James William 'Jimmy' Buffett (born December 25, 1946 in Pascagoula, Mississippi) is a songwriter, singer, author and businessman best known for his 'island escapism' lifestyle and music. His band is called the Coral Reefer Band and his devoted base of fans are known as Parrotheads. He married Margie Washicheck in 1969 and got divorced in 1972. Jimmy and his second wife Jane have two daughters, Savannah and Sarah as well as an adopted son Cameron. The family resides in Palm Beach, Florida and also have a home in St Barts. Besides being a popular entertainer, Buffett is also a licensed pilot, holding instrument, single and multi-engine land and sea ratings.

Jimmy translated his easygoing Gulf Coast persona into more than just a recording career - he expanded into clothing, nightclubs and literature. However, the basis of his business empire that keeps him on Fortune magazine's top earning entertainers list is his music. Buffett started his music career in Nashville releasing 'Down to Earth' a country album released in 1970. He soon moved to Key West, Florida, where he gradually evolved into the beach-bum character and developed the tropical folk-rock style that would endear him to millions. In 1973 he released 'White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean', which featured the song 'Why Don't We Get Drunk'. The release of 1974's 'Living and Dying 3/4 Time' showed a more thoughtful side and produced Buffett's first singles chart entry 'Come Monday'. The album 'Changes in Lattitudes, Changes in Attitudes' was released in 1977 and included the song 'Margaritaville' a top ten song that captured his tropical vibe and for a while, turned him into a pop star.

DID YOU KNOW? - The song Margaritaville had a verse cut out from the final release because the song was to long for radio play. The verse goes like this: 'Old men in tanktops, cruising the gift shops, checkin' Chiquitas down by the shore. They dream about weight loss, wish they could be their own boss, those three day vacations become such a bore.'

During the 1980s, Buffett made far more money touring than he did on his albums. He became a popular concert draw and his growing army of concert going Parrotheads made his concerts into a Mardi Gras-like happening. Albums released in the 1980s were primarily released for the fans, not the charts. Jimmy also launched his Margaritaville line of clothing and opened his first Margaritaville club in Key West in 1985. Buffett briefly changed the name of the 'Coral Reefer Band' to the 'Coral Reef Band' to suit the request of several charities he sponsored during this time. In the 1990s Buffett released several compilation albums which sold millions. A 1990 live album 'Feeding Frenzy' went gold and a 1992 box-set 'Boats, Beaches, Bars and Ballads' became one of the best selling box-sets ever. Jimmy finally got around to releasing a new album 'Fruitcakes' in 1994 which became one of his fastest selling recordings. It was followed in 1995 by 'Barometer Soup' and 'Banana Wind' in 1997. In 1999 he released 'Beach House on the Moon' as well as 'Live: Tuesdays/Thursdays/Saturdays' (a reference to the only days he plays on his now relaxed tour schedule). Purchasing tickets for his concerts became difficult selling out within minutes.

DID YOU KNOW? - In 2006, Jimmy wrote the soundtrack to the movie 'Hoot'. He also co-produced and acted in the film. It wasn't a box office hit, but he was interested in the film because of it focused on environmental conservation.

In August 2000, Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band played on the White House lawn for then President Bill Clinton. In 2003 he partnered with Alan Jackson on the duet 'It's Five O'Clock Somewhere' which was a number one hit on the country charts. The song won the 2003 Country Music Association Award for Vocal Event of the Year. It was Jimmy's first and only award of any kind for his music in his almost forty year career. On July 13, 2004, Buffett released 'License to Chill' which sold close to 250,000 copies in it's first week topping the album pop charts for the first time in his career. In 2005 Buffett teamed up with Sirius/XM radio and introduced Radio Margaritaville broadcasting from the Margaritaville restaurant in Orlando, Florida. Prior to the partnership, Radio Margaritaville was only available as an on-line broadcast. The channel is still available at RadioMargaritaville.com. In 2006, Buffett released 'Take the Weather With You'. The song 'Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On' on this album refers to Hurricane Katrina.

DID YOU KNOW? - In 1982, Jimmy taped a cameo appearance on 'All My Children'.

Buffett has written three number one best sellers: 'Tales From Margaritaville', Where is Joe Merchant?' and 'A Pirate Looks at Fifty'. 'A Pirate Looks at Fifty' went straight to number one on the New York Times Bestseller non-fiction list, making Buffett one of only seven authors to have reached the number one spot on both the fiction and non-fiction lists at the same time. Jimmy also co-wrote two children's books 'The Jolly Mon' and ' Trouble Dolls' with his daughter Savannah. In 2004, Buffett released the book 'A Salty Piece of Land' which quickly became a best seller on The New York Times Best Seller list. He is currently writing a follow-up to 'A Pirate Looks at Fifty' which he says could take up to ten years to complete.

DID YOU KNOW? - Jimmy used the name 'Marvins Gardens' as the songwriter credit on the song 'Why Don't We Get Drunk'.

Buffett's music, books and business dealings has made him quite comfortable. In 2006, his amphitheater tour grossed over $41 million, and his Margaritaville restaurants and stores grossed more than $15 million. In 2009, Jimmy became involved with the Miami Dolphins and due to the poupularity of Landshark Larger, he was able to strike a deal to pay for the re-naming of Dolphin Stadium to Landshark Stadium. Jimmy Buffett is indeed a genre of one.

DID YOU KNOW? - Jimmy's very first music video was 'Pencil Thin Mustache'.