James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi. He moved to Nashville to pursue a career as a country singer, and signed his first record contract in 1970.

After two early solo album failures, Buffett moved to Key West in the early 1970s. He got another album deal with ABC-Dunhill, who published A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean in 1973. The album was a hit and Buffett’s laid-back performance style drew fans, lots of them dressed in Hawaiian shirts, calling themselves “Parrotheads.”

Buffett describes his music as “Gulf and Western”, a blend of the country & western and folk-rock he grew up with, flavored with the themes of the Gulf coast. It’s served him well over the years, resulting in over two dozen albums, and continues to record and tour. He’s also published three No. best selling books.

About exactly where he gets his inspirations for his songs and lyrics, Buffett has said:

“Humor has bailed me out of more tight situations than I can think of. If you go with your instincts and keep your humor, creativity follows. With luck, success comes, too.”

On September 1, 2023, Buffett died at the age of 76.