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This is what Jimmy Buffett meant to Boston.com readers
"We would never have known these wonderful friends if it were not for Jimmy Buffett."
Fans of Jimmy Buffett have vivid and fond memories of the singer-songwriter, who passed away recently, and his performances left lasting impressions.
The musician known for penning the hit “Margaritaville” and evoking “island escapism” vibes died in his Long Island home on September 1. He had been battling Merkel cell skin cancer for four years, wrote The New York Times. The artist was 76 years old. Having sold at least 23 million albums in the United States alone, and recognized for his lyrics about carefree life, Buffett was a folk hero to his fans, known as “Parrot Heads.”
Buffett treated a small audience to a surprise concert appearance in July at a Rhode Island restaurant called Sunset Cove. Little did spectators know that the show would be Buffett’s last performance. Mike MacFarlane, who owns the waterfront cafe and cocktail spot, said that the concert was “electric,” featuring songs such as “Changes In Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes,” “Son of a Son of a Sailor,” and “A Pirate Looks at Forty.”
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We asked readers to share their favorite memories of Buffett, and we collected a roundup of 11 reflections. Reader Sue S. from Scituate told Boston.com about how she saw Buffett perform at the Music Inn in Lenox in 1977. He automatically “clicked” with the audience, she said.
“He charmed us all with his music and small talk,” she said. “I became a follower and saw him many times after that, whenever he was in the Boston area. I had to drive back the same night because of work the next morning. … It is a great memory.”
Below, find out what Jimmy Buffett meant to Boston.com readers.
Readers share their memories of Jimmy Buffett
‘Jimmy always brought me up’
“I am 65 years old, and I’ve been listening to Jimmy since the 70s. [I] always listen to his music during the spring and summer months, and over the years, not as much. In 2021, I developed [cancer and] was in the hospital for four months. I got out of the hospital in 2022. I’ve been recuperating over the last year and a half. I started listening to more Jimmy. And then when I heard he had to cancel concerts, for some reason, this summer I listen[ed] to a lot of his music, being depressed from my cancer and my outcome. Jimmy always brought me up, gave me hope, kept me living, making me want the ‘Margarita life.’ Thanks for your music and poetry, Jimmy. You will always be missed; you will always be celebrated.”
—Ron D., South Carolina
‘He never forgot his roots’
“I was lucky enough to see Jimmy Buffett at a free beach performance he gave on the beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama after the BP oil spill. My sister Susan W. won a lottery for the tickets, and she gave me one. His sister Lucy Buffett has a restaurant there, and it brought great attention to the area and help[ed] with the clean up of the beach. He never forgot his roots in Mobile, Alabama. He will be greatly missed, but his music lives on forever for future Parrot Heads!”
—Stacey B., Alabama
‘We have partied with a purpose’
“I saw my first Buffett show in 1992. I was hooked immediately. We have joined the Parrot Head Club of Eastern Massachusetts. Through this club, we have partied with a purpose and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities. The friends that we have made over the years will long stay together. We would never have known these wonderful friends if it were not for Jimmy Buffett.
Jimmy’s music speaks to all of us, and the fact that he passed on the start of Labor Day weekend gave us chances to get together with our Parrot Head friends to celebrate his life.”
—Jean D., Danvers
‘I will always remember the encounter’
“I pumped gas at the Auburn University Airport while going to school and working on my pilot license. One day, a unique aircraft landed and the pilot asked to be refueled. I had a detailed conversation with the pilot about his [aircraft] and how he trained with military pilots. What a nice gentleman and story, I thought, when a coworker came running out as the pilot headed into the terminal. “Dude, that’s JIMMY BUFFETT!” he said. Of course, I knew of Jimmy Buffet, but my mental image was shaggy hair and a mustache; it was 1990, and he had changed his look to trim and clean shaven. On the way out, he shared a little story of his short time at Auburn and encouraged me with my aviation career. I became an airline pilot, and I will always remember the encounter for his genuine enthusiasm and ability to make you feel special.”
—Harrison H., South Carolina
‘It was a moment we all cherished’
“My husband and I, Mainers the same age as Jimmy Buffett, loved his music. After all, we lived in Vacationland. We had married young too and had two daughters who loved to sing along with their dad. His favorite was ‘Ragtop Day,’ and he played it at full volume with the windows down one beautiful summer day, as we drove through Ogunquit together. ‘Do you girls know what a ragtop is?’ ‘Yes Dad, you’ve told us a million times.’ It was a moment we all cherished. He died of cancer at age 52, leaving a huge hole in our hearts… and now Jimmy has too.”
—Terri A., Maine
‘Jimmy loved Boston’
“I’ve been to a lot of Buffett shows all over the country. The one I’ll always remember was on June 20, 2013 at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston to benefit the One Fund. It was an amazing show. 21 songs. The Bruins were playing Chicago for the Stanley Cup… but that didn’t stop most of the team from showing up that night. Jimmy loved Boston and the people that lived there. They were his kind of people. Thanks for the memories Jimmy. We’ll all be Happily Ever After (Now and Then).”
—Rob C., Quincy
‘We were all different people back then’
“I saw Jimmy Buffett perform at the Music Inn in Lenox in July 1977… I went with a friend from New Hampshire… [Buffett] was still sort of a folk act… He performed a lot of stuff from the A1A album and some of his earlier stuff like ‘Mañana.’ The last song he performed was a cover of Jerry Jeff Walker’s ‘Long Afternoons.’ We were all different people back then and it was a different world.”
—Exitseven, Norwell
‘My friend was screaming like crazy’
“I saw Jimmy Buffett at the Waikiki Shell in Honolulu in 1982. During the concert, Neil Young surprisingly joined him. My friend was screaming like crazy. The next morning, my friend was listening to the radio and asked me, ‘Was Neil Young at the concert last night?’ Good times.”
—Rob M., Colorado
‘I’ve always given him credit for the Red Sox World Series win’
“At his [2004] Fenway concert, he brought a witch doctor on stage to ‘break the curse.’ And it worked. I’ve always given him credit for the Red Sox World Series win [that year].”
—Valerie, Needham
‘He came in [the] shop with a big smile on!’
“Back in the day, we owned Fishing The Cape, an Orvis fly fishing store in Harwich and specialized in fly fishing the Monomoy flats in Chatham. So one day, we got a phone call from a guy who said they were flying over Monomoy and wanted to know if we had any fishing guides available for a half day trip this afternoon. We said, let us check: ‘Call back in ten minutes.’ So [we] got a hold of Tony B., a boat guide from Saquatucket Harbor, [who] said he would meet them at [the] Chatham airport. They called [and] said, “[Perfect], we [are] arriving in a float plane and will be there at 12:30.” We told Tony, [and] he said he’d pick them up! Later that day he came in [the] shop with a big smile on! It was Jimmy Buffett and his pilot!”
—Bob B., Hardwick
‘’Delaney Talks To Statues’ as the father-daughter dance at my daughter’s wedding’
“Many, many fond memories. First saw Jimmy at Irvine Meadows, California, in the early 80s with a friend who passed shortly thereafter from cancer. All the way to ‘Delaney Talks To Statues’ as the father-daughter dance at my daughter’s wedding. And all the classic Buffett-ism phrases along the way.
—Peter F., Marblehead
RIP, Jimmy.”
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