- Born in 1946 in Pascagoula MS, raised in Mobile AL. Died in 2023 of skin cancer.
- His early sound was country music, based in Nashville. He visited Key West in 1971 and fell in love with the culture there. He moved there, and developed his easy going, “drunken Caribbean rock ‘n’ roll” (as he describes it) sound.
- For an artist with only one hit (Margaritaville made it to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1977), Buffett has been incredibly successful. Of his 29 studio albums, 5 have made it to platinum (1 made it to #1 – 2004’s Licensed To Chill, largely because it features many duets with country singers, notably a version of Hank William’s Hey Good Lookin, featuring Clint Black, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith and George Strait).
- Buffett has made far more money from his tours than he has from album sales. His concert followers are known as “Parrotheads” and his fans are maniacal about his shows.
- Buffett performed on tour every year since 1976, except for 2020 (COVID). His back-up band is known as The Coral Reefer Band.
- His business ventures, leveraging his success with Margaritaville and his avid fans, have contributed significantly to his wealth. He owns or licenses two restaurant chains – Margaritaville Cafe, and Cheeseburger in Paradise. He also has business arrangements for beer, a record label, casinos, 2 minor league baseball teams, apparel – there even are plans for Margaritaville-themed retirement communities. Forbes estimates his annual income in excess of $40 million per year, and his net worth when he died was estimated to be $1 billion – pretty good for a beach bum!
- He also is a best selling author. He has written 3 number one best sellers, and is one of only eight people that have had New York Times Best Seller #1 books in both fiction and non-fiction categories.
- Strap on your Parrothead, and enjoy Buffett’s concert performance of Cheeseburger In Paradise.