What You Didn’t Know About Jimmy Buffett
By BRIAN BOONE
History - Music
Drug Smuggler
In the early 70s, Buffett was hired by Key West drug runners who told him he’d make more money hauling drugs than what he’d made for his debut album "Down to Earth."
In Ryan White’s "Jimmy Buffet: A Good Life All The Way," Buffet said that he was "tempted occasionally to get into it," but he was out of Florida before it came to anything.
So Rich
Buffett’s net worth adds up to around $550 million. The bulk of that figure came from his astute and successful marketing of "Margaritaville" as a major lifestyle brand.
There are Margaritaville-themed clothes, shoes, decorations, tequila, margarita mix, and food, as well as more than 20 Margaritaville hotels, resorts, vacation clubs, and casinos.
Margaritaville
Buffet’s "Margaritaville" was inspired by a rough day he had in Key West during the time that he was recording his 1977 album "Nether Lands."
Buffet discussed his bad day with producer Norbert Putnam: "He lost one of his flip-flops, and he stepped on a beer can top, and he couldn’t find the salt for his margarita."
His Cheeseburger
Buffet told Songfacts that this song was inspired by "a long trip on my first boat." Rough weather damaged the ship on his way to a Tortola bar and grill.
Buffett ordered burgers with specific instructions, but they were prepared wrong. However, the overcooked burgers on blackened buns "tasted like manna from Heaven" to Buffett.
Great Live, OKAY Records
Buffett played a tour every year since 1972 with at least two dozen shows. Between 1990 and 2014 alone, Buffett’s concerts grossed more than $400 million.
Buffett was never a consistent mainstream chart-topper. His best-selling album "Songs You Know By Heart" peaked at No. 100 on Billboard and slowly sold seven million copies.