Jimmy Buffett

Jimmy Buffett

Jimmy Buffett (James William Buffett) was born on December 25th, 1946. Jimmy passed away September 1st, 2023 at 76 years old. Jimmy Buffett was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA. Buffett attended the University of Southern Mississippi where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History.

Jimmy Buffett realized that he wanted to be a musician after he saw a folk ensemble perform in Biloxi, Mississippi in 1961. His first performance was just a month later at a hootenanny, where he played a Stella guitar.

He learned how to play guitar while at Auburn University, where he was taught by a Sigma Pi frat brother in order to garner attention from women. He failed out of Auburn after just a year, as he was unable to balance his newfound interests in girls and music with his college classes.

While living in New Orleans, Jimmy held street performances for tourists on Decatur Street and played for drunken crowds in the former Bayou Room nightclub located on Bourbon Street.

He moved to Nashville in order to further his country music career, however he didn’t have too much luck with music jobs. He did find work as an editorial assistant for Billboard, where he was the first person to report that Flatt and Scruggs disbanded.

He signed a two album deal with Barnaby, and released his first of many albums in 1970, called Down to Earth, which sold a whopping 324 copies.

He signed another contract with ABC/Dunhill Records, ran at the time by Don Gant. After Jim Croce’s death, Jimmy was promoted as a replacement. The first album he released on the label featured “Why Don’t We Get Drunk” and “Grapefruit—Juicy Fruit”, two hit songs. He used the money he made from this album to buy his very first boat.

Jerry Jeff Walker and Jimmy went to Key West in November of 1971 for a busking expedition. Jimmy liked it so much that he moved there the following spring.

Jimmy’s music combined folk, country, rock, pop, and calypso with coastal along with tropical lyrical themes for a sound that was sometimes referred to as tropical rock or gulf and western. Jimmy called it drunken Caribbean rock n roll.

A Salty Piece of Land is the story of Tully Mars, who washed up from Margaritaville and in the mood for monkeyshines.

It is not on any chart, however the tropical island of Cayo Loco is the perfect spot to run away from all of your problems. Waking up from a ganja buzz on the beach in Tulum, he cannot believe his very eyes when this 142 foot schooner emerges from out of the ocean mist. At its helm is the eccentric 101 year old sea captain, named Cleopatra Highbourne, who will take him to this lighthouse on some salty piece of land which will change his life forever.

From the lovely sunset sail in Punta Margarita to this wild spring break party in San Pedro, Tully encounters this assortment of treasure hunters, sailors, rock stars, pirates, seaplane pilots, and there is even a ghost or two.

Jimmy Buffett: Lists & Other Mentions

• Where Is Joe Merchant? was a New York Times: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 1992.
• A Pirate Looks at Fifty was a New York Times: #1 Nonfiction Best Seller in 1998.

Related Authors

The most common authors followed by users who also follow Jimmy Buffett are:

1. David Baldacci, author of the Amos Decker Series.
2. John Grisham, author of the Jake Brigance Series.
3. Harlan Coben, author of the Myron Bolitar Series.
4. Janet Evanovich, author of the Stephanie Plum Series.
5. Carl Hiaasen, author of the Andrew Yancy Series.

Jimmy Buffett: F.A.Q