Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

BUFFETT, Jimmy

(b James Williams Buffett, 25 December 1946, Pascagoula MS; d 1 September 2023, Sag Harbor, Long Island NY of cancer) Contemporary country-rock singer/songwriter. He studied journalism, which comes across in his songs, but obtained a degree in history. Recorded in Nashville '70 for Barnaby Records: Down To Earth LP flopped; follow-up High Cumberland Jubilee tapes were lost, but mysteriously turned up when he hit the big time in '76. He was a feature writer for Billboard '72; signed to Dunhill records '73 (later ABC, then MCA) for highly praised LP A White Sport Coat And A Pink Crustacean, country hit 'The Great Filling Station Holdup'. First crossover hit with 'Come Monday' '74 (made no. 30 USA pop chart) from LP Living And Dying In 3/4 Time, first to make pop album chart. His songs reflected his lifestyle in the Florida Keys where he spent much time on his boat, though a 'Gulf & Western' country style comes through in songs like 'Brand New Country Star', 'Please Bypass This Heart', 'Cowboy In The Jungle'. 'Margaritaville' was no. 8 on the pop chart '77, from LP Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes; 'Cheeseburger In Paradise', 'Fins' all made top 40; two LPs went platinum: Son Of A Son Of A Sailor, You Had To Be There (two-disc live set), both '78. Other albums included A1A '74 (named for beach access road off US1 in Florida), Havana Daydreamin' '76, Volcano '79, Coconut Telegraph '80, Somewhere Over China '81, One Particular Harbor '82, Riddles In The Sand '84, Last Mango In Paris '85, Floridays '86, Hot Water '88, Off To See The Lizard '89, Live Feeding Frenzy '91.

In 1989 he said that when he discovered Key West he had not been successful yet, but he had found a lifestyle and knew that whatever he did would have to reflect that. He formed his own Margaritaville label '92, followed by Fruitcakes '94. Songs You Know By Heart '86 and Boats, Beaches, Bars, Ballads '94 were multi-disc greatest hits boxes, also huge sellers. Talking about his biggest year in concert grosses '85 he said, 'I go onstage with the attitude that this is going to be my last concert, so let's all have fun and party till we drop.' Fans wore parrot-billed or shark-finned caps and are known as parrotheads; a Buffett concert is often preceded by a cheeseburger party, at which one fan said, 'Buffett isn't just a singer. He's an attitude.' He had written unproduced TV scripts; talked to Michael Nesmith about a musical film Margaritaville, 'a rock'n'roll Robinson Crusoe fantasy'. He wrote a lyric for a Brian Wilson album '98. Three of his books were best-sellers, including Tales From Margaritaville '89, and was one of the few authors to top the NY Times best-seller list in both fiction and non-fiction categories. He founded a resturant franchise, a hotel chain, a brand of tequila etc. and eventually became a billionaire. He had left Key West, which he had inadvertently helped to spoil, and had homes in several places. He was friends with a fan, Warren Buffett, the 'Sage of Omaha', but they were not related.