Sons of the Desert (band)

Last updated
Sons of the Desert
Sons of the Desert.jpg
Sons of the Desert promotional image
Background information
Origin Waco, Texas, U.S.
Genres Country
Years active1989–2004
Labels
Past members
  • Jim Beavers
  • Curtis Beck
  • Troy Von Haefen
  • Kyle Mathis
  • Doug Virden
  • Scott Saunders
  • Brian Westrum
  • Drew Womack
  • Mark Matejka
  • Tim Womack

Sons of the Desert was an American country music band founded in 1989 in Waco, Texas. Its most famous lineup consisted of brothers Drew Womack (lead vocals) and Tim Womack (lead guitar, background vocals), along with Scott Saunders (keyboards), Doug Virden (bass guitar, background vocals), and Brian Westrum (drums). The band released Whatever Comes First for Epic Records Nashville in 1997, and recorded a second album for Epic which was not released. Change followed in 2000. Counting two singles from the unreleased album, Sons of the Desert charted eight times on Billboard Hot Country Songs, including the top ten hit "Whatever Comes First"; they were also guest vocalists on Lee Ann Womack's 2000 hit "I Hope You Dance" and Ty Herndon's "It Must Be Love", both of which reached No. 1 on that chart. Following the band's disestablishment, Drew Womack became a solo artist; he would join Lonestar in 2021.

Contents

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. [1] The original members included Doug Virden, Jim Beavers, Troy Von Haefen, Kyle Mathis, and Curtis Beck. [2] By 1994, the lineup had consisted of Doug Virden, Scott Saunders, Drew Womack, Brian Westrum, and guitarist Mark Matejka. [3]

First album

In 1997, Sons of the Desert signed to Epic Records' Nashville division. By this point, Drew's brother Tim had replaced Matejka as well. The band's debut album, Whatever Comes First , was released that year. Its title track served as the lead-off single, reaching a peak of No. 10 on Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks. [1] [4] The album's second and third singles, "Hand of Fate" and "Leaving October" (which Drew Womack wrote about his third-grade teacher [5] ), also reached top 40 on the same chart. Drew Womack and Virden also appeared as studio backing vocalists for other Epic Records artists, including Ty Herndon's 1996 album Living in a Moment and 1998 album Big Hopes , as well as Joe Diffie's 1997 album Twice Upon a Time . Drew Womack also wrote Kenny Chesney's 1997 single "She's Got It All". [6]

"Goodbye Earl"

Following the release of its first album, 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. [7] The group then recorded the song for a planned second album on Epic. Shortly thereafter, the Dixie Chicks (who were signed to Monument Records, which like Epic, was a division of Sony Music Entertainment), 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 on their 1999 album Fly , and released as a single in 2000. [7]

Sons of the Desert then entered a dispute with Sony over "Goodbye Earl", resulting in the band's departure from the label. [8] [6] 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 number 45 on the country chart). [8] Also included on this unreleased album was a recording of "Bless the Broken Road", a song which was previously a number 42 country single in 1997 for Melodie Crittenden, and would later become a No. 1 country hit when the group Rascal Flatts recorded it for their 2004 album Feels Like Today . [9] "Albuquerque" was issued as the unreleased album's second single, peaking at No. 58. The band was also featured on Ty Herndon's 1998 hit "It Must Be Love". [6]

Switch to MCA Nashville, breakup, and solo projects

Sons of the Desert signed to MCA Nashville Records in October 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 performed with the band, but were no longer considered official members; [10] further, Westrum did not perform on Change, with session drummer Steve Brewster contributing in his place. The album also featured Keith Urban playing banjo on the track "Ride". [11] The title track served as the first single from Change, followed by "Everybody's Gotta Grow Up Sometime". These songs peaked outside the country top 40.

Following "Everybody's Gotta Grow Up Sometime", Sons of the Desert appeared as guest vocalists on Lee Ann Womack's 2000 single "I Hope You Dance", which went to No. 1 on the country chart (Lee Ann is not related to the Womack brothers). [12] The band's final chart single, "What I Did Right", was released after "I Hope You Dance", and reached a peak of No. 22 on the country chart in 2001. At the end of the year, Virden left the group, reducing Sons of the Desert to a duo of the Womack brothers.

Sons of the Desert exited the label and broke up. Drew Womack recorded a solo album for Smith Music Group in 2003 which featured several contributions from the band's other members, and a re-recording of "Leaving October". [5] In 2012, Womack released his first solo album in nearly a decade, Sunshine to Rain, following surgery to rebuild a vertebra in his spine. The album is a significant musical departure from his previous work. [13]

In March 2021, Womack succeeded Richie McDonald as the lead vocalist of Lonestar. It was due in part to McDonald joining The Frontmen, which also consists of Tim Rushlow and Larry Stewart, the former and current lead vocalists of Little Texas and Restless Heart, respectively. [14] [15]

Discography

Studio albums

TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart
positions
US Country US Heat
Whatever Comes First 3825
Change 65—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

YearSinglePeak chart
positions		Album
US Country
[4] 		CAN Country
1997"Whatever Comes First"1012Whatever Comes First
"Hand of Fate"3321
1998"Leaving October"3141
1999"What About You"4561Sons of the Desert(unreleased)
"Albuquerque"5854
2000"Change"4557Change
"Everybody's Gotta Grow Up Sometime"4263
2001"What I Did Right"A22x
x denotes that no applicable chart existed at the time

Guest singles

YearSingleArtistPeak chart positionsAlbum
US Country
[4] 		US
[4] 		CAN Country
1998"It Must Be Love" Ty Herndon 13810 Big Hopes
2000"I Hope You Dance" Lee Ann Womack 1141 I Hope You Dance

Music videos

YearVideoDirector
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"

Awards and nominations

Academy of Country Music Awards

YearNominee / workAwardResult
2001 Sons of the DesertTop New Vocal Group or DuoNominated
"I Hope You Dance"Song of the YearWon
Single Record of the YearWon
Video of the YearNominated
Lee Ann Womack and Sons of the DesertVocal Event of the YearWon
2002 Sons of the DesertTop New Vocal Group or DuoNominated
2003 Top Vocal Duo of the YearNominated

Country Music Association Awards

YearNominee / workAwardResult
2000 Lee Ann Womack and Sons of the Desert Vocal Event of the Year Nominated
2002 Sons of the Desert Vocal Duo of the Year Nominated
2003 Nominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Ann Womack</span> American country singer-songwriter (born 1966)

Lee Ann Womack is an American country music singer and songwriter. She has charted 23 times on the American Billboard Hot Country Songs charts; her highest peaking single there is her crossover signature song, "I Hope You Dance". Five of her singles made top 10 on the country music charts of the defunct RPM magazine in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lonestar</span> American country music group

Lonestar is an American country music group from Nashville, Tennessee. The group consists of Drew Womack, Michael Britt, Dean Sams, and Keech Rainwater (drums). Britt, Sams, and Rainwater co-founded the band in 1992 with original lead vocalist Richie McDonald and bass guitarist/vocalist John Rich. Rich exited the band in 1998 and went on to join Big Kenny as one-half of the duo Big & Rich. Since his departure, Lonestar has relied alternatingly on session and touring musicians for bass guitar accompaniment. McDonald exited the band in 2007 to record as a solo artist, and was replaced by former McAlyster vocalist Cody Collins before returning in 2011. McDonald left a second time in 2021 to join The Frontmen, with former Sons of the Desert lead vocalist Drew Womack replacing him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ty Herndon</span> American country singer

Boyd Tyrone Herndon is an American country music singer and songwriter. His music career began in the 1980s as a member of the Tennessee River Boys, a predecessor to the country band Diamond Rio. Herndon quit the band early on and gained his first national exposure as a competitor on Star Search. He then played at various honky-tonks in Texas. After signing to Epic Records in 1993, Herndon made his debut in 1995 with his number-one single, "What Mattered Most". This was followed that same year by the release of his first album, also titled What Mattered Most.

Hot Apple Pie was an American country music band founded in 2002. The band consisted of Brady Seals, Keith Horne, Trey Landry (drums), and Mark Matejka (guitar). Matjeka was replaced in 2006 by Kevin Ray. Seals was initially co-lead vocalist and keyboardist of Little Texas until 1994. Signed to DreamWorks Records Nashville in 2005, Hot Apple Pie released its self-titled debut album that year. This album produced three chart singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including the No. 26-peaking "Hillbillies."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amazed</span> 1999 single by Lonestar

"Amazed" is a song by American country music group Lonestar, released on March 22, 1999, to country radio as the second single from their third studio album Lonely Grill (1999). The power ballad is the band's longest-lasting number one single and biggest hit, spending eight weeks at the top of the Billboard country chart. The song was written by Marv Green, Aimee Mayo, and Chris Lindsey. A pop remix of the song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts in 2000. The song has sold over 1,650,000 digital copies in the US as of February 2016.

<i>I Hope You Dance</i> (album) 2000 studio album by Lee Ann Womack

I Hope You Dance is the third studio album by American country music singer Lee Ann Womack. It was released on May 23, 2000, as her first album for MCA Nashville. The title track was a crossover hit in 2000, becoming Womack's only number one single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, while "Ashes by Now", "Why They Call It Falling", and "Does My Ring Burn Your Finger" also peaked in the top 40 region of that chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Hope You Dance</span> 2000 single by Lee Ann Womack

"I Hope You Dance" is a crossover country pop song written by Mark D. Sanders and Tia Sillers and recorded by American country music singer Lee Ann Womack with Sons of the Desert. It is the title track on Womack's 2000 album. Released on March 20, 2000, the song reached number one on both the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks and Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts, and also reached number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100. It is considered to be Womack's signature song, and it is the only Billboard number one for both Womack and Sons of the Desert.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Lee Ann Womack album) 2004 greatest hits album by Lee Ann Womack

Greatest Hits is the first compilation album by American country music artist Lee Ann Womack, released on May 4, 2004 by MCA Nashville. It was Womack's first release issued on both the DualDisc and Super Audio CD formats, both of which were issued the following year. The compilation includes eleven of Womack's previous songs, including her sole number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart "I Hope You Dance" with Sons of the Desert. One of those, "Does My Ring Burn Your Finger", was re-worked for this compilation. Also included is her duet with Willie Nelson, "Mendocino County Line", which was included on Nelson's 50th studio album The Great Divide (2002), but had only been included on the UK edition of Womack's fourth studio album Something Worth Leaving Behind (2002).

<i>Whatever Comes First</i> 1997 studio album by Sons of the Desert

Whatever Comes First is the debut studio album by American country music band Sons of the Desert. The album was released in 1997 on Epic Records. It produced three singles for them on the Billboard country singles charts: the Top Ten "Whatever Comes First", as well as "Leaving October" and "Hand of Fate". All of which, reached the Top 40 on the Hot Country Songs chart.

<i>Living in a Moment</i> 1996 studio album by Ty Herndon

Living in a Moment is the second studio album by American country music artist Ty Herndon. The album was released in 1996 via Epic Records. Like his debut album What Mattered Most, the album has been certified gold by the RIAA. It features the singles "Living in a Moment", "She Wants to Be Wanted Again", "Loved Too Much" and "I Have to Surrender".

Jason Dale Sellers is an American country music artist. After several years of touring the United States in his family's band, Sellers joined the road band of Ricky Skaggs. By 1997, he was signed to a recording contract with BNA Records, for whom he recorded two studio albums: 1997's I'm Your Man and 1999's A Matter of Time. These two albums produced five singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts; each album's title track reached Top 40 on that chart. Although he has not recorded any albums since A Matter of Time, Jason has had continued success as a songwriter, with acts such as Lonestar, Kenny Chesney, and Montgomery Gentry having recorded his songs. In addition, he holds several credits as a session background vocalist.

<i>Big Hopes</i> 1998 studio album by Ty Herndon

Big Hopes is the third studio album by American country music artist Ty Herndon. It features the singles "A Man Holding On ", "It Must Be Love", and "Hands of a Working Man". These songs peaked at #5, #1, and #5, respectively, on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. "It Must Be Love" was his third and final Number One on the country charts, while "Hands of a Working Man" was his last Top Ten.

<i>Change</i> (Sons of the Desert album) 2000 studio album by Sons of the Desert

Change is the second and final studio album by American country music band Sons of the Desert. It was released on June 13, 2000 via MCA Nashville, and contains the singles "Change", "Everybody's Gotta Grow up Sometime" and "What I Did Right". "Albuquerque" was originally recorded by the band in the late 1990s for an unreleased second album for Epic Records, their former label.

<i>Twice Upon a Time</i> (Joe Diffie album) 1997 studio album by Joe Diffie

Twice Upon a Time is the seventh studio album by American country music artist Joe Diffie. It was released on April 22, 1997, through Epic Records. Singles released from the album include "This Is Your Brain", "Somethin' Like This", and "The Promised Land", which respectively reached #25, #40, and #61 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. "The Promised Land" was also the second single of Diffie's career to miss Top 40 entirely, and this was also the first album of his career not to produce a Top 10 hit. Furthermore, the album did not earn an RIAA certification. Also included is "I Got a Feelin'", which was originally recorded by Tracy Lawrence on his 1994 album I See It Now.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richie McDonald</span> American singer-songwriter

Richard Vance McDonald is an American country music singer and songwriter. From 1994 until his departure in 2007, he was the lead singer of the group Lonestar, which recorded seven studio albums on BNA Records during his tenure as lead vocalist. For the first seven years of the band's existence, he alternated with then-bassist John Rich as vocalist. McDonald became the sole lead vocalist of Lonestar following Rich's departure. McDonald co-wrote several of the band's singles, and sang lead on all but one of them; he would rejoin the band in 2011 before exiting again in 2021 to perform with The Frontmen. Outside Lonestar, he has charted twice as a guest vocalist on others' songs, in addition to releasing two independent albums and four solo singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It Must Be Love (Ty Herndon song)</span> 1998 single by Ty Herndon featuring Sons of the Desert

"It Must Be Love" is a song by American country music singer Ty Herndon, taken from his third studio album Big Hopes (1998). The song, penned by Craig Bickhardt and Jack Sundrud and produced by Doug Johnson, was released on July 27, 1998, as the second single from the album. Sons of the Desert is featured in the chorus of the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry McBride (musician)</span> American singer-songwriter

Terry McBride is an American country music artist. Between 1989 and 1994, and again from 2000 to 2002, McBride was the lead vocalist and bass guitarist in the band McBride & the Ride, a country music group which recorded four studio albums, received CMA and ACM Nominations for Vocal Group of the Year, and charted more than ten singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. The trio reunited a second time in 2021 and is currently touring throughout the country in support of their comeback EP, Marlboros & Avon. McBride continues to write and record solo music as well, including albums Hotels & Highways and Rebels & Angels. He is also the son of 1970s country singer Dale McBride.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Know How the River Feels</span> 1999 single by Diamond Rio

"I Know How the River Feels" is a song written by Steven Dale Jones and Amy Powers. First recorded by Ty Herndon, it has been released as a single by both Diamond Rio and McAlyster.

Fletcher Bangs "Biff" Watson is an American guitarist, songwriter, and producer. His musicianship has been a part of recording sessions for many artists.

Larry Alvin Franklin is an American fiddler, mandolin and guitar player, session musician, and composer. His style embraces country, blues, rock and roll, jazz, and Western swing.

References

  1. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Sons of the Desert biography". Allmusic . Retrieved 2007-07-15.
  2. ↑ "College grad devotes more time to band, singing". The Waco Citizen. July 24, 1990. p. 3. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  3. ↑ Jenny Strasburg (August 16, 1994). "Native son returning to sing". San Angelo Standard-Times. pp. 6A, 9A. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 393. ISBN   978-0-89820-177-2.
  5. 1 2 "Drew Womack album review". Country Standard Time . Retrieved 2007-07-15.
  6. 1 2 3 Schmitzer, Lauren (June 14, 2000). "SONS OF THE DESERT MAKE CHANGE AFTER SONG DISPUTE". MTV. Archived from the original on December 25, 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  7. 1 2 "Sons of the Desert don't mind getting a little 'SOD'dy". The Capital-Journal. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
  8. 1 2 Young, Lisa (2000-06-28). "Sons of the Desert Find a Change: MCA Debut Puts Band Back in Record Stores, on Tour With Dwight Yoakam". CMT.com . Archived from the original on June 11, 2004. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
  9. ↑ Bjorke, Matt. "Matt's Songwriter Spotlight - Marcus Hummon". About.com . Archived from the original on 2008-05-08. Retrieved 2008-04-01.
  10. ↑ McCall, Michael (2000-08-07). "Music: Ax-Swinging". Weekly Wire. Retrieved 2008-04-01.
  11. ↑ Change (CD booklet). Sons of the Desert. MCA Records Nashville. 2000. 170131.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ↑ "Drew Womack : Biography". CMT.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
  13. ↑ "Womack Returns". Drew Womack . Retrieved 2015-01-05.
  14. ↑ Parton, Chris (March 5, 2021). "Richie McDonald Departs Lonestar for Second Time". Sounds Like Nashville. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  15. ↑ Coker, Melissa (March 5, 2021). "Lonestar's Lineup Undergoes "Change"". The Country Club. Retrieved October 29, 2021.

External

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.