Overview
Sons of the Desert was an American country music group formed in 1989 in Waco, Texas. Combining harmony-driven singing with contemporary country arrangements, the band came to national attention in the late 1990s after signing to a major Nashville label. Their 1997 major-label debut, Whatever Comes First, brought them their highest-charting single and a period of radio and touring activity.
Formation and members
The group was founded by brothers Drew Womack (lead vocals, rhythm guitar; see lead vocalist credits) and Tim Womack (lead guitar, harmony vocals; see guitar notes). They were joined by Scott Saunders on keyboards, Doug Virden on bass guitar and background vocals, and Brian Westrum on drums. This five-person lineup recorded the material that established the band’s professional reputation and handled the majority of the group’s touring and promotional work in the 1990s.
Major-label success
After several years performing regionally, Sons of the Desert signed to Epic Records Nashville and released their debut major-label album, Whatever Comes First, in 1997. The title track became the band's signature hit, reaching the top ten on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and earning the group wider radio exposure. Over time the band charted a total of eight times on the country singles chart, a tally that includes two singles issued from a later, unreleased album project.
Unreleased follow-up and later changes
Following their debut, the band recorded a second album for their label that was not issued in full. Several tracks from the sessions were released as singles or circulated to radio in promotional form, but the complete album remained commercially unreleased. Around the turn of the millennium the group experienced lineup and career shifts typical of artists negotiating label relationships, and the momentum of their late-1990s run diminished as members pursued other opportunities in music.
Musical style and reception
Sons of the Desert combined close vocal harmonies with melodic guitar parts and keyboard textures, aligning them with late-1990s country trends that favored polished studio production and radio-ready arrangements. Reviewers and listeners commonly praised the band's vocal blend and professional arrangements; at the same time, competition for radio space in the era made sustained mainstream exposure difficult for many contemporaries. The band is often cited in discussions of 1990s country groups that blended traditional vocal harmony with modern production values.
Legacy and subsequent activity
Although Sons of the Desert did not become a long-running household name, they are remembered for their top-ten single and for writing and performing songs that appealed to country radio audiences of their day. The band’s name also recalls the classic film title Sons of the Desert, a cultural reference that commentators have noted in profiles and interviews. After the group's most active years, members continued to work in music through songwriting, session work, production, occasional solo recordings and local performance projects. Collectors, fans of 1990s country, and regional music historians continue to reference their recordings and chart history in genre overviews and archives (genre resources).
Selected discography
- Whatever Comes First (Epic Records Nashville, 1997) — debut major-label album; includes the top-ten title single.
- Unreleased second Epic album — recorded for the label but not issued commercially; several singles and promotional tracks emerged from these sessions.
References and further information
Contemporary chart listings and single performance are documented on Billboard and in industry chart archives (Hot Country Songs). Personnel and credits can be found in label materials and artist profiles (Epic Records Nashville, press kits and interviews). For biographical details and local history, consult regional sources in Waco, Texas and broader country-music reference sites (keyboardist credits, bass credits, drummer credits, vocal credits, guitar credits).