Sons of the Desert was an American country music band founded in 1989 in Waco, Texas by brothers Drew Womack (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and Tim Womack (lead guitar, background vocals), along with Scott Saunders (keyboards), Doug Virden (bass guitar, background vocals), and Brian Westrum (drums). In 1997, the band debuted with "Whatever Comes First," a Top Ten hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts. Although Sons of the Desert did not reach Top Ten again on its own, the band sang backup vocals on Lee Ann Womack's 2000 single "I Hope You Dance."

Between 1997 and the group's disbanding in 2004, Sons of the Desert charted eight singles on the country charts, in addition to recording two studio albums: Whatever Comes First (1997) and Change (2000). Former lead singer Drew Womack began a solo career after the group's disbanding.

Biography

The band, deriving its name from the 1933 Laurel and Hardy film Sons of the Desert, was founded in 1989 by a group of students attending McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas. Drew Womack assumed the role of lead singer; his brother, Tim, played lead guitar and sang backup vocals. Completing the band's lineup were drummer Brian Westrum, keyboardist Scott Saunders, and bass guitarist/vocalist Doug Virden. The quintet toured throughout Texas for several years.

First album

In 1997, Sons of the Desert signed to Epic Records, a record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Their debut album, Whatever Comes First, was released that year. Its title track served as the lead-off single, reaching a peak of #10 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. The album's second and third singles, "Hand of Fate" and "Leaving October" (which Drew Womack wrote about his third-grade teacher[2]), peaked at #33 and #31, respectively, on the same chart. Drew Womack and Virden also played on Ty Herndon's 1996 album Living in a Moment, and his 1998 album Big Hopes, most notably on the single "It Must Be Love" from the latter, where they sing a portion of the chorus. They also sang background vocals on Joe Diffie's 1997 album Twice Upon a Time.

"Goodbye Earl"

In the late 1990s, Sons of the Desert discovered a song called "Goodbye Earl", which they began to perform in concert. Written by Dennis Linde, "Goodbye Earl" told of a domestic abuse victim who enlisted a friend's help to kill her abusive husband. The group then recorded the song for a planned second album on Epic. At the same time, the Dixie Chicks (who were signed to Monument Records, another division of Sony Music Entertainment), had also recorded the song, and they were planning to include it on their next album as well. Although both bands had planned to release their versions as singles, the Dixie Chicks claimed the song as their own. Their version was recorded on their 1999 album Fly, and released as a single in 2000.

Sons of the Desert then entered a dispute with Sony over "Goodbye Earl", resulting in the band's departure from the label. Their second album for Epic was not released, and Sony acquired the rights to all of that album's songs (including the single "What About You", which had been released and peaked at #45 on the country charts). Also included on this unreleased album was a recording of "Bless the Broken Road", a song which was previously a #42 country single in 1997 for Melodie Crittenden, and would later became a Number One country hit when the group Rascal Flatts recorded it for their 2004 album Feels Like Today. "Albuquerque" was issued as the unreleased album's second single, peaking at #58. "Albuquerque" was later re-recorded the band's MCA album in 2000.
 

Switch to MCA Nashville

Shortly after their departure from Epic, Sons of the Desert signed to MCA Nashville Records in October of 1999. The band's first album for MCA, titled Change, was released a year later. The label also shifted the band's focus to just the Womack brothers and Virden; Saunders and Westrum still contributed to the album, but were no longer considered official members, having left the group in order to spend more time with their families. The title track served as the first single from Change, followed by and "Everybody's Gotta Grow Up Sometime". These songs peaked at #45, and #42, respectively, on the country music charts.

Following "Everybody's Gotta Grow Up Sometime", Sons of the Desert saw its biggest chart success in mid-2000 as guest vocalists on Lee Ann Womack's single "I Hope You Dance". (Lee Ann is not related to the Womack brothers.) The song, which reached Number One on both the country and Adult Contemporary charts, featured a counterpoint chorus sung by Sons of the Desert, although an alternate version without this counterpoint was also released.

The band's final chart single, titled "What I Did Right", was released after "I Hope You Dance," and it reached a peak of #22 on the country charts in 2001. At the end of the year, Virden left the group, reducing Sons of the Desert to a duo with the Womack brothers in the lineup.

Sons of the Desert subsequently exited the label; and by 2004, the duo went their separate ways. Drew Womack later embarked on a solo career, and recorded an eponymous solo album later that same year. This solo album featured several contributions from the band's other members, as well as a remake of "Leaving October".