Bowling for Soup is a Grammy nominated, comedy influenced pop punk band originally formed in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1994. Now based in Denton, Texas, the band is best known for their singles "Girl All the Bad Guys Want" (a 2003 Grammy Award nominee) and "1985," which was written by SR-71. They have sold over a million copies of their studio albums, including a covers album.

History

Bowling for Soup was formed in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1994 by Jaret Reddick (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Erik Chandler (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chris Burney (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Lance Morril (drums, backing vocals). Morril left the band in 1998 (on good terms) and was replaced by Gary Wiseman. The band's name is derived from comedian Steve Martin's "Bowling for Shit" routine from his 1978 comedy album, Wild and Crazy Guy, itself a reference to Bowling for Dollars. In 1998, the band relocated to Denton, Texas and recorded their first studio album]] Rock On Honorable Ones!!! in 1998 for Denton music label FFROE. Bowling for Soup released their first studio album, Tell Me When To Whoa!!!, through FFROE later that year. The album sold over 10,000 copies, prompting Jive Records to sign the band.Let's Do It for Johnny! , Bowling for Soup's major label debut, was released on Jive in 2000. The album mostly contained re-recordings of their previous material, but it also contained a few new tracks and a cover of Bryan Adams' song "Summer of '69".

Biography

Punky power pop outfit Bowling for Soup was formed in 1994 in Wichita Falls, TX, featuring lead vocalist/guitarist Jaret Reddick, guitarist/vocalist Chris Burney, bassist Erik Chandler, and drummer Gary Wiseman. The group really began to jell in 1997 when a heavy touring schedule helped broaden their fan base and landed them opening spots for nationally prominent punk and ska bands. The following year, they recorded a debut EP for the local FFROE label, titled Tell Me When to Whoa!; by now, their base of operations had been moved to Denton, TX, the site of the label's headquarters as well. Later in 1998, Bowling for Soup issued their first full-length album, Rock on Honorable Ones!!!; both it and its predecessor proved popular around the state (Honorable Ones sold over 10,000 copies alone) and the band ended up scoring a deal with Jive/Silvertone. For their 2000 major-label debut, Let's Do It for Johnny!, Bowling for Soup re-recorded some of the best songs from their indie records and added a few new tracks, including lead single "The Bitch Song" and a cover of Bryan Adams' "Summer of '69." Two years later, the band released Drunk Enough to Dance, and nabbed a Grammy nomination for the single "Girl All the Bad Guys Want." Hangover You Don't Deserve followed in 2004, and BFS landed another hit single in "1985," which helped propel Hangover to number 37 on the Billboard 200. Bowling for Soup returned in 2005 with Goes to the Movies, on which they tackled various television and movie theme songs. The Great Burrito Extortion Case followed in the fall of 2006, spearheaded by the bouncy single "High School Never Ends." ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide.