The Mighty Mighty Bosstones break up

Sean Furtado

Other than a brief three-year hiatus in the mid 2000s, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones have been consistently around since forming in 1983, they're probably the longest-running band in American ska-punk, and they're fresh off releasing a rejuvenated new album (their first for Tim Armstrong's Hellcat label), but today brings the genuinely shocking news that they've broken up. The band writes:

After decades of brotherhood, touring the world and making great records together, we have decided to no longer 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.

Love Always,
The Mighty Mighty BossToneS

They haven't said why, but damn, this is a huge bummer!

The Bosstones formed in Boston in 1983, taking influence from the UK's 2 Tone ska scene and their own local hardcore punk scene. Original members Dicky Barrett (vocals), Joe Gittleman (bass), Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton (tenor sax) and Ben Carr (dancer / "Bosstone") remained with the band until the very end. They released their debut album Devil's Night Out in 1989, and it -- along with Operation Ivy's Energy from that same year -- is widely credited with kickstarting the American ska-punk boom that ensued in the following decade. A string of now-classic albums followed throughout the 1990s, and with 1997's Let's Face It and its signature single "The Impression That I Get," the Bosstones helped bring ska to a wider audience than ever before. Even after the ska-punk craze started to die down, the Bosstones kept on trucking and released the underrated A Jackknife to a Swan in 2002. Their brief hiatus followed, and the Bosstones came back in 2007 for four more albums and constant touring. Their latest was 2021's When God Was Great.

Read more about the band in 64 Essential Ska Albums from 1964 to Present. Watch some Bosstones videos and check out a few tributes to the band below...