Jimmy Buffett

James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapism" and promoted enjoying life and following passions. Buffett recorded many hit songs, including those known as "The Big 8": "Margaritaville" (1977), which is ranked 234th on the Recording Industry Association of America's list of "Songs of the Century"; "Come Monday" (1974); "Fins" (1979); "Volcano" (1979); "A Pirate Looks at Forty" (1974); "Cheeseburger in Paradise" (1978); "Why Don't We Get Drunk" (1973); and "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" (1977). His other popular songs include "Son of a Son of a Sailor" (1978), "One Particular Harbour" (1983), and "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" with Alan Jackson (2003). Buffett formed the Coral Reefer Band in 1975.

Of the over 30 albums released by Buffett, eight are certified gold and nine are certified platinum or multi-platinum by the RIAA. In total, Buffett sold over 20 million certified records worldwide, placing him amongst the world's best-selling music artists. In addition to two Grammy Award nominations, Buffett was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence category in 2024.

Buffett also parlayed the "island escapism" lifestyle of his music into several business ventures, including Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville restaurant chain, the now-defunct Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant chain, and ventures in hotels, casinos, liquor, and retirement communities. He was also a bestselling author. Buffett's estate was estimated to be worth $275 million. His devoted fans are known as "Parrotheads".

Early life

Buffett was born on December 25, 1946, in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and he spent part of his childhood in Mobile and Fairhope, Alabama. He was the son of Mary Lorraine (née Peets) (died September 25, 2003) and James Delaney Buffett, Jr. (died May 1, 2003), who worked for the United States Army Corps of Engineers. He had two younger sisters, Laurie (born 1948) and Lucy (born 1953).

As a child, Buffett was exposed to sailing: his grandfather, James Delaney Buffett, was a steamship captain from Newfoundland, and his father was a marine engineer and sailor—these experiences later influenced his music. Buffett was educated by Jesuits as a Catholic and served as an altar boy.

In 1961, after seeing a folk music ensemble perform in Biloxi, Mississippi, Buffett realized that he wanted to be a musician. His first performance was a month later at a hootenanny, where he played a Stella guitar.

Buffett attended St. Ignatius School, where he played the trombone in the school band at age 8 in the 1950s. Buffett graduated from McGill Institute in 1964.

Buffett enrolled at Auburn University and was taught how to play guitar by a Sigma Pi fraternity brother to "garner attention from girls". Buffett failed out of Auburn after a year, in April 1966, "unable to balance his newfound interests in music and girls with his college classes". In 1966, Buffett played acid rock in a band called the Upstairs Alliance that attempted to emulate the sound of Jefferson Airplane. He continued college at Pearl River Community College and the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and earned a bachelor's degree in history in 1969, where during his time there he also joined the Kappa Sigma fraternity. In college, Buffett worked in a shipyard as an electrician and welder. He avoided serving in the Vietnam War due to a college deferment and a failed physical exam.

Music career

After graduating in 1969, Buffett moved to New Orleans and often held street performances for tourists on Decatur Street and played for drunken crowds in the former Bayou Room nightclub on Bourbon Street. In 1970, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to further his country music career. Buffett did not have much luck with music jobs but found work as an editorial assistant for Billboard, where he was the first to report that the bluegrass duo Flatt and Scruggs had disbanded.

Buffett signed a two-album contract with Barnaby Records. He released his first album, the country-tinged folk rock record Down to Earth, in August 1970; it sold 324 copies. The masters of his second album, High Cumberland Jubilee, recorded in 1971 in Berry Hill, Tennessee, were allegedly lost by the label before the album was released, although they were found in 1976, once Buffett became popular.

In the fall of 1971, after an impromptu audition, Buffett was hired by the Exit/In, a Nashville club, as the opening act for recording artist Dianne Davidson. Unhappy with the business climate in Nashville and with his first marriage heading for divorce, Buffett took up an offer by fellow country singer Jerry Jeff Walker, whom he had met while working as a journalist in Nashville, for lodging in his house in Coconut Grove. In November 1971, they went to Key West on a busking expedition; Buffett liked it so much that he moved there in the spring of 1972. There, Buffett got involved in the literary scene, meeting writers Thomas McGuane (who married Buffett's sister), Jim Harrison, Tom Corcoran, and Truman Capote; sex and drugs were plentiful. Buffett was hired by David Wolkowsky, playing for drinks at the Chart Room Bar in the Pier House Motel. There, Buffett met his second wife. From a connection he made there, Buffett was hired as the first mate on the yacht of industrialist Foster Talge, heir to The Rival Company, which became his day job.

In 1973, Buffett signed a recording contract with ABC/Dunhill Records, then run by Don Gant. After Jim Croce died in a plane crash in September 1973, Dunhill promoted Buffett as a replacement.

Buffett's second release and his first release on ABC/Dunhill Records was A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean, recorded at Tompall Glaser's Glaser Sound recording studio on Music Row and released in June 1973. The album featured the hit singles "Grapefruit—Juicy Fruit" and "Why Don't We Get Drunk" as well as "I Have Found Me a Home", written about his experiences in Key West. Buffett used the money he made from the album to buy his first boat.

Living & Dying in 3/4 Time, recorded in October 1973 and released in February 1974, deviated from the island-theme of Buffett's other albums. It included "Come Monday", written for his then-girlfriend and future wife, his first single to place on the Billboard Hot 100. A1A, released in December 1974, included "A Pirate Looks at Forty", written about a drug smuggler.

In 1975, Buffett formed the Coral Reefer Band. He credits his future wife for cleaning up their look, replacing their ripped Levi jeans and collarless shirts. The band was the opening act for the Eagles in August 1975.

Havana Daydreamin', produced by Don Gant, was released in January 1976. In January 1977, Buffett released Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes, which, in addition to the title track, featured his breakthrough hit song "Margaritaville". Buffett claims that he wrote most of the song in six minutes. Ironically, while it attempts to negatively portray tourists in Key West, it led to an increase in tourism to the city. That year, Buffett sublet his apartment in Key West to Hunter S. Thompson.

Buffett first traveled to Saint Barthélemy in 1978 and moved there shortly thereafter, where he got the inspiration for songs and characters in his books.

In March 1978, Buffett released Son of a Son of a Sailor. In addition to the title track, it featured "Cheeseburger in Paradise", which reached number 32 on the Hot 100. In August 1979, he released Volcano, which included "Fins" and the title track.

In 1983, Buffett filed and won a lawsuit against Chi-Chi's for attempting to trademark "Margaritaville" as a drink special. In October 1985, he released the compilation album Songs You Know By Heart, which included all of the "Big Eight" songs and was his best-selling album, selling over 7 million copies by 2005.

In 1994, Buffett dueted with Frank Sinatra on a cover of "Mack the Knife" on Sinatra's final studio album, Duets II. In 1996, Buffett penned the song "Jamaica Mistaica" for his Banana Wind album based on a January 1996 incident in which Buffett's Grumman HU-16 airplane named Hemisphere Dancer was shot at by Jamaican police, who believed the craft to be smuggling marijuana. The aircraft sustained minimal damage. The plane was carrying Buffett as well as Bono of U2, Bono's wife and two children, Island Records producer Chris Blackwell, and co-pilot Bill Dindy. The Jamaican government acknowledged the mistake and apologized to Buffett.

In April 1998, Buffett released an album of songs from a musical theatre production he co-created based on Herman Wouk's novel, Don't Stop the Carnival; the album was certified gold. After Frank Sinatra died the following month, he attended his funeral. Buffett's song "Math Suks", released in May 1999, was condemned by the U.S. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the National Education Association for its alleged negative effect on children's education. Comedian Jon Stewart also jokingly criticized the song on The Daily Show during a segment called "Math Is Quite Pleasant".

By 1999, Buffett had shifted to a more relaxed concert schedule of around 20–30 dates per year, with infrequent back-to-back nights, preferring to play only on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. This schedule provided the title of his 1999 live album.