Jimmy Buffett is an American musician and songwriter best known for his hit tracks ‘Margaritaville’ and ‘Come Monday’. 1970 saw the publication of his debut album, ‘Down to Earth’. He began his musical career in the 1960s as a country musician. His distinctive music incorporates country, rock, and pop elements with coastal and tropical lyrical themes. Coral Reefer Band is a touring and recording group of vocalists and songwriters that he formed. Numerous of his more than 30 albums have been certified gold or platinum. In 2003, he won his first Country Music Award for the song ‘It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere’. Buffett is also an accomplished author, having written three best-sellers: “Tales from Margaritaville,” “Where Is Joe Merchant?” and “A Pirate Looks at Fifty.” He also co-wrote two children’s books with his daughter Savannah Jane Buffett: ‘The Jolly Mon’ and ‘Trouble Dolls. Buffett, a man of many talents, is also an actor. He has appeared in several cameo roles in films such as “Repo Man,” “Hook,” “Cobb,” “Hoot,” “Congo,” and “From the Earth to the Moon.” Among the musicals he has produced is ‘Escape to Margaritaville.’ He worked with the author Herman Wouk to produce a musical based on Wouk’s novel “Don’t Stop the Carnival.” He is also a successful entrepreneur, with two restaurant chains bearing the names of his most popular compositions.
Youth and Early Life
James William Buffett was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, on December 25, 1946, to Mary Lorraine and James Delaney Buffett Jr. He was raised in Mobile, Alabama, before moving to Fairhope. From a young age, he had a keen interest in music. He attended St. Ignatius School and participated in the school band on trombone. As a child, he was exposed to sailing because his grandfather was a marine, and this influenced his music.
He graduated from McGill Institute for Boys in 1964. He subsequently attended Pearl River Community College and Auburn University, where he played guitar. The University of Southern Mississippi awarded him a bachelor’s degree in history in 1969. He was a member of Kappa Sigma, the largest college social fraternity, during his time at the university.
Jimmy Buffett’s Career
After graduation, Jimmy Buffett worked in Nashville as a correspondent for the magazine Billboard. 1970 marked the publication of his debut album, ‘Down to Earth’, which marked the beginning of his musical career, which he began in the late 1960s.
The 1973 publication of ‘A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean’ was followed by ‘Living & Dying in 3/4 Time’ and ‘A1A’ in 1974. In 1976, the album ‘Havana Daydreamin’ was released. His album ‘Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes’ was released in 1977. It featured the popular tune “Margaritaville.” The single reached number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number one on the US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.
In the 1980s, he participated in eleven tours, including the “A Hot Dog and a Road Map Tour,” “Somewhere Over China Tour,” and “A Pirate Looks Forty Tour.” During this time, he became extremely prominent as a concert crowd drawer.
Taking advantage of his popularity and fan base, he launched a number of business ventures. He opened the Margaritaville restaurant in Key West, Florida, in 1985. Additionally, he owns the restaurant Cheeseburger in Paradise, Margaritaville Tequila, Margaritaville Footwear, and Margaritaville Foods.
In 1993, he established Margaritaville Records; the label’s distribution was handled by MCA Records. His previous contract with MCA Records expired in 1996, when ‘Christmas Island’ was released. Buffett created a musical based on the novel ‘Don’t Stop the Carnival’ by Herman Wouk. While Wouk penned the play’s book, Buffett composed the music and wrote the lyrics. In 1997, the program premiered in Miami, Florida.
As the musical received negative reviews, the producers urged Buffett to dismiss Wouk and employ an experienced playwright. Due to Buffett’s rejection of the proposal, the performance was canceled. However, he converted the performance into an album in 1998. In 1999, he founded Mailboat Records to release his live albums. In 2005, he inked a distribution deal with RCA Records for his two studio albums, “License to Chill” and “Take The Weather With You.”
In 2006, he appeared in Wil Shriner’s film ‘Hoot’. Buffett composed and co-produced the soundtrack. In addition, he composed the theme song for the television series “Johnny Bago,” “Turning Around” for the film “Summer Rental,” and “I Don’t Know (Spicoli’s Theme)” for “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”
In 2006, he also collaborated with the Anheuser-Busch manufacturing company to produce LandShark Lager beer.
He has made several cameo appearances in films such as ‘Rancho Deluxe,’ ‘Congo,’ ‘From the Earth to the Moon,’ and ‘Jurassic World,’ despite not having played any lead roles.
He is a partial owner of the Fort Myers Miracle and the Madison Black Wolf baseball teams. He released the ‘Margaritaville Online Facebook game in 2012. It was, however, discontinued within two years. He established the Margaritaville Casino at the Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 2013. In 2016, he collaborated with FunPlus to create a new Margaritaville video game.
His company, Margaritaville Holdings, partnered with Minto Communities to develop Latitude Margaritaville, a $1 billion retirement community in Daytona Beach, Florida. When the endeavor is finished, there will be approximately 7,000 homes in the village.
In 2017, he created the musical ‘Escape to Margaritaville’, which premiered in San Diego. Additionally, the production ran in New Orleans, Houston, and Chicago. It earned favorable reviews from critics. The performance includes several of Buffett’s classic compositions.
Jimmy’s Major Opera
‘Margaritaville’, from the 1977 album ‘Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes’, is Jimmy Buffett’s most renowned song. Buffett composed the song about a drink he encountered at a restaurant in Austin, Texas. It peaked at number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Easy Listening chart.
Buffett and Alan Jackson won the 2003 CMA Award for Vocal Event Of The Year for the song ‘It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere’. The tune, composed by Jim ‘Moose’ Brown and Don Rollins, topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for eight consecutive weeks in 2003.
Jimmy’s Personal Life
Jimmy Buffett married Margie Washichek in 1969. In 1971, the couple divorced. He has two daughters with his second wife, Jane Slagsvol: Savannah Jane and Sarah Delaney. Additionally, they adopted Cameron Marley. Buffett and Jane separated in the late 1980s but reconciled in 1991 after resolving their differences.
Buffett owns a home on the Caribbean island of St. Barts. On his sailboat, he enjoys exploring the East Coast. He also enjoys flying and possesses a Dassault Falcon 900, a French-made business jet. Additionally, he possesses a Boeing Stearman, Lake Amphibian, and Grumman Albatross.
Buffett is well-known for his charitable efforts. In 1981, he co-founded the Save the Manatee Club with former Florida governor Bob Graham, which is the world’s foremost manatee protection organization. Additionally, he endorses the Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory.
In 1983, the singer’s album ‘Living and Dying in 3/4 Time’ featured the tune ‘God’s Own Drunk,’ which sparked controversy. Buffett was sued for $11 million for copyright infringement and accused of stealing portions of Lord Buckley’s song ‘A Tribute to Buckley’. Therefore, the court prohibited Buffett from performing the song live until the lawsuit was settled.
In 1996, Jamaican police suspected Buffett’s Grumman HU-16 of smuggling hashish and fired upon it. Later, the Jamaican government expressed regret for the error. Buffett composed “Jamaica Mistaica” in response to this experience.
Through his ‘Surviving the Storm’ hurricane relief concert held in Orlando, Florida in November 2004, he raised funds for hurricane victims in Florida. In response to the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, he organized a free seashore concert in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
Estimated Net Worth
Jimmy Buffett is an American musician, author, actor, and businessman with a $1 billion net worth. Jimmy Buffett is best known for the “island escapism” style of his music, which has produced a worldwide business empire.