TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Jimmy Buffet has Passed Away

Ahoy Captains,

Very Sad News that Jimmy Buffet has Passed On.
A Genuinely Great Man who created so many profound Treasures of Wisdom and Wit and Smiles and Songs.
Everyone has their favorite song, maybe that is one of the best things about Buffet, and I hope we can all continue to Share his Artistry and Humanity.

Fair Winds,
Brent

For sure...the best of music that immediately fixes whatever is ailing for at least a moment...

Fair seas and following winds to him...

I just saw him in concert for the first time last summer and was hoping it wasn't the last. I am so sad about this. His music has always been my go-to when I am in need of some mood enhancement.
RIP Jimmy.

We were fortunate to see him in concert a few times, but the most memorable to me was the joint concert with Kenny Chesney, in support of the islands. Truly a memorable night in Tallahassee, even though it was inside.

Sail on, Jimmy.

We were there as well Carol. So glad we were able to see him! It was reported that the concert sold out in under 10 minutes.
Fair winds Jimmy

Yes, we considered ourselves lucky to have gotten tickets for it, for sure. I am sad this morning.

Just got off a sailboat yesterday afternoon after several days cruising around Santa Cruz Island off Santa Barbara and many Buffet tunes were played during the trip. Didn’t know it was kind of a memorial cruise. He will be greatly missed but all the music will still be with us. Sail on!


Allen

Born on Christmas day and passed on Labour Day weekend...not"heading up to San Francisco for the Labour Day weekend show'...wish he was. I was lucky enough to meet Jimmy and had a lengthy chat with him..funny,self depracating, and oh so talented. Bob Dylan call him one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th Century. Beach boy Brian Wilson was a huge fan.Wish I was in Cane Garden Bay today to toast him properly in front of boarded up "Stanleys Welcome Bar" or by his old redroofed beach house. I will toast him with a Margarita at The Sonoma Grille..and probably shed a tear...

So sad indeed! I still remember 1 concert we went to was when he played in Toronto at Ontario Place open air amphitheater in front of the marina on Lake Ontario. I sailed to the marina on my first sailboat named...."Margaritaville". Truly an epic party. Thank you for memories Jimmy! So influential, in fact, that my daughters song pick for the father/daughter dance at her wedding was...Margaritaville

So sad to think Jimmy died of skin cancer caused by all the things he loved so much, surfing, sailing, fishing, all the islands and the sunshine. He battled it 4 four courageous years. RIP Jimmy. We'll miss you for sure.

This news hit me like a ton of bricks yesterday. A truly great musician/storyteller. So grateful I was able to see him in concert twice in Charlotte. Very much of his music on our BVI music playlist. RIP Jimmy.

Nice Washington Post article about Jimmy and friends.

Jimmy at Telluride

Moving , inspiring ..thanks for that.

Thanks for posting. Nice read. I listened to Radio Margaritaville on Sirius yesterday for the first time since his death. Wanted to be alone in my car, so I wouldn't make a fool out of myself in front of others.

Jimmy's final puplic appearance at a Rhode Island bar in early July (scroll down to get the 2 songs)

https://countrymusicfamily.com/two-...6oFJYP7K54Lb7aiWc3YaFGnFThtE0QmZdt2MsnlY

The cover photo for his "License to Chill" album was taken on top of the old Flamingo Pride restaurant on Anegada (right by the bridge across the creek).

Thanks for sharing that video! Hard to believe that was just July and now he is gone......cancer is such a thief.

I remember he did a surprise visit during Block Island Race week some years back and we were lucky enough to be on island. Margaritaville was the sponsor but he wasn't scheduled to be there. Seemed he liked to just show up unannounced.

We were lucky to catch Jimmy at a surprise appearance appearance at the Anegada Reef Hotel in January, 2009.

Great article about Jimmy and the BVI. There is a short video clip of his concert in Anegada.
https://thebviinsider.com/when-i-met-jimmy-buffet-in-the-bvi/

Great indeed..except for Claudia calling Jimmy "Buffet" before correcting to a double "T" down the article..My meeting with Jimmy is appearing on a TTOLers website this week..I'll let him jump in on that! One thing is certain..Jimmy left a deep impression, and sometimes gave us inspiration. His song "Barometer Soup" is so appropriate right now.."follow in my wake, you've not that much at stake for I have ploughed the seas and smoothed the troubled waters..come along lets have some fun..the hard work has been done..we'll barrel roll into the sun just for starters..."

Thanks Adrian. Very good read.

That was fun putting that together with you Manpot. Here's the link to the post if anyone wants to check it out.

Looking forward to catching up over a cold one next month...If there are other TTOLers around...let me know. I'll be down mid October.

Love all the recollections and details— thanks all for sharing. Can’t wait to make a little mini-pilgrimage to the old Flamingo Pride next time I’m heading to Flash of Beauty. Duckfat, do you have any other details about that place or how you heard that was the place in the picture?

I’m intrigued a bit by the misspelling of “Caldwood” (and, it sounds to me, like a third syllable) in the Manana lyrics. Anybody know if there’s an inside joke there, or perhaps a deliberate change for copyright/royalties or some such purpose there?

Probably just a misspelling of Callwood. He could have left out references to Steve Martin and Anita Bryant in this classic song. 10 years later (or now), no one would know why he was singing about them.

Flamingo Pride was built by Egbert "Cap" Wheatley, who owns Flash of Beauty. Cap dredged out the little pond there by the bridge on the creek. Flamingo Pride only operated for a short while after opening.

Angie, Cap's daughter, has refurbished the place and should be open in November. I think she is calling it "Angie's".

Glady Donnan, a good friend of mine, spent many years on Anegada with her husband Peter. They had a place in Mac Norman's campground by Lavenda Breeze. Glady thought that she recognized Flamingo Pride in the cover photo. She and Peter spent many a night on that rooftop deck drinking wine. She sent it to me, asking for confirmation. I had the photo of Flamingo Pride that confirmed it.

Buffett explains how he was hanging out at a marina when he got a call from actor Steve Martin, "Singin' anybody there really want to get small." Martin had just released his hugely popular comedy album Let's Get Small, with the title track using "small" as a euphemism for "high." Right after the reference in Buffett's tune, the singer notes how there's not enough dope around for everyone to get high.

As for Anita Bryant, it wasn't her music that Buffett opposed - it was her stance as an anti-gay rights activist.

The story I heard about Anita Bryant in a Buffett interview was that early on in Jimmy's career one of his songs was offered to Anita to sing. When she heard the song in the studio she roundly rejected it. Jimmy was "offended" and declared "And I hope Anita Bryant never ever does one of my songs....."

Funny how many stories there are for these things

For anyone who hasn't heard it yet, check out Bubbles Up, a song on the new album which will be released in November, I think. Very Jimmy.

Beautiful and melancholy. It's a bit more country than I usually like but it does make me wonder if JB had an idea of what was about to cross the passage he was sailing..I hope it brings some comfort to his legions of fans ( like me). We'll be discussing it on the radio show next week (KSVY 91.3 FM 10 am PST Sept 22). Thanks for the heads up Carol.

Mal--I'm not a country fan in general either. It is different than a lot of his songs. He had had the cancer for 4 years and had been hospitalized recently, so I think he was aware that he didn't have a long time left.