too long . " Yes , I suppose you could say that , my children and wife would probably say that .” He says it ’ s pretty much always been that way . “ I think I got the wandering gene , when it comes to having to be on the move ” he says smiling .
Beyond the performing and songwriting is the great success Jimmy has experienced with his books . With four Time ’ s Best Sellers , and ten books total , I ’ d argue that he ’ s been as successful as a commercially viable author as a performer . I ask him if he prefers one over another in terms of writing songs or books . " I think both take being a good story teller ." I go on to mention that even having been one of just eight authors ( including Hemingway , Dr . Seuss , and Steinbeck ) to reach number one on both the New York Times fiction and non-fiction list , many people still don ’ t know he writes books . Jimmy tells me that what surprises him more is " when I run into people that don ' t know about the music , but they know I write books ... It really does happen ." The fact that anyone doesn ’ t know about Jimmy Buffett ’ s music is ludicrous to me , but it just proves , we agree , that lots of us just stick our head in the sand and only care to know about what we know about . As we talk books and music , Jimmy also tells me he is currently working on new projects on both sides .
In addition to Buffett the entertainer , he is also an entrepreneurial genius with many business interests . He owns his own record label , MailBoat Records , which he founded in 1999 . Not only is Mailboat the home of Buffett ’ s own work , but it ’ s also the label for such well-known artists as : Def Leppard , Sammy Hagar , Aerosmith ’ s Joe Perry , REO Speedwagon , Brett Michaels , and even sixtime CMA Musician of the Year and Coral Reefer band member , Mac McAnally . Buffett is involved in and has lent his name to everything from apparel and footwear to beer and tequila to drink mixers to frozen foods . It seems that if it has Jimmy Buffet ’ s name on it people will buy it ; both his loyal Parrotheads and plain old run-of-the-mill people too . His Radio Margaritaville , broadcasting on Sirius XM , reaches millions . Additionally the song that somehow spawned it all , Margaritaville is now being called the most lucrative song ever . Not bad for a song that came out in 1977 and hit No . 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 . All of this fun-loving , island hopping escapism has led to Jimmy Buffett -the man not just the brand- being among the world ’ s wealthiest entertainers ; with a net worth , Forbes estimates in 2016 , north of $ 550 million . He even raked in an estimated $ 45 million in the past year alone . Not bad for a guy who didn ’ t take up guitar until his college years , then played bars from New Orleans to Destin to Key West , just to make money for food and fun . He may be a great writer and entertainer , but he ’ s also extremely brilliant , insightful and business savvy .
I asked Jimmy about the Margaritaville brand , and just how it all started . " When my partner and I first opened in Key West in 1985 I didn ' t ever dream it would turn into this . I just did it because I was tired of playing in shitty bars without good dressing rooms for the entertainers ." It may have started simple , but I ’ ve been invited to a Margaritaville VIP grand opening before , and I can tell you there ’ s nothing simple about the business of Buffett . These people work toward perfection , and they don ’ t stop until they get it right . Whether it ’ s
12 June 2017
INSIGHT