- 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 top ten hit (Margaritaville made it to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1977), Buffett was incredibly successful. Of his 32 studio albums, nine made it to platinum (One 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 made far more money from his tours than he did from album sales. His concert followers were known as “Parrotheads” and his fans were maniacal about his shows.
- Buffett performed on tour every year since 1976, except for 2020 (COVID). His back-up band was known as The Coral Reefer Band.
- His business ventures, leveraging his success with Margaritaville and his avid fans, contributed significantly to his wealth. He owned or licensed two restaurant chains – Margaritaville Cafe, and Cheeseburger in Paradise. He also had business arrangements for beer, a record label, casinos, 2 minor league baseball teams, apparel – even Margaritaville-themed retirement communities. Forbes estimated 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 was a best selling author. He wrote three 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.
- Buffett was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2024, after his death.
- Strap on your Parrothead, and enjoy Buffett’s concert performance of Cheeseburger In Paradise.