A farewell is set in Rocky Mount for Howard Douglas "Doug" Winstead Jr., the 67-year-old trumpeter and vocalist beloved for his years with the Band of Oz. His funeral will be held at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21, at Rock Haven Church in Rocky Mount, with the family receiving friends starting at noon. Winstead was killed in a collision on Interstate 95 on April 11.
Service details
Arrangements are being handled by Thomas‑Yelverton Funeral Service and appear in an online obituary on Dignity Memorial. The notice lists Rock Haven Church, 3438 S. Halifax Road in Rocky Mount, as the venue and notes that the family will greet friends from noon until the 3 p.m. service.
Crash on I-95
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol said Winstead's 2019 Chrysler Pacifica struck the rear of a 2025 Peterbilt tanker that had slowed for traffic on northbound I‑95 near Pope Road, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Those details were reported by ABC11.
His music career
Winstead was a longtime fixture of Carolina beach music, singing and playing trumpet with the Band of Oz and other regional shag bands. He was inducted into the Carolina Beach Music Hall of Fame in 2021, according to the band's biography. The group's website highlights his work on horns and vocals along with his decades on the regional circuit, and fans have pointed to his many appearances across the Carolinas.
Community reaction
Fans and fellow musicians poured out condolences online after Winstead's death, with local groups and venues posting messages of grief and gratitude, as reported by the News & Observer. The Band of Oz remembered Winstead as "a brother and a world-class musician," as cited by Public Radio East.
A celebration of life will also be held later in Concord‑Kannapolis and in North Myrtle Beach, the funeral notice says, and the family has asked that donations be directed to the Cabarrus County Animal Shelter in lieu of flowers. Service and obituary details are posted by Thomas‑Yelverton via Dignity Memorial.
