Founding Bowling for Soup Guitarist Chris Burney Retires: ‘You Can’t Replace a Legend!’

Bowling for Soup guitarist Chris Burney has announced his departure from the pop-punk band he co-founded more than 30 years ago.

News of Burney’s departure was revealed on Bowling for Soup’s social media accounts on Wednesday (Jan. 22), with the group noting they would not be recruiting a replacement to fill Burney’s shoes, but instead continuing as a three-piece.

“It is with a heavy heart we announce that Chris Burney has made the decision to retire from his stage-right post in the band he co-founded in 1994,” the group wrote in a statement shared on social media. “Some recent medical developments, 30 years of rocking balls and touring non-stop have made it difficult to continue. We are bummed to not have Chris by our sides, but absolutely support his decision.

“The future of Bowling For Soup remains bright,” they added. “The three of us will carry on, with Chris’ blessing, and continue to build the legacy of this band we all love so much. We will not be replacing Chris or touring with a touring guitarist. You cannot replace a legend. We were brothers when we started this journey… and brothers we remain.”

Bowling for Soup were founded in Wichita Falls, TX in 1994 by Burney, lead vocalist and guitarist Jaret Reddick, drummer Lance Morrill, and bassist Erik Chandler. Morrill would exit the group in 1994 (though would later return for occasional tours) and Chandler would later depart in 2018.

The band began releasing records in 1994, but wouldn’t receive commercial recognition until 2002’s Drunk Enough to Dance, which featured “Girl All the Bad Guys Want” and gave the band their first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 64.

However, their largest success would arrive in 2004 when they released A Hangover You Don’t Deserve. The record peaked at No. 37 on the Billboard 200, bolstered by the popularity of “1985” – a cover of SR-71‘s original which had been released only two months earlier. The track would later peak at No. 23 on the Hot 10, and chart in the top ten of both the Adult Pop Airplay and Pop Airplay charts.

Bowling for Soup last released an album by way of 2022’s Pop Drunk Snot Bread, and spent the latter half of 2024 touring in support of A Hangover You Don’t Deserve’s 20th anniversary. The group will bring that tour to the U.K. in February, albeit as a trio.