Vince Vance & The Valiants

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Vince Vance & The Valiants is a band from New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.

Founded in 1971, one of the band's most notable characteristics is the style of Vince Vance (real name Andy Stone), the band's founder and keyboardist, who sports a trademark beehive hairstyle that reaches more than 18 inches in height "on a good hair day". The band is also known for its highly theatrical stage antics, with props such as a 6-foot head in Vance's likeness, and a John Deere five-wheel tricycle. Vance himself has 50 complete costume changes for each show.

In 1989, the group produced its biggest hit, "All I Want For Christmas Is You", which was sung by then-lead singer Lisa Layne. A video was made for the song in 1993. For many years, Billboard Magazine reported this song as Radio's most-requested Christmas song.^{[citation needed]} The song receives heavy holiday airplay on both adult contemporary and country music radio stations annually; in addition, it charted at #31 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts in 2000.

"All I Want For Christmas Is You" was written by Vance and former lead guitarist Troy Powers and inspired by one of Vance's real life experiences. The single, first released in 1989 on a vinyl 45, came in a picture jacket with a photo of the band on the front, and on the back was the story that Vance told which inspired him to write the song.

Vance said in the notes that in 1973, he was touring with his band, and like most young bands, agreed to a heavy touring schedule as part of their album's promotion. The year ended with Vance spending his Christmas in a lonely motel room in Columbus, Ohio.

"For the first time in my life, I knew the meaning of emptiness", said Vance. "Since then, Vince Vance and the Valiants always spends Christmas with their families."

The group is also known for its 1980 song titled "Bomb Iran", which was recorded in the midst of the Iranian hostage crisis and sung to the tune of "Barbara Ann" by The Beach Boys and The Regents. Later, in 2003, the group recorded a song called "Bomb Iraq", sung to the tune of "Yakety Yak" and supporting the imminent Iraq war.