Whether you catch him live at one of his Margaritaville franchises or at a giant venue, you’re bound to have some beach-loving fun. Jimmy Buffett has been gracing us with beachy-country vibes and promises of “Cheeseburgers in Paradise” since the 1970s. But he didn’t find success right away in his career – not until he left Nashville for his happy place: Key West.

A Wavy Start

Jimmy wanted to be a singer his whole life and had his sights set on Nashville. He made it to the country-music capital in the late 1960s, recorded two folk records, and waited for the success to roll in. Unfortunately, his country vocation never took off and, feeling defeated, he moved closer to the ocean. It turns out that was the best thing for his career.

Taking his version of country and giving it a beachy-feel won him a record deal with ABC-Dunhill in 1973. He put out his first successful album “White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean” the same year. With his laid-back style and famous Hawaiian shirts, he began to gather a following, which calls themselves “Parrotheads.”

Golden Days, Golden Albums

While Jimmy spent most of his days on the beach, he still managed to put out records every year or so in the ’70s. His ’77 release “Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude” was his first smash success and went gold. That album gave us the song “Margaritaville” which was the inspiration for Buffett’s famous chain of laid-back vacation spot restaurants.

After his sixth and seventh albums went gold, Jimmy created his label, also named Margaritaville. But he hasn’t let entrepreneurship get in the way of releasing records over the years. He’s still performing hits from his career and from his most recent album “Songs From St. Somewhere” anywhere there’s a venue big enough (and close enough to the beach).