TYLER, Texas -- Two members of a Dallas-based rock group, Vince Vance and the Valiants, remained hospitalized Sunday with injuries from a head-on collision that killed the group's lead guitarist and another man.
William Manousas, 29, a guitarist and singer, was in good condition while Carl Gunnstaks, 31, a bassist, was in stable condition, Medical Center Hospital officials said.
Richard Arthur Heath, 29, the lead guitarist, and Bobby Jett, 23, of Trinity, were killed early Friday when Jett apparently fell asleep and his pickup crossed the median, Highway Patrol trooper David Rayner said.
The group formed 11 years ago in New Orleans, specializing in rock 'n' roll music from the 1950s and 1960s. It gained a following in Dallas, which eventually led to its relocation in Dallas two years ago. The group never had a member named Vince Vance.
In 1980, the group came up with popular lyrics to the tune of the Regents' 1961 hit 'Barbara Ann.' The name of the song was 'Bomb Iran.'
The other members of the group, who were less seriously injured, were Andy Stone, 25; Sidney Arroyo, 30; Philip Phistry, 32; and Raymond Blanchard, 26, the lead guitarist.
The group has toured 38 states, but its reputation is strongest in the South, where the musicians play in nightclubs, colleges and concerts, Stone, the group's leader, said.
They had performed at the Old Beaumont Cafe in Beaumont and were returning to Dallas when the accident occurred on U.S. 287 about three miles south of Elkhart.
They were hospitalized in nearby Tyler, about 90 miles east of Dallas.
