RIP Jimmy Buffett

   I had lunch at a Margaritaville restaurant once.  In Las Vegas.  The food was good, the Jimmy Buffett music was playing (as were other acts).  Even then I had to marvel at how far Buffett had come.  From a forgotten 1970 album until his breakthrough 1974 hit "Come Monday". From there his career built to his big moment, 1977's "Margaritaville".  A top 10 single, Buffett never topped it, but didn't seem to mind.  Despite releasing studio albums up until 2020, Buffett always knew where he stood musical speaking.  "I'm not a great singer, and I'm only a so-so guitar player", he once said.  

  The legend of Jimmy Buffett lays with his Margaritaville empire.  The "Parrot Heads" that followed him from 1977 until his death were only rivaled by "Dead Heads".  Even those that dismissed his music admit that he was one hell of a businessman.

  But back to the music.  Buffett's laid back, tropical weekend getaway vibe did turn out to more influential than he thought.  Especially with Country music singers.  Buffett's only #1 single was on the Country charts,  2003's "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere", a duet with Alan Jackson.  Jackson was one of many who bought into Buffett's "Parrot Head" sound.  Garth Brooks, Zac Brown, Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney and numerous other Country singers who sing about drinking on a tropical beach somewhere all would cite Buffett as an influence.  

  Buffett's best music was recorded in 1970's.  Very much part of the that era's singer-songwriter boom, Buffett also had a sense of humor, which showed up on every album.  Most of his albums after the 70's were only heard by the die-hards or those that listened to his SiriusXM channel. I was exposed to more Buffett music than most from listening to Americana radio station KPIG-FM. That's where I heard more than the overplayed popular songs he built his empire on. So, here's hoping someone does a reevaluation of his music.  Until then someone, somewhere today will be toasting Buffett with a Margarita or some other "frozen concoction" while they soak in the rays. 

Here's some of my favorite Buffett songs:

A Pirate Looks at Forty

Banana Republics

Captain and the Kid

Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes

Cheeseburger In Paradise

Come Monday

Fins

Havana Daydreamin'

He Went To Paris

It's Five O'Clock Somewhere (with Alan Jackson)

Livingston Saturday Night

Margaritaville

Pencil Thin Mustache

Son Of A Son Of A Sailor

Why Don't We Get Drunk

Recommended Albums:

A-I-A

A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean

Havana Daydreamin'

Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes

Greatest Hits (1985)

License to Chill

Son Of A Son Of A Sailor