www |
Sons of the Desert was a country music group from the United States, established in 1989 in Waco, Texas. The most recognized formation consisted of siblings Drew Womack (lead vocalist) and Tim Womack (lead guitarist and backing vocals), accompanied by Scott Saunders on keyboards, Doug Virden handling bass guitar and backing vocals, and Brian Westrum on drums. Their debut album, Whatever Comes First, was launched through Epic Records Nashville in 1997, followed by a second album for Epic that ultimately remained unreleased. In 2000, they issued their subsequent album titled Change. Throughout their career, including singles from the unreleased project, Sons of the Desert charted eight times on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, with their highest achievement being the top ten single "Whatever Comes First". The band also provided guest vocals on Lee Ann Womack's 2000 chart-topping hit "I Hope You Dance" as well as Ty Herndon's No. 1 single "It Must Be Love". Following the group's disbandment, Drew Womack embarked on a solo path and later joined Lonestar in 2021.
Biography
Taking its name from the 1933 Laurel and Hardy film Sons of the Desert, this band was formed in 1989 by students attending McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas. The founding members were Doug Virden, Jim Beavers, Troy Von Haefen, Kyle Mathis, and Curtis Beck. By 1994, the lineup had evolved to include Doug Virden, Scott Saunders, Drew Womack, Brian Westrum, and guitarist Mark Matejka.
First album
In 1997, Sons of the Desert secured a contract with the Nashville branch of Epic Records. At this point, Tim Womack had replaced Matejka on guitar. Their first album, Whatever Comes First, was released that year; its title track climbed to No. 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Subsequent singles "Hand of Fate" and "Leaving October"—the latter penned by Drew Womack about his third-grade teacher—both entered the top 40. Additionally, Drew Womack and Doug Virden provided backing vocals for studio recordings by other Epic artists such as Ty Herndon’s albums Living in a Moment (1996) and Big Hopes (1998), as well as Joe Diffie’s 1997 release Twice Upon a Time. Furthermore, Womack authored Kenny Chesney’s 1997 single "She's Got It All".
"Goodbye Earl"
Following their debut release, Sons of the Desert began performing "Goodbye Earl", a song written by Dennis Linde that narrates the story of a woman who kills her abusive husband with assistance from a friend. They recorded this track intending it for their second album under Epic. However, the Dixie Chicks, signed to Monument Records (also part of Sony Music Entertainment), included "Goodbye Earl" on their 1999 album Fly and released it as a single in 2000. Both bands planned to issue it as singles, but exclusive rights were claimed by the Dixie Chicks.
This conflict with Sony led Sons of the Desert to part ways with the label. Their second Epic album was never released; Sony retained ownership of all material from those sessions, including the single "What About You", which reached No. 45 on country charts. Among tracks on this unreleased album were "Bless the Broken Road", which later became a No. 1 hit for Rascal Flatts in 2004, and "Albuquerque", which attained No. 58. Additionally, Sons of the Desert appeared as featured vocalists on Ty Herndon's 1998 hit "It Must Be Love".
Transition to MCA Nashville, dissolution, and individual endeavors
In October 1999, Sons of the Desert entered into a contract with MCA Nashville Records. Their inaugural album under MCA, titled Change, was issued the following year. The record label shifted the focus toward the Womack brothers and Virden, while Saunders and Westrum remained active in live performances but were no longer official band members. Notably, Westrum did not contribute to Change; instead, session drummer Steve Brewster was featured. The album included a guest appearance by Keith Urban, who played banjo on the track "Ride". The lead single was the album’s title song, followed by "Everybody's Gotta Grow Up Sometime", both of which failed to break into the top 40 on country charts.
Following the release of "Everybody's Gotta Grow Up Sometime", Sons of the Desert provided backing vocals on Lee Ann Womack's 2000 chart-topping country single "I Hope You Dance" (no familial connection to the Womack brothers). Their last single to chart was "What I Did Right", which peaked at number 22 in 2001. Later that same year, Virden departed from the group, leaving only the Womack brothers as members.
Subsequently, the band parted ways with MCA Nashville and eventually disbanded. Drew Womack pursued a solo career, releasing an album in 2003 through Smith Music Group that featured contributions from former bandmates and included a new version of "Leaving October". After undergoing spinal surgery, he released Sunshine to Rain in 2012, showcasing a significant evolution in his musical style.
In March 2021, Drew Womack was appointed lead singer of Lonestar, succeeding Richie McDonald, who went on to join The Frontmen alongside former lead vocalists from Little Texas and Restless Heart.
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Heat | ||
| Whatever Comes First |
|
38 | 25 |
| Change |
|
65 | — |
| "—" indicates albums that did not chart | |||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | |||
| 1997 | "Whatever Comes First" | 10 | 12 | Whatever Comes First |
| "Hand of Fate" | 33 | 21 | ||
| 1998 | "Leaving October" | 31 | 41 | |
| 1999 | "What About You" | 45 | 61 | Sons of the Desert (unreleased) |
| "Albuquerque" | 58 | 54 | ||
| 2000 | "Change" | 45 | 57 | Change |
| "Everybody's Gotta Grow Up Sometime" | 42 | 63 | ||
| 2001 | "What I Did Right"A | 22 | x | |
| x denotes no applicable chart existed at that time | ||||
Guest Singles
| Year | Single | Performer | Highest Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | CAN Country | ||||
| 2000 | "I Hope You Dance" | Lee Ann Womack | 1 | 14 | 1 | I Hope You Dance |
- AAlthough it did not make the Hot 100, it reached number 16 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
Music Videos
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Whatever Comes First" | Roger Pistole |
| "Hand of Fate" | ||
| 1999 | "What About You" | Randy Spear |
| 2000 | "Change" | Trey Fanjoy |
| "Everybody's Gotta Grow Up Sometime" |
Academy of Country Music Awards
|- |rowspan=4| 2001 |Sons of the Desert |Top New Vocal Group or Duo | |- |rowspan=2| "I Hope You Dance" |Song of the Year | |- |Single Record of the Year | |- |Lee Ann Womack and Sons of the Desert |Vocal Event of the Year | |- |2002 |rowspan=2| Sons of the Desert |Top New Vocal Group or Duo | |- |2003 |Top Vocal Duo of the Year | |}
Country Music Association Awards
|- |2000 |Lee Ann Womack and Sons of the Desert |Vocal Event of the Year | |- |2002 |rowspan=2| Sons of the Desert |rowspan=2| Vocal Duo of the Year | |- |2003 | |}