Deal's Gone Bad is a band from

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. Their sound mixes

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

rocksteady Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor of ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was the dominant style of music in Jamaica for nearly two years, performed by many of the artists who helped establish ...

, and

ska Ska (; , ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a w ...

music with American

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

. They have been together since 1994, with numerous lineup changes over the years. The current incarnation has been mostly stable since 2003. The band hews to a more traditional ska-reggae sound while many others working in the genre morphed into a more

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

variety. The band has shared the stage with performers such as

the Skatalites The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including "Guns of Navarone (song), Guns of Navarone." They also played on records by Prince Bus ...

Toots & the Maytals The Maytals, known from 1972 to 2020 as Toots and the Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group, one of the best known ska and rocksteady vocal groups. The Maytals were formed in the early 1960s and were key figures in popularizing reggae music. ...

Desmond Dekker Desmond Dekker (born Desmond Adolphus Dacres; 16 July 1941 – 25 May 2006) was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer-songwriter and musician. Together with his backing group the Aces (consisting of Wilson James and Easton Barrington Ho ...

, The English Beat, Hepcat,

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...

, The Slackers,

Flogging Molly Flogging Molly is an Irish-American seven-piece Celtic punk band formed in Los Angeles in 1997, led by Irish vocalist Dave King, formerly of the hard rock band Fastway. They are signed to their own record label, Borstal Beat Records. Histor ...

The Toasters The Toasters are one of the original American Third wave ska, third wave of ska bands. Founded in New York City in 1981, the band has released nine studio albums, primarily through Moon Ska Records. History Englishman Robert Hingley relocated ...

, Mustard Plug, Voodoo Glow Skulls, and

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (informally referred to as The Bosstones and often stylized as The Mighty Mighty BossToneS) were an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. From the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky ...

History

Deal's Gone Bad formed in 1994 and played locally in Chicago for several years, releasing their debut in 1996. They then signed to Jump Up! Records and released ''Large and In Charge'' in 1998. This album featured cover art inspired by the

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kubrick filmography, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or sho ...

film '' A Clockwork Orange'' and was heavily influenced by 1960s reggae and ska musicians such as

Prince Buster Cecil Bustamente Campbell (24 May 1938 – 8 September 2016), known professionally as Prince Buster, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer. The records he released in the 1960s influenced and shaped the course of Jamaican contemporary ...

The Skatalites The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including "Guns of Navarone (song), Guns of Navarone." They also played on records by Prince Bus ...

and

The Wailers Bob Marley and the Wailers (previously known as the Wailers and prior to that the Wailing Rudeboys, the Wailing Wailers and the Teenagers) were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley (Rober ...

; it prompted

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

to call them "one of the most intriguing bands on the scene." The album also incorporated

into many of its songs, an element which would remain an important part of their sound for many years. The follow-up, ''Overboard'', followed in 1999, which featured more prominent

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

parts due to the addition of keyboardist Julio Herrera. Both ''Large and In Charge'' and ''Overboard'' featured songs dealing with

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

s as subject matter. An EP and a full-length arrived in 2003 from the group, followed in 2005 by a compilation disc, ''The Longest Happy Hour'', which also included two previously unreleased songs. The group performed on the

Vans Warped Tour The Warped Tour is a touring rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music festival in the United S ...

in 2006. In 2007, Megalith Records released their next album, ''The Ramblers'', by which time only Dave Simon and Mike Corcoran remained from the group's original incarnation. Shortly after the release of ''The Ramblers'', the group toured with Voodoo Glow Skulls,

, and Mustard Plug on the Ska Is Dead tour in 2009. In May 2011, the group released its first new material in four years with an EP entitled ''Far From Home''. The band has not been active since around 2014.

Current lineup

* Todd Hembrook - Lead vocals * Dave Simon - Guitar * Karl Gustafson - Keyboards * Mike Corcoran - Drums * Mike "Spider" Hobson - Bass * Aaron Hammes - Bari & Tenor sax, vocals * Andrew "Pedro" Hernandez - Trombone

Former members

* Mike Park - Lead vocals (not to be confused with Californian ska/punk musician

Mike Park Michael Brian Park is an American musician and progressive activist. His musical ventures include Skankin' Pickle for whom he both played the saxophone and sang, The Chinkees, The Bruce Lee Band, and Ogikubo Station, as well as an acoustic solo p ...

) * Brian Garibaldi - Bass, backing vocals * Doug Corcoran - Trumpet, keys, organ, vocals * Marty Madera - Bass * Denis McQuinn - Tenor sax * Danny Johnson - Alto sax, backing vocals * Tom Riley - Tenor sax, vocals * Julio Herrera - keyboards * Aret Sakalian - keyboards * Dave "Boner" Bosonetta - trombone, backing vocals * Phil Ohst - Tenor Sax, Baritone Sax, Guitar * T.J. Annerino - Guitar, drums

Discography

* '' Orgasmico'' (1996) * '' Large and In Charge'' (1998) (Jump Up! Records) * '' Elephants/ Mad at the World 7"'' (1998) (Jump Up! Records) * '' Overboard'' (1999) (Jump Up! Records) * '' Fire! EP'' (2002) (Jump Up! Records) * '' Guide to Boat Drinks and Cruise Cocktails'' (2002) (Jump Up! Records) * '' The Longest Happy Hour: 1998-2003'' (2005) (Jump Up! Records) * ''The Ramblers'' (2007) (Jump Up! Records/ Megalith Records) * ''Far From Home'' EP (2011) (Self-released) * ''Heartbreaks & Shadows'' (2014) (Self-released)

References

External links

Deal's Gone Bad WebsiteChicagoSka
* Allmusic.com {{Authority control Third-wave ska groups Musical groups from Chicago American ska musical groups