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Jimmy Buffett (born '''James William Buffett''' on December 25 1946 , in Pascagoula, Mississippi ) is a Singer , Songwriter , Author , Businessman , and recently a Film Producer best known for his "island escapism" lifestyle and music including hits such as " Margaritaville " (No. 234 on the list of " Songs Of The Century "), and " Come Monday ." He has a devoted base of Fans known as " Parrotheads ." His band is known as the Coral Reefer Band . Aside from his career in music, Buffett is also a best-selling writer and is involved in two restaurant chains named after some of his best known songs, " Cheeseburger In Paradise " and " Margaritaville ." He owns the Margaritaville Cafe restaurant chain and co-developed the '' Cheeseburger In Paradise '' restaurant concept with OSI Restaurant Partners (parent of Outback Steakhouse ), which operates the chain under a licensing agreement with Mr. Buffett. He and his wife, Jane, have two daughters, Savannah Jane and Sarah Delaney, and a son, Cameron Marley. BIOGRAPHY Born to James Delaney "J.D." Buffett Jr. and Mary Loraine "Peets" Buffett in Pascagoula, Mississippi, Buffett grew up along the eastern shore of ) in Mobile, Alabama in 1964. He began playing guitar during his college years at Auburn University and The University Of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi , where he received a bachelor's degree in History in 1969 . Although a pledge of Sigma Pi ( ΣΠ ) at Auburn, he was initiated into the fraternity Kappa Sigma ( ΚΣ ) at the University of Southern Mississippi. He later married his first wife, Margie Washichek, at Spring Hill College in Mobile. After graduating from college, Buffett worked as a correspondent for ''Billboard'' Magazine in Nashville . MUSIC Buffett began his musical career in Nashville , Tennessee during the late 1960s as a Country artist and recorded his first Album , the Folk Rock '' Down To Earth ,'' in 1970. During this time Buffett could be frequently found Busking for tourists in New Orleans. Country Music singer Jerry Jeff Walker took him to Key West on a busking expedition. Buffett then moved to Key West and began establishing the easy-going Beach Bum persona for which he is known. Following this move, Buffett combined country, folk, and pop music with coastal and tropical lyrical themes for a sound sometimes called " Gulf And Western ." Today, he is a regular visitor to the Caribbean Island of Saint Barts and other islands where he gets inspiration for many of his songs and some of the characters in his books. Buffett's third album was the 1973 '' A White Sport Coat And A Pink Crustacean ''. '' Havana Daydreamin' '' appeared in 1976, followed by 1977's '' Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes ,'' which featured the breakthrough hit song " Margaritaville ". During the 1980s, Buffett made far more money off his tours than albums and became known as a popular concert draw. He released a series of albums during the following twenty years, primarily to his devoted audience, and also branched into writing and merchandising. In 1985, Buffett opened the first of the "Margaritaville" restaurants in Key West, bringing new visibility and life to the Margaritaville name. Two of the more out-of-character albums were '' Christmas Island ,'' a collection of holiday songs, and ''Parakeets,'' a collection of Buffett songs sung by children and containing "cleaned-up" lyrics (like "a cold Root Beer " instead of "a cold Draft Beer "). In 1997, Buffett collaborated with novelist Herman Wouk to create a short-lived musical based on Wouk's novel, '' Don't Stop The Carnival ''. Broadway showed little interest in the play, so it instead ran for six weeks in Miami. He released the soundtrack for the musical in 1998. In 2003, he partnered in a partial Duet with Alan Jackson for the song " It's Five O'Clock Somewhere ," a number one hit on the country charts. Buffett's album, '' License To Chill '', released on July 13 2004 , sold 238,600 copies in its first week of release according to Nielsen SoundScan . With this, Buffett topped the U.S. pop albums chart for the first time in his three-decade career. Buffett continues to tour throughout the year although he has shifted recently to a more relaxed schedule of around 20-30 dates, and rarely on back-to-back nights, preferring to play only on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, thus the title of his 1999 live album ''Buffett Live — Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays''. Purchasing tickets is difficult with most of his concerts selling out in minutes. In September of 2005, Buffett became the first musician to stage a concert at Wrigley Field in Chicago . In August 2006, he released the album ''Take The Weather With You''. The song "Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On" on this album refers to 2005's Hurricane Katrina . Also on the album he pays tribute to Merle Haggard with his rendition of "Silver Wings" and collaborates with Mark Knopfler in the track, "Whoop De Doo." A DVD entitled ''He Went To Paris'' is scheduled for release in Spring 2008. WRITING Buffett has written 3 No. 1 best sellers. '' Tales From Margaritaville '' and '' Where Is Joe Merchant? '' both spent over seven months on the '' New York Times '' Best Seller fiction list. His book '' A Pirate Looks At Fifty '' went straight to No. 1 on the ''New York Times'' Bestseller non-fiction list, making him one of seven authors in that list's history to have reached No. 1 on both the fiction and non-fiction lists. The other six authors who have accomplished this are Ernest Hemingway , John Steinbeck , William Styron , Irving Wallace , Dr. Seuss and Mitch Albom . Buffett also co-wrote two children's books, '' The Jolly Mon '' and ''Trouble Dolls,'' with his eldest daughter, Savannah Jane Buffett. The original hard cover release of the '' The Jolly Mon '' included a cassette tape recording of him and Savannah Jane reading the story accompanied by an original score written by Michael Utley. His most recent book, '' A Salty Piece Of Land ,'' was released on November 30 , 2004 , and the first edition of the book included a CD single of the same title. The book was a ''New York Times'' best seller soon after its release. Currently, Amazon.com lists a fourth title from Buffett, ''Swine Not?'', to be released in November 2007. FILM AND TELEVISION Buffett wrote the sound-track for, co-produced and acted in the 2006 film '' Hoot ,'' directed by Wil Shriner and based on the book by Carl Hiassen , which focuses on issues important to him, such as conservation. The film was not a big hit, and it was critically panned. He also wrote and performed the theme song to the short-lived 1993 CBS television series '' Johnny Bago ''. In addition, Buffett has made several '', but declined the offer. BUSINESS VENTURES Buffett has taken advantage of his name and the effect of his music to launch several business ventures, usually with a tropical theme. He owns or licenses the Margaritaville Cafe and Cheeseburger in Paradise and the Madison Black Wolf . Between his restaurants, album sales, and tours, he earns an estimated $ 100 million a year. In 2006, Buffett launched a cooperative project with the Anheuser-Busch brewing company to produce his own beer under the Margaritaville Brewing label called Land Shark Lager . The label of the beer bottle features a shark fin . In June 2007, Buffett, in partnership with Harrah’s Entertainment , announced plans to build the Margaritaville Casino & Resort in Biloxi, Mississippi not far from his birthplace of Pascagoula. When completed in the spring of 2010, the resort will feature 798 rooms, a full-service spa, a pool/deck area with cabanas, and tropical landscaping. CHARITY WORK He has been involved in many preservation effort. In 1989, legislation was passed in Florida that introduced the "Save the Manatee" License Plate , and earmarked funding for the Save the Manatee club. The "Singing for Change" foundation was initially funded by proceeds from Buffett's 1995 concert tour, and provides grants to local charities in three main areas: children and family causes, environmental causes, and causes for disenfranchised groups. "Singing For Change Foundation: Jimmy Buffet Helps the Community" accessed 6/4/07 Singing for Change areas of interest On relief so far. In addition, many Parrothead club activities are focused on charity work, although Buffett is not directly involved with them. CONTROVERSY On October 6 2006 , it was reported that Buffett had been detained by French custom officials in Saint Tropez for allegedly carrying over 100 pills of Ecstasy . {Link without Title} {Link without Title} {Link without Title} Buffett’s luggage was searched after his Dassault Falcon 900 private jet landed at Toulon-Hyères International Airport. He paid a fine of $300 and was released. A Spokesperson for Buffett stated the pills in question were Prescription Drugs , but declined to name the drug or the health problem for which he was being treated. Buffett released a statement that the "Ecstasy" was in fact, a Vitamin B supplement known as Foltx . {Link without Title} On February 4th , 2001 , he was ejected from the American Airlines Arena in Miami during a Miami Heat / New York Knicks NBA basketball game for cursing. After the game, referee Joe Forte said that he ordered the singer moved during the fourth quarter because "there was a little boy sitting next to him and a lady sitting by him. He used some words he knows he shouldn't have used." However, Forte apparently didn't know who he'd just removed from the arena. Heat coach Pat Riley tried to explain who Buffett was to Forte and was censured himself because the referee thought Riley was insulting him by asking if he'd ever been a "Parrothead," the nickname for Buffett's loyal fans. 1 Though Buffett didn't comment immediately after the incident, he did appear on '' The Today Show '' three days later and talked with Matt Lauer about the ejection. Jimmy was laughing and having a very good time with it. Matt told Jimmy that his punishment should be that he play a concert for their Summer Concert Series. TRADEMARK LITIGATION Jimmy Buffett filed a lawsuit against UnderOneHut.com in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas on November 13 2006 . Jimmy Buffett's attorneys sought to prevent UnderOneHut.com from selling Jimmy Buffett merchandise claiming they had not granted permission for such sales. The case made worldwide headlines appearing in over 200 media sources. It was ultimately settled out of court. Summary of the suit CONCERTS AND TOURS Setlist Structure Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band are famous for their concerts. Most shows consist of 26-29 songs, an intermission usually after the 12th to 14th song, and two separate encores. A few tours, (notably Banana Wind '96http://www.buffettworld.com/sl_1996.html, '''License to Chill '04'''http://www.buffettworld.com/sl_2004.html#9 and '''Party at the End of the World '06'''http://www.buffettworld.com/sl_2006.html#2) Buffett opened the show with one to three acoustic songs. The Great Filling Station Holdup and Pencil Thin Mustache are common acoustic openers, as well as Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes , The Wino And I Know , Son Of A Son Of A Sailor , Migration and My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink And I Don't Love Jesus in recent years. With the exception of Fruitcakes '94http://www.buffettworld.com/sl_1994.html#1 and '''License to Chill '04'''http://www.buffettworld.com/sl_2004.html#9, Come Monday is played during the first set of the show. Usually, after 12 to 14 songs, a 20-minute intermission is taken while a video plays for the fans. The first part of the second set usually consists of slower songs. There has never been a tour where A Pirate Looks At Forty hasn't been played during the second set. The first Encore usually consists of two songs. After the first song, Buffett introduces the band, and then they segue into the second song. The second Encore usually consists of one acoustic ballad. A Pirate Looks At Forty is a typical closer at shows, however, Buffett sometimes takes the opportunity to choose a more obscure song to perform ( He Went To Paris , Changing Channels , Defying Gravity , Nautical Wheelers , Survive , Tin Cup Chalice , Twelve Volt Man , etc.) Fin s, mostly performed during the first encore in recent years, is always preluded by the '' Jaws '' theme as a teaser, which gets the fans pumped. Buffett calls out to the Parrotheads, or "land-sharks", to get their "fins up"! The fans raise their hands in the air, in the manner of a dorsal fin, and wave it left and right. " Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes " usually has a video of local parrotheads in the arena/venue parking lot playing over its performance. " Why Don't We Get Drunk " is sometimes performed in a different style (Tiki Time '03 Hawaiian style, '''Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays '00''' performed karaoke style, '''Banana Wind '96''' audience members selected to perform, and '''Jimmy Jump Up '90''' performed sing-along style). " One Particular Harbour " is played for women and men wearing Hula -skirts. " It's Five O'Clock Somewhere " is performed with Mac McAnally taking Alan Jackson 's place. The band will also often throw in references to and skits about the actual venue they're playing to please home town fans. As an example, when Buffett and the Coral Reefers performed at Fenway Park , Boston , in September 2004, they added a performance of Take Me Out To The Ball Game featuring Dr. Charles Steinberg on organ, segued Why Don't We Get Drunk into Red Sox favourite Sweet Caroline , and attempted to reverse the Curse Of The Bambino (some even claim they were successful). Buffett will sometimes kick the tour off with an obscure opening , and Bama Breeze '07 opened with Willie Nelson 's " On The Road Again " in Houston . "The Big 8" & Standard Songs Before 2003, songs played at every Buffett show were known as the Big 8. With the success of the Alan Jackson Duet " It's Five O'Clock Somewhere ", the list of songs played at every show have now gone from 8 to 10. The original "Big 8", though unspecified, are most likely: #" Margaritaville " #" Come Monday " #" Fins " #" Volcano " #" A Pirate Looks At Forty " #" Cheeseburger In Paradise " #" One Particular Harbour " #" Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes " "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" was added to the standard list, as well as Why Don't We Get Drunk (and Screw) . This list doesn't necessarily mean that those songs have been played at every show. "A Pirate Looks at Forty" was not played during the Gorge , WA '92 showhttp://www.buffettworld.com/sl_1992.html#11. "Cheeseburger in Paradise" was excluded from two setlists during the 1998 tourhttp://www.buffettworld.com/sl_1998.html#11. "One Particular Harbour" was left out of 11 shows during the 1997 tourhttp://www.buffettworld.com/sl_1997.html#6, not to mention every show during the 1989 tourhttp://www.buffettworld.com/sl_1989.html. "Why Don't We Get Drunk" hasn't been played during most concerts of the Bama Breeze tour. "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" did not appear during the opening Tiki Time '03 show in Houstonhttp://www.buffettworld.com/sl_2003.html#8. "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" was omitted from opening of the Irvine show in 2006http://www.buffettworld.com/sl_2006.html#3. The archives show that only four ("Margaritaville", "Come Monday", "Fins" and "Volcano") songs have been played at every show since the song's debut. List of tours
DISCOGRAPHY See Also: Jimmy Buffett discography MUSICAL CAMEOS
TRIVIA
REFERENCES SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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