American singer-songwriter, novelist, actor, and businessman Jimmy Buffett has a net worth of $600 million. The “island escapism” style of his music and the global commercial empire it produced have made him famous. Buffett generates at least $50 million years through his musical and commercial endeavors.
As of the date of this writing, there are dozens of Margaritaville locations worldwide. There are hotels, casinos, restaurants, and holiday clubs. There are also numerous retail establishments. Margaritaville Holdings LLC, which is a subsidiary of Cheesburger Holding Company, LLC, owns the Margaritaville empire.
Early Years
James William Buffett was born on Christmas Day (December 25, 1946) in Pascagoula, Mississippi. He spent his youth in the Alabama communities of Mobile and Fairhope. At St. Ignatius School, where he attended elementary school, he played the trombone. He began his collegiate study at Auburn University before transferring to Pearl River Community College at the University of Southern Mississippi. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 1969. After graduating from college, he worked in Nashville as a journalist for Billboard magazine.
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Music Industry
In the 1960s, Buffett’s musical career began in Nashville, Tennessee. 1970 marked the release of his debut album, “Down to Earth,” a country-tinged folk-rock tune. Buffett, who was commonly found busking for visitors in New Orleans at the time, was brought on a busking trip to Key West in November 1971 by musician Jerry Jeff Walker. This motivated Buffett to move to Key West and cultivate his well-known laid-back beach bum attitude.
There, Buffett mixed folk and country music with seaside lyrical themes to create a sound known as “gulf and western.” Due to his quick party hits, he garnered a devoted fan base. Before 2003, songs featured at every Buffett concert were referred to as the “Big 8,” including “Margaritaville,” which helped him achieve widespread success.
The “Big 8” also includes the tracks “Come Monday,” “Fins,” “Volcano,” “A Pirate Looks at Forty,” “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” and “Why Don’t We Get Drunk” With 27 record releases and about 40 live tours to date, he has maintained true to his well-established image as a laid-back beach bum. In addition, he has a devoted fan base known as “Parrotheads.”
Writing Work
Buffett is a successful author with three number-one blockbusters to his name. “Tales from Margaritaville” (1989), his first book, is a collection of short stories. The novel “Where Is Joe Merchant?” is his second book (1992). Both of these novels spent nearly seven months on The New York Times fiction bestseller list. His autobiography “A Pirate Looks at Fifty” (1998) debuted at number one on The New York Times nonfiction bestseller list. Other novels he has published include “A Salty Piece of Land” (2004) and “Swine Not?” (2008).
In addition, Buffett has co-authored two children’s books with his eldest daughter Savannah Jane Buffet: “The Jolly Mon” and “Trouble Dolls.”
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Business Empire and Margaritaville
In 1997, Buffett partnered with author Herman Wouk to adapt Wouk’s novel “Don’t Stop the Carnival” into a musical. Buffett released an album of the musical’s songs in 1998. It ran for six weeks in Miami. The musical “Escape to Margaritaville” debuted at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego in May 2017 and ran until July of that year.
It subsequently performed in limited runs in locations such as New Orleans, Houston, and Chicago. The musical has a book by Greg Garcia and Mike O’Malley, with some of Buffett’s popular songs that have been rearranged to better fit the plot. Christopher Ashley finally directed the show’s March 2018 Broadway debut, which occurred in March. There were a total of 29 previews and 124 regular performances through July.
Buffett is engaged with two restaurant franchises named after two of his most popular songs: “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and “Margaritaville.” In addition, Buffett is the owner of the Margaritaville Cafe restaurant chain and the co-developer of the Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant concept with OSI Restaurant Partners (the parent company of Outback Steakhouse), which operates the brand under a licensing deal with Buffett.
Buffett has also licensed several items with the “Margaritaville” moniker, such as Margaritaville Tequila, Margaritaville Footwear, and Margaritaville Foods, which manufactures chips, salsa, guacamole, shrimp, and chicken.
Buffett worked with the Anheuser-Busch brewing company in 2006 to develop LandShark Lager under the Margaritaville Brewing name. In May 2013, he also inaugurated the Margaritaville Casino at the Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Among his other, real estate investments are the $1 billion retirement community Latitude Margaritaville in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is a joint venture between Minto Communities and Margaritaville Holdings, which Warren Buffett owns. As of March 2018, 250 of the intended 400 lots were sold, with home prices ranging from the low to mid-$200,000s.
In 1993, Buffett also created Margaritaville Records, which was distributed by MCA Records. After his contract with MCA expired with the 1996 release of “Christmas Island,” Margaritaville Records joined with Island Records for a two-record deal. In 2005 and 2006, he later joined RCA Records for distribution.
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Personal Facts
Buffett wed Margie Washichek in 1969, and the couple divorced in 1971. Together with his second wife, Jane Slagsvol, he has two biological daughters and one adoptive child. Early in the 1980s, Buffett and Slagsvol split up, but they reconciled in 1991. They live in Sag Harbor, New York, as well as West Palm Beach, Florida.
Buffett also owns a house on the Caribbean island of Saint Barts. Buffett and former Florida governor Bob Graham founded Save the Manatee, the world’s foremost manatee rescue group, in 1981.
Earnings & Financial Data
The TheRichest experts assembled the below financial data to help you better understand Jimmy Buffett’s Net Worth by breaking down the most essential financial events such as yearly wages, contracts, earn-outs, endorsements, stock ownership, and much more.
How Did Jimmy Buffet Get So Rich?
Buffett has generated money as a novelist in addition to his business activities and music career. ‘Tales from Margaritaville’ and ‘Where is Joe Merchant’, his first two books, each ran for more than seven months on the New York Times Best Seller list.