On September 1st, 2023, the world received the sad news that Jimmy Buffet had died of skin cancer. Buffet was well-known for his unique tropical rock genre, a mix of indie, country, and a little bit of rock, with hits like Margaritaville, and It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere. He was a great musician, who produced 30 whole albums and sold over 20 million total albums over his lifetime. Buffet has also done more than 40 tours in his career. . 

Jimmy Buffet was raised in Mobile, Alabama, and at a young age was exposed to sailing by his father, which later influenced his music. But his musical career started when he first saw a folk music group, where he realized that he wanted to be a musician. After graduating college, Buffet started out playing gigs for crowds in New Orleans. As he moved up in the ranks, he signed a two-album deal with Barnaby Records and released his first studio album Down To Earth in 1970. Three years later, he signed with ABC/Dunhill Records and released his second album, called A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustation. On his third album, Living and Dying in ¾ Time, Buffet finally had his first Billboard Top 100 hit, with Come Monday. Buffet then went on to form the Coral Reefer Band which opened for The Eagles in 1975. From then on Buffet had a flourishing career and never really fell out of the music industry at any point.  

But in 1976, Buffet really broke out. That year he released Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes, which included his most famous song, Margaritaville. Margaritaville went on to become a staple of Jimmy Buffet’s career and by far his most popular song. This song became so popular that Buffet even started a restaurant and hotel chain that is still going strong to this day. The Margaritaville restaurant even has 23 locations across the United States.  

Buffet has a numerous collection of awards including two Grammy nominations for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals, an ACM in 2004 for Vocal Event of the Year, an ACM in 2004 for Single Record of the Year, a CMA nomination for Single of the Year in 1977, a CMA award in 2003 for vocal event of the year, and four other CMA nominations. Jimmy Buffet will always be remembered for his iconic style of music and his influence on other branches of the genre, as well as other artists today.