Jimmy Buffett Biography, Facts & FAQ

James William 'Jimmy' Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is a singer, songwriter, author, businessman, and most recently a film 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, and 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. He owns the Margaritaville Cafe restaurant chain and co-developed the Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant concept.

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. Buffett then moved to Key West and began establishing the easy-going beach bum persona for which he is 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 is 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. A-1-A 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.

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. This marked the first time that Buffett topped the U.S. pop charts in his three-decade career.

Buffett continues to tour throughout the year although he has 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. Most of his concerts sell out within minutes.

Jimmy Buffett Awards

Buffett has garnered 8 Gold Albums and 9 Platinum or Multi Platinum Albums during his career.

Jimmy Buffett Discography

Live in Anguilla
Released: 11-06-2007
Discs: 3
Tracks: 48