I'm a Parrothead

In the Beginning

If you have to ask what a Parrothead is, you ain't one. If you ain't one, though, you don't know what you're missing! To clear the suspense, a Parrothead is a devout fan of Jimmy Buffett, who was given to the world on Christmas day in 1946. Though he was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, his hometown is considered Mobile, Alabama where he was raised in self-described "Catholic confinement." He would later attend Auburn University from which he graduated in 1969 with a Bachelors Degree in history.

In addition to his music, Buffett has acted and is one of seven authors who have had number one best sellers both in fiction and non-fiction. That short list includes Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, Irving Wallace, Dr. Seuss, William Styron, and Mitch Albom!

His big break in music came with association with Jerry Jeff Walker (who wrote Mr. Bojangles about a man he met in jail). Buffett released his first album, Down to Earth, in 1970. Though it did not fare well on the charts, it contained The Captain and the Kid, a song about his grandfather who was a major influence in his life and the sailor he was the son of a son of. It would be four more years before Jimmy would release Living and Dying in 3/4 Time, which contained his first charting hit, Come Monday.

Jimmy Buffett already had a cult following by 1977 when he released Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes, but this album would put him on the charts again with the song that would become his anthem, Margaritaville.

Though both Come Monday and Margaritaville charted well, neither hit number one on the charts, and none of his albums even came as close as those songs. That would change in 2004 when he collaberated with a host of country singers to produce License to Chill. It sold nearly 250,000 in its first week after release. It became his ninth Platinum album, but is still the only album to hit number one.

I would have to turn in my Parrothead hat, grass skirt, and tie-dye shirts if I did not include some of the songs we Parrotheads know and love. His ballad A Pirate Looks at Forty is about a friend who could not find his calling in the twentieth century, Peanut Butter Conspiracy is about the days he spent all his money on weed, and Cheeseburger in Paradise is self-explanatory! In addition to those songs, I've tossed in one of my favorites, Manana.

I have one piece of advice for those of you who are now converted into Parrotheads in Traning: when you hear Jimmy Buffett is coming, get your tickets quickly. They don't last very long!

Finally, my apologies to any brother or sister Parrotheads for not including One Particular Harbour, Havana Daydreamin', Volcano, Gypsies in the Palace, He Went to Paris, It's Five O'Clock Somewhere, The Great Fillin' Station Holdup, or the song that I've excluded that is your favorite. With forty years of music behind him, it wouldn't be possible to get them all!