Everything about Jimmy Buffett totally explained
James William "Jimmy" Buffett (born
December 25 1946) is a
singer,
songwriter,
author,
businessman, and recently a
movie producer best known for his "island escapism" lifestyle and music including hits such as "
Margaritaville" (No. 234 on the list of "
Songs of the Century"), and "
Come Monday." He has a devoted base of
fans known as "
Parrotheads." His band is known as the
Coral Reefer Band.
Aside from his career in music, Buffett is also a best-selling writer and is involved in two restaurant chains named after two of his best known songs, "
Cheeseburger in Paradise" and "
Margaritaville." He owns the
Margaritaville Cafe restaurant chain and co-developed the
Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant concept with
OSI Restaurant Partners (parent of
Outback Steakhouse), which operates the chain under a licensing agreement with Buffett.
He and his wife Jane have two daughters, Savannah Jane and Sarah Delaney, and an adopted son, Cameron Marley.
Biography
Born to James Delaney "J.D." Buffett Jr. and Mary Loraine "Peets" Buffett in
Pascagoula,
Mississippi, Buffett grew up at 4623 North Sunset Drive in
Mobile, Alabama. He graduated from high school from McGill Institute for Boys (now
McGill-Toolen Catholic High School) in 1964. He began playing guitar during his college years at
Auburn University and
The University of Southern Mississippi in
Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where he received a bachelor's degree in
history in
1969. He was initiated into the fraternity
Kappa Sigma (
ΚΣ) at the University of Southern Mississippi, but left the fraternity soon after. He later married his first wife, Margie Washichek, at
Spring Hill College in Mobile. After graduating from college, Buffett worked as a correspondent for
Billboard magazine in
Nashville, breaking the news of the separation of
Flatt and Scruggs. Sarah Delaney Buffett is his daughter along with Savannah Jane Buffett. He also has an adopted son named Cameron Marley Buffett.
Music
Buffett began his musical career in
Nashville, Tennessee during the late 1960s as a
country artist and recorded his first
album, the
folk rock Down to Earth, in 1970. During this time Buffett could be frequently found
busking for tourists in New Orleans.
Country music singer
Jerry Jeff Walker took him to
Key West on a busking expedition. Buffett then moved to Key West and began establishing the easy-going
beach bum persona for which he's known. Following this move, Buffett combined country, folk, and pop music with coastal as well as tropical lyrical themes for a sound sometimes called "
gulf and western." Today, he's a regular visitor to the
Caribbean island of
Saint Barts and other islands where he gets inspiration for many of his songs and some of the characters in his books.
Buffett's third album was the 1973
A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean.
A1A followed in 1974,
Havana Daydreamin' appeared in 1976, followed by 1977's
Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes, which featured the breakthrough hit song "
Margaritaville".
During the 1980s, Buffett made far more money off his tours than albums and became known as a popular concert draw. He released a series of albums during the following twenty years, primarily to his devoted audience, and also branched into writing and merchandising. In 1985, Buffett opened the first of the "Margaritaville" restaurants in Key West, bringing new visibility and life to the Margaritaville name. During the 1980s Buffett played at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, he briefly changed the name of the band from "Coral Reefers" to the "Coral Reef Band" to suit the HLS&R's request as they thought "Reefers" was a drug related reference. HLS&R is a charity event that provides student grants to children and young adults that compete in agriculture contests (FFA).
Two of the more out-of-character albums were
Christmas Island, a collection of holiday songs, and
Parakeets, a collection of Buffett songs sung by children and containing "cleaned-up" lyrics (like "a cold
root beer" instead of "a cold
draft beer").
In 1997, Buffett collaborated with novelist
Herman Wouk to create a short-lived musical based on Wouk's novel,
Don't Stop the Carnival. Broadway showed little interest in the play, so it instead ran for six weeks in Miami. He released the soundtrack for the musical in 1998.
In August 2000 Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band played on the White House lawn for then President Bill Clinton.
In 2003, he partnered in a partial
duet with
Alan Jackson for the song "
It's Five O'Clock Somewhere," a number one hit on the country charts.
Buffett's album,
License to Chill, released on
July 13 2004, sold 238,600 copies in its first week of release according to
Nielsen SoundScan. With this, Buffett topped the
U.S. pop albums chart for the first time in his three-decade career.
Buffett continues to tour throughout the year although he's shifted recently to a more relaxed schedule of around 20–30 dates, and rarely on back-to-back nights, preferring to play only on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, thus the title of his 1999 live album
Buffett Live — Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays. Purchasing tickets is difficult with most of his concerts selling out in minutes.
In the summer of 2005 Buffett teamed up with Sirius radio and introduced channel 31 Radio Margaritaville. Until this point Radio Margaritaville was solely an online channel. The channel broadcasts from the Margaritaville restaurant at
Universal CityWalk in
Orlando, Florida. The channel will still be available online at
www.radiomargaritaville.com
.
In September 2005, Buffett became the first musician to stage a concert at
Wrigley Field in
Chicago.
In August 2006, he released the album
Take The Weather With You. The song "Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On" on this album refers to 2005's
Hurricane Katrina. Also on the album he pays tribute to
Merle Haggard with his rendition of "Silver Wings" and covers, with
Mark Knopfler playing on the his track, "Whoop De Doo."
Of the over 30 albums Jimmy Buffett has released, as of October, 2007, he's 8 Gold Albums and 9 Platinum or Multi Platinum Albums. In 2003 Buffett won his first ever Country Music Award (CMA) for his song "It's 5 O'clock Somewhere" with Alan Jackson, and was nominated again in 2007 for the CMA Event of the Year Award for his song "Hey Good Lookin" which featured Alan Jackson and George Strait.
Writing
Buffett has written 3 No. 1 best sellers.
Tales from Margaritaville and
Where Is Joe Merchant? both spent over seven months on the
New York Times Best Seller fiction list. His book
A Pirate Looks At Fifty went straight to No. 1 on the
New York Times Bestseller non-fiction list, making him one of seven authors in that list's history to have reached No. 1 on both the fiction and non-fiction lists. The other six authors who have accomplished this are
Ernest Hemingway,
John Steinbeck,
William Styron,
Irving Wallace,
Dr. Seuss and
Mitch Albom.
Buffett also co-wrote two children's books,
The Jolly Mon and
Trouble Dolls, with his eldest daughter, Savannah Jane Buffett. The original hard cover release of the
The Jolly Mon included a cassette tape recording of him and Savannah Jane reading the story accompanied by an original score written by Michael Utley.
Buffett's novel
A Salty Piece of Land, was released on
November 30,
2004, and the first edition of the book included a CD single of the song "A Salty Piece Of Land", which was recorded for
License to Chill. The book was a
New York Times best seller soon after its release.
Buffett's latest title,
Swine Not?, was released May 13, 2008.
Film and television
Buffett wrote the soundtrack for, co-produced and acted in the 2006 film
Hoot, directed by
Wil Shriner and based on the book by
Carl Hiassen, which focuses on issues important to Buffett, such as conservation. The film wasn't a critical or commercial success. He also wrote and performed the theme song to the short-lived 1993
CBS television series
Johnny Bago.
In addition, Buffett has made several
cameo appearances, including in
Repo Man,
Hook,
Cobb,
Congo, and
From the Earth to the Moon. He also made cameo appearances as himself in
Rancho Deluxe (for which he also wrote the music) and in
FM. Buffett reportedly was offered a cameo role in, but declined the offer.
Business ventures
Buffett has taken advantage of his name and the effect of his music to launch several business ventures, usually with a tropical theme. He owns or licenses the Margaritaville Cafe and Cheeseburger in Paradise
restaurant chains. As a
baseball fan, he was part-owner of two minor league teams: the
Fort Myers Miracle and the
Madison Black Wolf. Between his restaurants, album sales, and tours, he earns an estimated
$100 million a year.
In 1993 he launched Margaritaville Records, with distribution through MCA Records. His MCA record deal ended with the release of 1996's
Christmas Island and he took Margaritaville Records over to Chris Blackwell's Island Records for a two record deal, 1998's
Don't Stop The Carnival and 1999's
Beach House On The Moon. In the fall of 1999, he started up Mailboat Records to release live albums. He partnered up with RCA Records for distribution in 2005 and 2006 for the two studio albums
License To Chill and
Take The Weather With You.
In 2006, Buffett launched a cooperative project with the
Anheuser-Busch brewing company to produce his own beer under the Margaritaville Brewing label called
Land Shark Lager. The label of the beer bottle features a shark fin.
In June 2007, Buffett, in partnership with
Harrah's Entertainment, announced plans to build the Margaritaville Casino & Resort in
Biloxi, Mississippi not far from his birthplace of Pascagoula. When completed in the spring of 2010, the resort will feature 798 rooms, a full-service spa, a pool/deck area with cabanas, and tropical landscaping.
Buffett has also has licensed Margaritaville Tequila, Margaritaville Shrimp and Margaritaville Footwear.
In 2006, his annual amphitheater tour grossed over $41 million, his Margaritaville restaurant and stores earned more than $15 million.
Charity work
He has been involved in many
charity efforts. In 1981 the Save the Manatee Club was founded by Buffett and former Florida governor
Bob Graham. The Save the Manatee Club is the world's leading
manatee preservation effort. In 1989, legislation was passed in
Florida that introduced the "Save the Manatee"
license plate, and earmarked funding for the Save the Manatee club.
The "Singing for Change" foundation was initially funded by proceeds from Buffett's 1995 concert tour, and provides grants to local charities in three main areas: children and family causes, environmental causes, and causes for disenfranchised groups.
On
November 23,
2004, Buffett raised
USD$3.4 million at his "Surviving the Storm" Hurricane Relief Concert in Orlando, Florida to provide relief for hurricane victims in Florida, Alabama and the Caribbean affected by the four major hurricanes that year. He has donated $500,000 to
Hurricane Katrina relief so far.
Buffett performed in Hong Kong on
January 18 2008 for a concert that raised US$63,000 for the Foreign Correspondents' Club Charity Fund. This was his first concert in Hong Kong and it sold out within weeks. Not only did Buffett perform for free, but he also paid for the concertgoers' tequila and beer.
In addition, many
Parrothead club activities are focused on charity work, although Buffett isn't directly involved with them.
Controversy
On
October 6 2006, it was reported that Buffett had been detained by French custom officials in
Saint Tropez for allegedly carrying over 100 pills of
ecstasy.
Buffett’s luggage was searched after his
Dassault Falcon 900 private jet landed at Toulon-Hyères International Airport. He paid a fine of $300 and was released. A
spokesperson for Buffett stated the pills in question were
prescription drugs, but declined to name the drug or the health problem for which he was being treated. Buffett released a statement that the "ecstasy" was in fact, a Vitamin B supplement known as
Foltx.
This wasn't the first time Buffett had been assumed to be carrying drugs. In January 1996 his
Grumman HU-16 airplane nicknamed "
Hemisphere Dancer" was shot at by Jamaican police who believed the craft to be smuggling marijuana. The aircraft sustained minimal damage. On board the plane with Buffett were
U2's Bono, and Island Records producer Chris Blackwell. The Jamaican government acknowledged the mistake and apologized to Buffett who penned the song "Jamaica Mistaica" for his
Banana Wind album based on the experience.
On
February 4,
2001, he was ejected from the
American Airlines Arena in Miami during a
Miami Heat/
New York Knicks basketball game for cursing.
After the game, referee
Joe Forte said that he ordered the singer moved during the fourth quarter because "there was a little boy sitting next to him and a lady sitting by him. He used some words he knows he shouldn't have used."
However, Forte apparently didn't know who he'd just removed from the arena. Heat coach
Pat Riley tried to explain who Buffett was to Forte and was censured himself because the referee thought Riley was insulting him by asking if he'd ever been a "Parrothead," the nickname for Buffett fanatics.
Though Buffett didn't comment immediately after the incident, he did appear on
The Today Show three days later and talked with
Matt Lauer about the ejection.
Trademark litigation
Jimmy Buffett filed a lawsuit against UnderOneHut.com in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas on
November 13 2006. Jimmy Buffett's attorneys sought to prevent UnderOneHut.com from selling Jimmy Buffett merchandise claiming they hadn't granted permission for such sales. The case made worldwide headlines appearing in over 200 media sources. It was ultimately settled out of court.
In October, 2007, Margaritaville Enterprises, LLC filed a trademark opposition against Six Flags, an amusement park company, claiming that Six Flags' application for CARROTHEAD CLUB was confusingly similar to and dilutive of Margaritaville Enterprises' PARROT HEAD CLUB trademark.
Concerts and tours
Setlist Structure
Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band are famous for their concerts. Most shows consist of 26–30 songs and two separate encores.
A few tours, (notably
Banana Wind Tour '96, License to Chill '04, and Party at the End of the World '06) Buffett opened the show with one to three acoustic songs.
The Great Filling Station Holdup and
Pencil Thin Mustache are common acoustic openers as well as
Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes,
The Wino and I Know,
Son of a Son of a Sailor,
Migration,
Boat Drinks and
My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink and I Don't Love Jesus in recent years.
With the exception of Fruitcakes '94 and License to Chill '04,
Come Monday is played during the first set of the show. Usually, after 12 to 14 songs, a 20-minute intermission is taken while a video plays for the fans.
The first part of the second set usually consists of slower songs. There has never been a tour where
A Pirate Looks At Forty hasn't been played during the second set.
The first
encore usually consists of two songs. After the first song, Buffett introduces the band, and then they segue into the second song. The second
encore usually consists of a single acoustic ballad.
A Pirate Looks At Forty is a typical closer at shows, however, Buffett sometimes takes the opportunity to choose a more obscure song to perform such as:
He Went to Paris,
Changing Channels,
Defying Gravity,
Nautical Wheelers,
Survive,
Tin Cup Chalice,
Twelve Volt Man,
Distantly in Love etc.
Fins, mostly performed during the first encore in recent years, is always preluded by the
Jaws theme as a teaser, which gets the fans pumped. Buffett calls out to the Parrotheads, or "land-sharks", to get their "fins up"! The fans raise their hands in the air, in the manner of a dorsal fin, and wave it left and right. "
Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" usually has a video of local parrotheads in the arena/venue parking lot playing over its performance. "
Why Don't We Get Drunk" is sometimes performed in a different style (Tiki Time '03 Hawaiian style, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays '00 performed karaoke style,
Banana Wind Tour '96 audience members selected to perform, and Jimmy Jump Up '90 performed sing-along style). "
One Particular Harbour" is played for women and men wearing
hula-skirts. "
It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" is performed with
Mac McAnally taking
Alan Jackson's place.
The band will also often throw in references to and skits about the actual venue they're playing to please home town fans. As an example, when Buffett and the Coral Reefers performed at
Fenway Park,
Boston, in September 2004, they added a performance of
Take Me Out To The Ball Game featuring Dr. Charles Steinberg on organ, segued Why Don't We Get Drunk into
Red Sox favorite
Sweet Caroline, and attempted to reverse the
Curse of the Bambino (some even claim they were successful).
Buffett will sometimes kick the tour off with an obscure opening
cover song. A Salty Piece of Land '05 opened with
Little Feat's "
Time Loves a Hero" in
South Carolina, and Bama Breeze '07 opened with
Willie Nelson's "
On the Road Again" in
Houston and Burgettstown, Pennsylvania.
"The Big 8" and Standard Songs
Before 2003, songs played at every Buffett show were known as the Big 8. With the success of the
Alan Jackson duet "
It's Five O'Clock Somewhere", and the rising popularity of "
One Particular Harbour", the list of songs played at every show have now gone from 8 to 10. The "Big 8" were:
- "Margaritaville"
- "Come Monday"
- "Fins"
- "Volcano"
- "A Pirate Looks At Forty"
- "Cheeseburger in Paradise"
- "Why Don't We Get Drunk" —
- "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes"
However, neither Buffett nor the Coral Reefers have ever used the term "Big 9" for the new line-up.
This list doesn't necessarily mean that those songs have been played at every show. "A Pirate Looks at Forty" wasn't played during the
George, Washington '92 show. "Cheeseburger in Paradise" was excluded from two setlists during the 1998 tour. "One Particular Harbour" was left out of 11 shows during the 1997 tour, not to mention every show during the 1988 & 1989 tour. "Why Don't We Get Drunk" hasn't been played during the Bama Breeze tour. "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" didn't appear during the opening Tiki Time '03 show in Houston. "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" was omitted from opening of the Irvine show in 2006.
Other notable songs that are played at almost all shows, but have been dropped on occasion, are "
Son of a Son of a Sailor", "
Brown Eyed Girl" and "
Southern Cross". However, it's not unusual for these three songs to be dropped from a show, therefore they've never been considered a standard.
List of tours
1976: A Pink Crustacean Tour
1978: Cheeseburger in Paradise Tour
1979: You Had to Be There / Volcano Tour
1980: Coconut Telegraph Tour
1980: Homecoming Tour
1984: Feeding Frenzy Tour
1985: Last Mango in Paris Tour
1986: World Tour of Florida
1987: A Pirate Looks At Forty Tour
1988: Cheap Vacation Tour
1988: Hot Water Tour
1989: Off To See The Lizard Tour
1990: Jimmy's Jump Up Tour
1991: Outpost Tour
1992: Rece$$ion Rece$$ Tour
1993: Chameleon Caravan Tour
1994: Fruitcakes Tour
1995: Domino College Tour
1996: Banana Wind Tour
1997: Havana Daydreamin' Tour
1998: Don't Stop The Carnival Tour
1999: Beach House On The Moon Tour
2000: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays Tour
2001: A Beach Odyssey Tour
2002: Far Side of the World Tour
2003: Tiki Time Tour
2004: License To Chill Tour
2005: A Salty Piece Of Land Tour
2006: Party At The End Of The World Tour
2007: Bama Breeze Tour
2008: Year of Still Here Tour
Discography
Musical cameos
He did guest background vocals along with The Monstertones on the The Eagles song "The Greeks Don't Want No Freaks" on their album The Long Run.
Buffett appears on a Phish tribute album called Sharin in the Groove, where he performed the band's "Gumbo" (which references a gun-slinging parrot). He also performed Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" in concert with Phish in 1995.
Buffett appeared as the musical guest in the May 13, 1978, episode of Saturday Night Live.
Buffett's persona appeared as an AIDS benefit concert guest on South Park season twelve's premiere episode, "Tonsil Trouble". (He didn't provide his own voice). The episode parodied his famous hit Cheeseburger in Paradise as "AIDS burger in Paradise".Further Information
Get more info on 'Jimmy Buffett'.
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