A Jimmy Buffett Tribute to His Songs, Music, Parrotheads, and Margaritaville Charm.

Jimmy Buffett was a singer, songwriter, and a much-loved entertainer. His stadium concerts, filled with his adoring fans called parrotheads, became massive tailgating parties where fans celebrated Jimmy’s beach bum attitude.

For the first time on the Camp Codger podcast, co-hosts Randy Schultz, Gary Ebersole, and Richard Kipling, devote an entire episode of the show to a popular codger whose life has made a lasting impact. This Jimmy Buffett tribute is a look at the life, charm, success, and endearing affect that Jimmy Buffett had on the baby boomer generation.

James William Buffett was born on Christmas Day 1946, making him one of the oldest baby boomers. He died at his home in Sag Habor, New York, on September 1, 2023 at the age of 76. Ask any of his millions of adoring fans, and they would say Jimmy Buffett died way too soon.

Jimmy Buffett Tribute: His Early Career

Mr. Buffett was not an overnight success. He was a little-known singer songwriter for many years. His first album, released on a small record label in 1970, sold only 324 copies. But many of his early compositions were heartfelt songs that revealed Buffett’s talent for story telling. He wrote ballads that Bob Dylan praised, calling Buffett one of his favorite songwriters.

In 1974, Jimmy Buffett got his first success on popular radio with Come Monday. It wasn’t a massive radio hit; it peaked at #30 on the Billboard charts. But it gave Buffett his first taste of success. Jimmy Buffett later said that Come Monday changed his life, and it gave him the confidence to keep singing and keep writing.

Three years later, a song about a man who has wasted an entire summer in a beach town changed his life forever.

Jimmy Buffett and Margaritaville

In the summer of 1977, Jimmy Buffett’s song called Margaritaville became a huge radio hit and made Jimmy Buffett famous. Let’s face it, Margaritaville is a delightful earworm that’s fun to sing. It quickly became an anthem for the “beach bum lifestyle,” and it made Jimmy Buffett the patron saint of Hawaiian shirts, shorts, flip flops, and partying at the beach.

Sadly, Margaritaville was Jimmy Buffett’s only Top 10 single. But over the years, Jimmy Buffett added plenty of other fun songs to his playlist– including Fins, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Volcano, and many more. His concerts became massive parties that filled large stadiums. His avid fans in flamboyant party costumes were dubbed “parrotheads” by Timothy B. Schmidt, the former bass player for the Eagles who had joined Jimmy’s Coral Reefer Band in the 1980s.

By that time, Jimmy Buffett the businessman was turning Margaritaville into an endearing the symbol of the Buffett lifestyle brand that grew to include restaurants, hotels, merchandise, and much more. Let’s just say that Jimmy Buffett, that man with the killer smile and beach bum persona, died a very, very rich man.

The Jimmy B. Legacy

The outpouring of love and support for Jimmy Buffett immediately after his death shows that his legacy will continue. Listen to the Jimmy Buffett Tribute episode of the Camp Codger podcast to learn more about Mr. Margaritaville and his legacy.

No matter what, Jimmy will continue to live in our hearts, and his music will still be the soundtrack of our summers.

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