Jimmy Buffett – a musician who keeps on shining
You’re either an avid Parrothead or you’ve never heard of Jimmy Buffett. But don’t worry, RUSSELL HILL has all you need to know of the legendary musician’s career.
Posted by Elderjuice
on August 13, 2012. Filed under Memory Lane.
Posted with the tags:Jimmy Buffett, nostalgia, tributeYou can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
Jimmy Buffett performs for the US Navy. Courtesy of Chief Mass Communications Specialist Michael W Pendergrass
Jimmy Buffett is a music legend who, at 66, is still recording and touring.
Born on Christmas Day in 1946, Jimmy Buffett has become a household name. And not just in his native America – fans at his gigs sport flags from around the world as well as the Stars and Stripes.
Inspired
With vocals akin to James Taylor, Jimmy Buffett is renowned for his ‘Gulf and Western’ style. He has inspired, and helped other leading artists, such as Jack Johnson and Nadirah Shakoor.
However, as with many other artists, Jimmy’s early days were not quite as fruitful.
Fanbase
Buffett’s first album Down to Earth only sold a few hundred copies at the time.
However, he continued to gig around the southern states of America (such as Key West in Florida) where he steadily gained a fanbase.
Then, after Buffett was given $25,000 to make an album for ABC Records, there was the landmark A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean ($10,000 was spent on the album itself and then the remaining $15,000 on buying a boat).
Caribbean drums
Over the course of the 1970s, a further nine albums were released; they demonstrated that Buffett’s attitude was slowly evolving from acoustically-led tunes to songs which had Caribbean drums appearing throughout.
Since the 1970s, he has recorded many other albums – 26 studio albums along with 11 live albums.
Recent collaborations include appearing on Lionel Richie’s album Tuskegee for All Night Long and performing alongside the Zac Brown Band, who are from Nashville.
Jimmy’s musical career remains as healthy as ever.
Sailing
Fascinated by sailing since his father taught him how to handle a boat, Buffett has recorded many related songs including Boats to Build (recorded with Alan Jackson) and Nautical Wheelers.
He has made a lucrative career based on his sailing persona and his name has become a brand. Not only does Buffett own casinos, a radio station, restaurants and hotels, he is also a celebrated author and is connected to many charities, including Save the Manatee which he has been involved with since the 1980’s.
Not a bad day’s work, considering that Jimmy thought about giving up music to continue his career as a journalist after his debut album flopped.
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2 Responses to Jimmy Buffett – a musician who keeps on shining
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ken freeTGR
August 13, 2012 at 11:00 am
I like Jimmy but only know him singing with other people such as Nancy Griffiths and Alan Jackson ‘s It’s 5′o clock some where.
Russell Hill
August 13, 2012 at 10:19 pm
I’m glad you do like his music in one way. In all, there’s only one song of his which I don’t like which is pretty impressive considering how many albums he’s released.