Jimmy Buffett is a singer and songwriter whose devoted fans refer to themselves as “Parrotheads.”  His music spans the genres of country and beach music.  Buffett’s band is called the Coral Reefer Band.

Background

Jimmy Buffett was born James William Buffett on December 25, 1946 in Pascagoula, Mississippi.  He grew up along the eastern shore of Mobile Bay and went to the McGill Institute for Boys for high school in Mobile, Alabama.  He attended Auburn University and then the University of Southern Mississippi for college.  He graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a degree in history.

After college, Buffett worked for Billboard Magazine in Nashville, Tennessee.  In Nashville, Buffett began his career as a country music artist.  Soon he began playing for tourists in New Orleans and eventually moved to Key West where he established his career.  By 1980, Buffett was playing successful tours that were extraordinarily popular.  He has released a plethora of albums over the years and has continued to tour and play to his devoted “Parrothead” fans.

Besides an extraordinarily successful singing career, Buffett has branched into the world of writing.  He has written three books that reached the No. 1 spot on the New York Times Bestseller Lists:  Tales from Margaritaville (fiction), Where Is Joe Merchant? (fiction) and A Pirate Looks At Fifty (non-fiction).  He also wrote bestseller, A Salty Piece of Land (fiction).  Buffett is one of only a few authors to have held the No. 1 spot on the New York Times Bestseller lists for both fiction and non-fiction.  Other authors who have held this spot on both lists include John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, Dr. Seuss, Mitch Albom, Irving Wallace and William Styron.  Buffett also wrote two children’s books with his daughter called Jolly Mon and Trouble Dolls.

Jimmy Buffett has also been successful in the world of merchandizing.  He opened the first “Margaritaville” restaurant in Key West in 1985.  He also co-owns the chain of “Cheeseburger in Paradise” restaurants that are part of the Outback Steakhouse restaurants.

Jimmy Buffet has much experience working with other authors and artists.  Buffett worked with Herman Wouk to create a musical based on Wouk’s novel “Don’t Stop the Carnival” in 1997.  The musical ran briefly in Miami.  Buffett then released the soundtrack for this musical on his album Don’t Stop the Carnival.  More recently, in 2003, he sang a popular duet called “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” with country music great, Alan Jackson.  The song went all the way to No. 1 on the country music charts.

Besides his country and beach music sounds, Jimmy Buffet has topped the pop charts with his album License to Chill.

Jimmy Buffet co-owns two minor league baseball teams, The Fort Myers Miracle and the Madison Black Wolf.
Jimmy Buffett recently released the first single, “Bama Breeze,” from his new album called Take The Weather With You.
Buffett is involved with a charitable foundation called Singing for a Change.  The organization offers grants to community based, non-profit organizations that address social and environmental causes.

Music / Albums

Jimmy Buffett is a prolific artist who has released many albums over the years.  These albums include:  Down To Earth (1970), High Cumberland Jubilee (1971), A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean (1973), Living & Dying in 3/4 Time (1974), A1A (1974), Rancho Deluxe (1975), Havana Daydreamin' (1976), Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes (1978), Son of a Son of a Sailor (1978), You Had To Be There (1978), Volcano (1979), Before the Salt (1979), Coconut Telegraph (1981), Somewhere Over China (1981), One Particular Harbour (1983), Riddles In The Sand (1984), Last Mango in Paris (1985), Songs You Know By Heart (1985), Floridays (1986), Hot Water (1988), Off To See The Lizard (1989), Feeding Frenzy (1990), Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads (1992), Fruitcakes (1994), Barometer Soup (1995), Banana Wind (1996), Christmas Island (1996), Biloxi (1998), Don't Stop The Carnival (1998), American Storyteller (1998), A Pirates Treasure (1998), Beach House on the Moon (1999), There's Nothing Soft About Hard Times (1999), Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays (1999), Far Side Of The World (2002), Meet Me In Margaritaville: The Ultimate Collection (2003), Live in Auburn, WA (2003), Live In Las Vegas, NV (2003), Live In Mansfield, MA (2003), Live In Cincinnati, OH (2003), License to Chill (2004), Live in Hawaii (2005), Live In Fenway Park (2005) and Take The Weather With You (2006).

Tours
Jimmy Buffett continues to tour throughout the year.  Each year, his tickets are known to sell out in a matter of minutes.  Venues for the summer of 2008 include the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, Madison Square Garden in NY, and the Coors Ampitheatre in Chula Vista, California.