The music world has lost another legend. Jimmy Buffett died September 1 at the age of 76. He was of course known for his tropical rock and “island escapism” style. He learned how to play guitar in college as a way to impress girls, and after graduation moved to New Orleans. There he performed for tourists on Decatur Street along with a nightclub on Bourbon Street. He moved to Nashville in 1970 to start his country music career, while also working as a journalist for Billboard. His first album, a country-tinged folk-rock record, was released in August of 1970 and sold just over 300 copies.
Everything changed when he moved to Key West in 1972. He formed the Coral Reefer Band in 1975, and that year also opened for The Eagles. He released Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes in 1977, which included his breakthrough hit “Margaritaville”. It hit number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was his highest charting single. He parlayed the song and lifestyle portrayed in his music into hugely successful business ventures, including Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville chain of restaurants, hotels, casinos, cruise ships, apparel, alcohol, and even retirement communities. He was one of the world’s richest musicians, with a net worth of $1 billion.
His devoted fanbase is known as Parrotheads. The term was coined at a concert in Cincinnati in 1985. Buffet commented about the crowd all wearing Hawaiian shirts and parrot hats, and how they kept coming back to see him, just like Deadheads. So a member of his band coined the term “parrot head” to describe them.
Buffett formed the Save the Manatee Club with Florida governor Bob Graham in 1981. He also enjoyed playing for U.S. troops and performed at several hurricane relief concerts over the years. Just this year, a new species of crustacean native to the Florida Keys was named for him – Gnathia jimmybuffeti.
In all, Buffett sold more than 20 million albums and was due to release his 30th studio album later this year. He performed his final full concert in San Diego in May and made two appearances as an announced guest at Coral Reefer Band concerts in New York and Rhode Island earlier this summer. He died at his home in Sag Harbor, NY due to complications from Merkel-cell carcinoma, a rare skin cancer that he had been diagnosed with 4 years ago. Learn more here.