The Mighty Mighty BossToneS, the beloved ska progenitors who formed in Boston 39 years ago and brought the ska-core subgenre into the mainstream, announced they are calling it quits.
A statement on the band’s website reads, “After decades of brotherhood, touring the world, and making great records together we have decided not to continue on as a band. Above all, we want to express our sincere gratitude to every single one of you who have supported us. We could not have done any of it without you.”
In 1983, lead vocalist Dickey Barrett, who also was the announcer on Jimmy Kimmel Live! from 2004 – 2022, tenor saxophonist Tim “Johnny Vegas” Burton, guitarist Nate Albert, bassist Joe Gittleman, drummer Josh Dalsimer, trumpet player Tim Bridwell, and dancer Ben Carr, formed The Mighty Mighty Bosstones with musicians from the bands Gang Green and The Cheapskates. Barrett, Burton, and Carr were the only remaining members of the original lineup in 2022.
The band issued their debut album, Devil’s Night Out, on Taang! Records in 1989, and later signed with Mercury Records, which released their third effort in 1993, the underground hit Don’t Know How to Party. The Bosstones’ fifth and biggest album, Let’s Face It, went platinum in 1997, peaking at No. 27 on the Billboard 200 chart. That album’s hit single, “The Impression That I Get,” reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and No. 23 o the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. It also achieved hit status in the U.K., Canada, and Australia.
Albert left the Bosstones in 2000, two years prior to the group releasing the album A Jackknife to a Swan before they went on a three-year hiatus from 2004-2007. The band came back in 2009 with Pin Points and Gin Joints, but played just five shows that year and nine more in 2010.
The band’s final album, When God Was Great, dropped in May 2021 on Hellcat Records. The Bosstones’ final lineup included founding members Barrett, Burton, Carr, and Gittleman, drummer Joe Sirois, guitarist Lawrence Katz, trombonist Chris Rhodes, keyboardist John Goetchius, and saxophonist Leon Silva.
