The Southland Music Line Remembers Jimmy Buffett in Photos

Photos by Stephen Anderson
Commentary by Johnny Cole

The Southland Music Line wants to take this occasion to remember Jimmy Buffett, who we lost on this Labor Day weekend.

Jimmy Buffett, singer-songwriter, best-selling author, and successful entrepreneur, was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi on Christmas Day in 1946. Buffett was 76 at the time of his passing. Truthfully, there was and will only be one Jimmy Buffett. Shocked Parrot Heads, Buffett’s huge and devoted fanbase, are obviously mourning this terrible loss.

The Southland Music Line was fortunate to be present at a number of very special Jimmy Buffett events. Our very own Stephen “Andy” Anderson, a fellow University of Southern Mississippi alumni of Buffett, photographed him as an official photographer for the Buffett Bridge dedication in Pascagoula. Anderson also enjoyed being part of the Buffett motorcade from the Grand Magnolia Hotel to the stage on Pascagoula Beach (now known as Buffett Beach). One of Anderson’s photos of Buffett from this event was later used for the cover of the Touchtone/Simon & Schuster book Jimmy Buffett: A Good Life All the Way written by acclaimed music critic Ryan White.

Another event attended and photographed by The Southland Music Line was held at the Grand Magnolia Ballroom in Pascagoula, which was privileged to host Mac McAnally’s 2017 concert with surprise guest, Jimmy Buffett. Thanks to Grand Mag’s Curtis Rockwell, we got an early heads up about it and both Anderson and I had front row seats to this very exciting evening of music.

In the fall of 2020, during the pandemic, Anderson and I were invited to attend a streamed Mississippi Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction event at Gulf Hills Hotel and Resort in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Buffett, McAnally, and B.B. King were among those inducted. 

Buffett’s music includes such well known songs as: “Come Monday,” “Son of a Son of Sailor,” “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “Volcano,” “Pascagoula Run,” “He Went to Paris,” “The Captain and the Kid,” “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes,” “Five O’clock Somewhere” (with Alan Jackson), “It’s My Job,” “Fins,” “Pencil Thin Mustache,” “Grapefruit-Juicy Fruit,” “A Pirate Looks at Forty,” “If the Phone Doesn’t Ring, It’s Me,” “Why Don’t We Get Drunk,” “Boat Drinks,” and many more songs have entertained fans for years and will continue to be a huge part of their lives and memories.

Buffett’s most recognized song “Margaritaville” is an anthem to Buffett’s loyal fans. It has inspired millions of people to become a “Parrot Head” or collectively “Parrotheads,” a name first given to Buffett’s fans at a concert in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1985. Buffett commented about everyone wearing Hawaiian shirts and parrot hats and how they kept coming back to see his shows, just like Deadheads. The Eagles’ Timothy B. Schmit, then a member of the Coral Reefer Band, coined the term “Parrot Head” to describe them.

Jimmy Buffett wore many hats as a successful singer-songwriter, concert performer, best-selling author, and entrepreneur. His Margaritaville brand helped Buffett become one of the world’s richest musicians, with a net worth of $1 billion in 2023. From his humble Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coast beginnings, Buffett would become one of the world’s most successful entertainers.

The following photos of Jimmy Buffett are by Stephen “Andy” Anderson:

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Page Designed & Edited by Johnny Cole
Additional Editing by Deborah Chatham
© The Southland Music Line. 2023.
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