A Pirate Looks at Fifty - Jimmy Buffett’s Monumental “A1A” Turns Half a Century Old
It’s been just a little over a year since the devastating passing of the late James “Jimmy” William Buffett. A veteran of the vibe and coastal genius who spoke from the salty soaked heart with a genuine poetic perspective that simply understood what life could really be all about if we were to simply sit back and take a deep breath. His boisterous brand of iconic laughter, exciting eatery and unforgettable nights under the ancient coconut moon hanging high above, Buffett could easily seem like a joke to some, but to most, he was a guy that effortlessly got away with having a good time, which can be ironic due to life’s unlimited amount of curveballs and unsuspecting misfortunes. He simply established an energetic ecosystem very early on in his career and brought his lifestyle to the masses with an atmospheric anthem and melodic mantra that would eternally echo through endless waters, trees and the minds and hearts of anyone looking for a message or sign that “it'll be alright.” Born on Christmas Day, a miraculous miracle in itself, Buffett sincerely surfed his destinations early on from his stomping grounds in Pascagoula, Mississippi, to New Orleans and eventually landing here in Nashville, Tennessee to pursue a cautious career in country music in 1970 after graduating just the year before.
Photo: Scott Newton
Holding down a five-night residency at the legendary Exit/In venue in Music City from March 13th to the 16th, Buffett quickly realized that the town wasn’t made for someone like him, though he would frequently visit to record some of his most successful releases to date over the years. Quickly returning to his familiar busking nature, but this time taking to the Keys to carve out yet another excitingly exotic and epic tale that is, unfortunately, for another time. With four albums under his barnacled belt, such as the more underground, literally, debut “Down To Earth”, “High Cumberland Jubilee”, “A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean” and “Living and Dying in 3/4 Time”, by the early 1970s, Buffett had officially found his feverish flow by bravely blending country, folk, rock n’ roll and his soulful signature in iconic island ideology that ultimately separated him from all of his peers. While the infamous "Key West phase" that references this sonically special time and place in his life and early career, though it is also something that never actually ended, as every release from here on out would obviously become a Jimmy Buffett album with less time spent on deciding which release was more “tropical” than the next, it would ultimately be his fifth album “A1A” that accurately acknowledges just what he was going for and just what the world always needed.
With the charting success of the hit single “Come Monday”, and two wonderfully woven albums all in the same year, Buffett saw an incredibly iconic shift in his career during this time, which ultimately led to his first ever year-long tour with numerous dates and multiple week-long residencies in clubs, venues and theaters all across the US. Appearing on various radio stations in order to further spread the melodic and majestic message of Buffett’s revelational rhythms, the late musician began building his legendary band as the shows grew larger and the anatomy of the audiences became more in tune with his righteous wonder and youthful longing into the heart and soul of an unforgettable universe of splendor and spiritual fun. Joined by an incredible ensemble of musicians such as Greg “Fingers” Taylor, Sammy Creason, Steve Goodman, Reggie Young and a handful of others, “A1A” was released during Buffett’s birth month in December after its cosmic birth that summer at the Woodland studio in Nashville. Quickly gaining tonal traction and widespread attention, it was numbers like "Trying To Reason With Hurricane Season", "Door Number Three" and the melodic masterpiece and magnum opus, “A Pirate Looks at Forty”. With countless elements of exotic exploration into the unknown where salty secrets whisper and harmoniously hum a poetic flow, the album’s name was inspired by the Sunshine State’s Road A1A that runs along the Atlantic, which in retrospective combines southern living and its country lifestyle with the ancient waters of the sea in such a way that would inspire countless listeners and future artists such as Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews, Little Wings’ Kyle Field and a number of others to would help continue the sacred surf for generations to come.
We love you “Bubba”.
