Jimmy Buffett

"If life gives you limes, make margaritas."

Think about the islands. Think about escaping all the worries of your life and just relaxing on a beach somewhere. Now think about the music of this lifestyle. If Jimmy Buffett doesn't come to mind, you live under a rock.

Buffet is a well known singer-songwriter, performing what he calls "Gulf and Western" music, mixing influences of Country and Western with Folk and Carribean music. Among his most famous songs are "Margaritaville," "Come Monday,", "Fins,", "Volcano,", "A Pirate Looks at Forty,", "Cheeseburger in Paradise," "Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw," "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes,", "One Particular Harbor", and "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" (an Alan Jackson duet). Collectively, these songs are known as the "Big 10" among fans, and have been played at nearly every Buffett show ever. (It should also be noted that he got another big hit with a duet: "Knee Deep" by the Zac Brown Band.)

But Buffett is not just a musician these days. He's also a restauranteur and an author. His two food chains, Margaritaville and Cheeseburger in Paradise are both named after hit songs. And recently in Miami, Dolphin Stadium was renamed Parrothead Stadium under his sponsorship. His legion of devoted fans are, unsurprisingly, referred to as Parrotheads.

Two of his novels, Tales from Margaritaville, and Where is Joe Merchant? topped the New York Times bestseller list. His non-fiction memoir A Pirate Looks At Fifty also occupied a top spot. He's also written several children's books and is stated to be working on a sequel to his previous memoir.

Buffett's not shy about his fame, either. He's made cameos in everything from Repo Man to South Park. He's also lent his weight to several charities, most notably the Save the Manatee Club which is very active in Florida. He's also raised money for hurricane relief charities.

Discography:

Studio albums:

Down to Earth
High Cumberland Jamboree
A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean
Living & Dying in 3/4 Time
A1A
Havana Daydreamin'
Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes
Son of a Son of a Sailor
Volcano
Coconut Telegraph
Somewhere Over China
One Particular Harbor
Riddles in the Sand
Last Mango in Paris
Floridays
Hot Water
Off to See the Lizard
Fruitcakes
Barometer Soup
Banana Wind
Don't Stop the Carnival
Beach House on the Moon
Far Side of the World
License to Chill
Take the Weather With You
Buffett Hotel

Live albums:

You Had to Be There
Feeding Frenzy
Buffett Live: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays
Live in Auburn, WA
Live in Las Vegas, NV
Live in Mansfield, MA
Live in Cincinatti, OH
Live in Hawaii
Live at Fenway Park
Live at Texas Stadium
Live in Anguilla
Encores
Volcano - Live 2011

Compilations:

Songs You Know by Heart
Boats, Beaches, Bar, and Ballads
Before the Beach
Margaritaville Cafe: Late Night Menu
Margaritaville Cafe: Late Night Gumbo
Christmas Island
Great American Summer Fun With Jimmy Buffett
Biloxi
Meet Me in Margaritaville
Now Yer Squawkin'

Jimmy Buffett provides examples of the following tropes:

Audience Participation Song: Many of his songs, notably "Cheeseburger in Paradise"

I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and french fried potatoes!

- Audiences have started to shout "Of salt! Of salt! Of salt!" after there's a brief pause in the line "Looking for my lost shaker of salt," in Margaritaville.
The Band Minus the Face: His band, The Coral Reefers. Averted with Mac McAnally, who is a well known session musician, producer and songwriter.
Badass: The old man from the song" Last Mango in Paris".
The Cameo: He has many, including as a pirate in Hook and himself in South Park
Cool Old Guy
Cool Uncle: In "The Pascagoula Run", he sings about his "black sheep" Uncle Billy, who had made it rich while traveling around the world. When Billy came back home to Mississippi, he immediately went on a 24-hour bar-hopping run to all his old haunts and invited his nephew Jimmy to come along. According to Buffett, this all actually happened back when he was 17.
Elvis Impersonator: His song, "Elvis Imitators," which is sung in that style
Everybody Hates Mathematics: "Math Suks"
Greatest Hits Album: Songs You Know By Heart
Intercourse with You: "Why Don't We Get Drunk (And Screw)," written because he was tired of all the double entendres for sex in songs
In the Style Of: "Elvis Imitators," sung in the style of...well, you would imagine
Only in Florida: We named our major football stadium "Land Shark Stadium"
- Hell, it's practically an in-joke among Floridians, saying that natives are required by law to like him.
Pop Star Composer: He wrote the soundtrack for the film Hoot.
Rock Opera: Don't Stop The Carnival, based on a novel by Herman Wouk.