Mighty Mighty Bosstones Biography

Mighty Mighty Bosstones

One of the first bands to fuse Jamaican ska rhythms with distorted guitar riffs and punkish attitude. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones emerged from Boston's underground club scene in 1985 when vocalist Dicky Barrett recruited Tim Bridewell (vocalist), Nate Albert (guitar), Tim Burton (saxophone), Josh Dalsimer (drums), Joe Gittleman (bass), and dancer Ben Carr. After several years honing their act and even enduring a temporary breakup, their debut, Devil's Night Out, was released in 1990. Soon afterward, Dalsimer and Bridewell were replaced by Joe Sirois (drums), Kevin Lenear (saxophone), and Dennis Brockenborough (trombone). After signing with Mercury in 1993 the Bosstones entered their most successful period with an appearance in the film Clueless (1995) and a slot on the 1994 Lollapalooza tour. In 1997, buoyed by the success of new ska-influenced pop bands like No Doubt, the band released their commercial breakthrough Let's Face It, which spawned the hit single “The Impression That I Get” and achieved platinum sales status. In 1998, Albert and Linear were replaced by Roman Flysher (sax) and Lawrence Katz (guitar). Pay Attention (2000) generated another hit single, “So Sad to Say.”