Jimmy Buffett (1946–2023) was the Mississippi-born king of tropical rock and gulf and western, backed by the Coral Reefer Band for most of his career. Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes (1977) — home to Margaritaville — is the classic entry point. Explore Jimmy Buffett vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
James William Buffett was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi on December 25, 1946 and raised in Mobile, Alabama. He attended the University of Southern Mississippi and worked as a Billboard reporter in Nashville in the early 1970s before relocating to Key West, Florida, where the Caribbean-influenced setting shaped his distinctive musical style. His Coral Reefer Band has been his backing group across most of his career. His 1977 single Margaritaville (from the album Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes) became one of the most enduring American pop songs, with the Parrothead fan community sustaining annual touring across more than four decades. His business ventures included the Margaritaville restaurant chain (launched 1985), Margaritaville Holdings (hotels, resorts, retail), and various licensing arrangements that made him one of the wealthiest musicians of his era. He died from skin cancer (Merkel cell carcinoma) on September 1, 2023 at age 76.
Jimmy Buffett's sound combines tropical rock, gulf and western, country rock, country, folk rock, and soft rock with his distinctive vocal delivery and lyrical content addressing Caribbean beach life, drinking, sailing, and personal philosophy. His foundational influence on the broader American easy-listening, country, and beach music traditions is widely documented.
Original ABC, MCA, and Mailboat pressings of the Jimmy Buffett catalog are widely collected. Multiple anniversary editions, including the deluxe Songs You Know by Heart compilations and various box sets, have been released.
Listeners new to Jimmy Buffett typically start with Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes (1977) or the compilation Songs You Know by Heart.
