Why Jimmy Buffett Deserves Hall of Fame Consideration
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When American music legend Jimmy Buffett passed away on September 1st, it became patently evident to all of us just how important this man and his music had been to popular music irrespective of genre. Though he only ever scored one official #1 hit, this is a significantly misleading stat compared to the host of signature songs Buffett accrued over his career, and the ultimate success and impact he had with them.
Despite the lack of radio play beyond “Margaritaville,” or a proper genre to call his home, Jimmy Buffett scored nine Certified Platinum albums over his career, and an additional eight Certified Gold albums. This includes the whopping 7X Platinum Songs You Know By Heart Greatest Hits compilation, which as the name implies, includes songs that many people in the United States know front to back.
Perhaps the stat that’s the best summation of Jimmy Buffett’s career is that he was one of music’s few billionaires. Sure, a lion’s share of that billion was built off of his Margaritaville resorts, restaurants, and licensing deals. But you don’t make that happen unless a song you wrote resonates so wide that it becomes an indelible part of American culture. This is what Jimmy Buffett did.
Jimmy Buffett also inspired incredible loyalty from his fans that call themselves “Parrotheads” because similar to The Grateful Dead’s “Deadheads,” they’d crawl over broken glass to see him perform. Despite the widespread commercial success of the Jimmy Buffett empire later in his life, he also enjoyed phenomenal grassroots support, which is how he became so successful over time despite radio and genres not really knowing what to do with him.
This brings us to the discussion of why you never see or hear the name of Jimmy Buffett come up whenever talk veers towards who should be vying for the next class of inductees into the Hall of Fame, either the Country Hall of Fame, or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We’re talking about a billionaire musician who left behind a voluminous catalog of hit albums, and an empire inspired by one of the most widely recognized songs in popular music history, and nobody even considers to mention his name for Hall of Fame consideration.
This is all facilitated by the confounding question of what genre Jimmy Buffett belongs in. If you take an informed and objective assessment of his catalog from a sonic standpoint, Jimmy Buffett is clearly a country artist more than he’s anything else. With the emphasis on songwriting, how many of his albums were cut in Nashville with steel guitar and other country instrumentation, and how so many country artists covered his songs over the years, it makes sense that he would be considered country.
The subgenre Buffett regularly cited to explain his sound was called “Gulf and Western,” which is a take on “country and Western,” just calling to mind his inspiration of the gulf coast, which lies in the Southern United States.
But since consistently throughout Jimmy Buffett’s career, country music only sprinkled in plays in for his singles while Adult Contemporary and pop radio played them more consistently, people didn’t think of Buffett as a country artist. Take his breakout single “Come Monday,” which is clearly a country song. It stalled at #58 on the country charts, but hit #3 in Adult Contemporary, and #30 on the Billboard Hot 100. This started Jimmy Buffett down the path of being considered a soft rock star.
However, have you seen Jimmy Buffett’s name considered for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame either? Absolutely not, in part because voters and pundits don’t think he has enough “hits.” Meanwhile, the Rock Hall is putting in country artists like Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton to try to garner publicity for themselves when Jimmy Buffett would be a perfectly fine fit.
In truth, Jimmy Buffett was like his own genre. He defied genre like many of the greats do. Country may have never formally claimed Jimmy Buffett as their own, but they sure co-opted his sound. Kenny Chesney may have never had a career if it wasn’t for the “toes in the sand” influence Jimmy Buffett imparted to country. And just like Buffett, Kenny Chesney has now become country music’s most consistent live draw over multiple decades.
The Zac Brown Band and a bunch of others have also taken the influence of Jimmy Buffett and spun it into hit songs and significant careers. Alan Jackson had a Triple Platinum single with Buffett via 2003’s “It’s Five O’clock Somewhere” that went #1. Zac Brown Band had another Triple Platinum #1 single featuring Buffett in 2011 called “Knee Deep.”
It took until later in his career, but country music finally embraced Jimmy Buffett in full form, both as an influence and a legend. This is one of the reasons that on the 2023 CMA Awards, a special tribute is planned for Buffett, with Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Zac Brown Band, Mac McAnally, and Buffett’s Coral Refer band all participating.
Plenty of Country Music Hall of Famers never had significant chart success either. Kris Krsitofferson only had one #1 hit and never cracked the Top 40 again. Marty Stuart never had a single do better than #5.
In truth, Jimmy Buffett shouldn’t just be considered for the Country Music Hall of Fame, or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He should be inducted in both. Due to a rule in the Country Hall of Fame bylaws stating that you can’t be inducted the year after you die to shut down sympathy votes, Jimmy Buffett won’t be considered for the Country Music Hall of Fame this upcoming cycle.
But in subsequent years, Jimmy Buffett most certainly should be part of the Hall of Fame discussion, along with the laundry list of other artists that are scandalously on the outside looking into the honor. And instead of inducting country artists already in the Country Hall of Fame like Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame could also step up to the plate, since that’s a more likely possibility for Buffett due to their expanded field.
Jimmy Buffett mattered to music well beyond the Margaritaville franchise, and his legacy deserves to be enshrined in the Halls of American music reserved for the most important and influential artists of our time. That’s what Jimmy Buffett was. He was a Hall of Famer.
November 8, 2023 @ 8:01 am
The fact that Buffett’s not in the RRHoF yet is astounding to me. While I can see the hesitation to put him in the CMHoF, his influence his undoubtedly strong and if Ray Charles is in, I have no qualms with Buffett going in either.
November 8, 2023 @ 8:11 am
This is a really good point. I have always kept an eye on who should be considered next for the Hall and I have never had Jimmy in my thoughts on this.
There is a very good case for him making it in given his obvious legacy and influence. It’ll be interesting to see how long it takes for them to recognize him.
I’m still hoping for one year where they let about 10 names in just to clear some of the back log.
I’m waiting to see who the first 90’s act to get in is. (First to not have any national presence before 1990)
November 8, 2023 @ 10:35 am
Rage Against the Machine was just inducted recently.
November 8, 2023 @ 10:37 am
My apologies if you were referring to the Country Hall only…
November 8, 2023 @ 8:16 am
“That’s what Jimmy Buffett was. He was a Hall of Famer.”
Hear, hear, Trig.
November 8, 2023 @ 8:18 am
True this.
November 8, 2023 @ 8:28 am
I think he’s deserving of both. I’m surprised nobody has created a Pop Music or just a general Music HOF covering all genres. Induct 25 artists to start, then maybe ten a year…best of the best. Seems like there are many artists who fall between the cracks like Jimmy.
December 9, 2023 @ 12:45 am
This is kind of what I consider the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award to be. It’s not perfect, but they have covered a lot of ground and they induct about 7 artists each year now.
November 8, 2023 @ 9:31 am
I think Buffet and McAnally’s symbiotic relationship over the years was a good catalyst for Buffet’s status boost in early 2000’s (and on) country scene . McAnally always had a foot in nashville and one in muscle shoals, and is a force of a songwriter. You can easily draw lines from Mac’s nashville circle to his coral reefer start to the chesney-jackson-zbb-with-Buffett era in my opinion.
November 8, 2023 @ 9:39 am
Great article. To me he’s in the singer-songwriter vein. My wife and I recently saw Chris Stapleton in concert. She felt he was more rock and roll than country. He did play some slower, more country stuff
also. I thought to myself, some artists are such superstars, that they are great even though they don’t fit nicely into a certain category. Jimmy Buffet is like that too. Ray Wylie Hubbard (though not a superstar) is another one. Not everything great has to fit in a neatly defined category.
November 9, 2023 @ 11:33 am
One thing only: He created a GENRE. No one else has, unless you consider the Outlaws and southern rock. All rock is southern cept Motown in a sense, media once again. Anyway JB deserves rock, country and songwriter halls Period period period as our Presidiot says
November 13, 2023 @ 7:00 pm
Nashville didn’t know what to do with Glen Campbell either, and his earlier years could easily have been classified more pop/rock as well. Hell, JB started a whole new genre of music labeled “Trop Rock”. Has that been done since rap was brought into the mainstream? I’m a die-hard parrot head, still reeling from the loss. To think I’ll never stand in front of that band or Jimmy again, while they play the songs of my summers (and most of my winters) is heartbreaking for me, not to mention the heartbreak I feel for his family and friends. He was definitely larger than life, deserving of any accolades that can be bestowed. Pity he didn’t get more of it when he was alive, but he was such a class act he never complained or spoken of disappointment. He considered himself the luckiest man alive. I say it was more than just luck, a LOT more.
November 8, 2023 @ 9:43 am
I’d put Buffett in the CMHF over Gram Parsons any day. At some point down the road my guess is they’ll both be inducted.
November 8, 2023 @ 10:46 am
Given that the RnR HOF inducts people who are not remotely rock musicians on the grounds of “influence” there is no reason Jimmy Buffett couldn’t be inducted on similar grounds.
He is one of those artists that have multiple generations of fans. It isn’t just old farts like me.
November 8, 2023 @ 12:12 pm
I believe it is quite obvious Jimmy Buffet belongs in the Hall of Fame. Though his genre is not definitive justifies even more his right to be there. For me, losing Jimmy Buffet was the end of an era where it was okay to be yourself, to find the rarity of happiness and enjoy the gifts of life bestowed on all of us. This man knew no strangers and was the effervescence of making dull, a party!!!👏🏻👏🏻🦜🦜!!!!
November 8, 2023 @ 1:32 pm
The Rock Hall has traditionally been ruled over by Jann Wenner and others who clearly had their own ideas of what constituted a “rock star” – basically anyone who the writers at Rolling Stone liked and no one that they didn’t. When the punk movement hit New York in the late 70s, the critical consensus banished alot of great bands and subgenres from polite discussion. Bands like Yes, Hall & Oates, and Chicago weren’t even nominated for years after they were eligible despite being musically and commercially successful. It was only after later generations rediscovered them that they begrudgingly got in. Recent years have corrected some of that but even still, major acts like Devo, The B-52s, and Warren Zevon are waiting to get their due.
Jimmy Buffett definitely was not a critical favorite, despite Bob Dylan naming him one of his favorite songwriters. The commercialism of the Parrothead years didn’t do enough to endear him to Millennial hipsters either. Unfortunately, it really has taken his death to start to see critical consensus start to come around on him. I think he’ll get in eventually but it may take a concerted lobbying effort by his heirs and celebrity fans to get on the radar.
November 8, 2023 @ 1:39 pm
There is a song on this last album which was released last werk called “Close Calls” which with great fiddle work could make the Saving Country Music Top 25 playlist!
November 8, 2023 @ 2:46 pm
What happened to Honky? His take would be good on this subject. Hope he wasn’t banned.
I like Buffett, but c’mon there are about 20-30 real country singers that need to be inducted first.
He is still a better candidate than Gram Parsons, though.
November 8, 2023 @ 3:11 pm
I know his 2000s and 2010s work better than his classics. Picking quality covers in rooted in country/Americana/folk/whatever you want to call it.
November 8, 2023 @ 3:59 pm
When Bob Dylan likes your songs and both Waylon and Willie have recorded them that should be it. But as someone who is deep into Buffets stuff, from his books to albums and more, I am pretty sure he wouldn’t give a dusty fuck about the hall of fame, but if he were inducted during his lifetime he would have been warm and convivial at the ceremony and would have played any hit they asked him to.
November 8, 2023 @ 4:14 pm
rock and roll hall of fame is a joke. people don’t give a shit about it so much they have to induct someone like missy eliott to stay relevant and get people to buy covfefe mugs. it is more of an “honor” at this point NOT to be in it.
call me when they nominate Lil Wayne. now THERE is a class act and musician
November 8, 2023 @ 5:29 pm
He deserves it for “Volcano” alone.
“You better love-a me now or love-a me not.”
November 8, 2023 @ 7:05 pm
Plenty of Jimmy’s lesser known songs are ‘country’. There’s no questioning some of his songs, such as ‘Another Trip Around The Sun’ with Martina McBride! Also, a great song!
November 9, 2023 @ 6:02 am
There’s a prestigious British award for great artistic achievement, for musicians, writers, and poets. Bob Dylan can’t be included, because the people who decide to give the award can’t agree if he’s a musician or a poet.
Jimmy Buffet’s issue is that he’s in this class of artistry. It’s past time to recognize this and induct him into the Hall of Fame!
November 9, 2023 @ 7:31 am
I have mixed feelings about Buffett being in any hall of fame. He is no great singer or songwriter, though he is a good one, and balances his let´s party side with sentimentalism. Calling his one song an indelible part of American culture is a stretch. Should Steam be in the rock hall of fame because of ¨Na, Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” being sung at football games for decades? I don’t think so. And yet, one thing to me that the so called Hall of Fame lacks (looking at you, Jann Wenner) is artists where humor was a large part of their repertoire, as if only serious, sex driven, rhythm and blues is all that American music is. So, my best guess, as others have said, is that his music will be given serious consideration now that he has died. Is he country? Yes, and that party thing has been influential in country circles. But is he country enough? I am not sure.
November 9, 2023 @ 11:12 am
“He is no great singer or songwriter, …”
Oh, but he was.
J. Buffett was a brilliant songwriter.
When you have time, go back and listen to Pirate Looks At Forty.
A lot of nuance in that song.
Both in the way he sings it, and especially in the lyrics.
November 12, 2023 @ 9:01 am
Not a great songwriter? Think again friend. He Went to Paris one of the greatest songs ever
December 18, 2023 @ 4:07 pm
are you serious? he is one of the best songwriters out there…clearly you have not listened to ant of his works past Margaritaville..He is a story teller writer and the master of escapism. tell me of another musician that can do that?
November 9, 2023 @ 7:50 am
I am a huge supporter of the CMHOF, but I would love to see them expand the definition of “country music” just a bit. Very few people from outside mainstream country have been inducted. I think CMHOF could really increase its reach and relevance if it added a few of the people that are the heartbeat of the SCM sound: Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Jerry Jeff Walker, John Prine and, yes, Jimmy Buffett (among others). Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney are great in their own right, but both of them (among many inductees) would love to see those who made such an indelible impact on country music outside of the mainstream join the ranks of the legends. Trigger — make this happen!
November 9, 2023 @ 8:02 am
The Kenny Chesny of pop music. Why not?
Throw in a posthumous fiddle. Done.
November 9, 2023 @ 9:31 am
I think Jimmy would roll over in his grave to be implicated in the sideshow of the RNR HoF.
I believe the Song Writers HoF would be a more fitting tribute to a man that influenced so many.
Maybe the Country Music HoF, Jimmy would get a grin out of that last, kiss my ass Nashville .
November 10, 2023 @ 3:34 am
Concur on the country-at-heart mindset… look at most of the songs he performed with other artists and they are by and large country artists – the whole “License to Chill” album was basically a duets album, with country stars from George Strait and Alan Jackson, to Clint Black, Toby Keith, Martina McBride and Kenny Chesney… and while he covered a wide range of classic rock songs, there was always a bit of LA (lower Alabama), twang to ’em…
November 10, 2023 @ 6:43 am
Jimmy belongs, 100%.Just ask all his country cohorts…He was terrific and will be missed by all, (especially his “parrotheads”).My friend met Jimmy while walking through Atlantis in the Bahamas. He stopped, chatted and took a picture. I will treasure that picture until my last breath. It breaks my heart to know I can never see Jimmy in concert again…”Bubbles up” Jimmy❤️
November 10, 2023 @ 7:06 am
Jimmy Buffett did have own genre of music. It’s called “Tropical Rock” and nobody did it better. He should have been in the Rock Hall years ago.
November 10, 2023 @ 8:39 am
I can’t believe that Jimmy Buffett is not in the Rock Hall not the Country Hall.
November 10, 2023 @ 10:01 am
I’m late to the comment party but posting this on record. Kyle makes an interesting case for Buffet being inducted into the CMHOF. Nonetheless my instinct tells me no. Looking at the Parrothead fanbase, many of those folks are not necessarily traditional Country Music fans in any real sense. It’s a mixed group of fans for sure, but it’s the kind of folks who travel to the Carribean, love Yacht Rock and love to wear Hawaiian shirts and flip- flops. Not the crowd who grew up going to State Fairs to see John Conley or Conway Twitty for example.
Country radio ignored him largely save for Come Monday and Margaritaville. But it didn’t matter, Buffet didn’t need Country radio for anything, particularly from the mid- eighties on. He invented his own genre of music! And managed to sell boatloads of records ( pun intended) and sell out arenas everywhere. Is Kyle correct that Buffet was at core a Country artist? Perhaps. He was a singer- songwriter and always had pedal steel in the mix, including live with The Coral Reefer Band. And he had a very legit Alabama raising with a legit southern accent , as well as an appreciation of Country music. And of course he inspired Kenny Chesney and others. So, there’s that. But he lacks country chart hits. And it feels like his dalliance with Country music was scattered and more occasional than the norm. Did he play the Opry often and maybe perform Fins or Cheeseburger in Paradise? Nope. He just wasn’t a fit in that musical realm. Did it matter? Again, nope. If anything he belongs more in the RRHOF than the Country one. Buffet was an exception to the mold of most genres and that is quite an accomplishment in my book.
November 11, 2023 @ 10:18 am
What is the sense of inducting these people into halls of fame after they die??
I mean, unless you believe in the Christian ideal that he is in heaven looking down and smiling what is the point?? Why not do it while they are still alive so they know what is going on
November 11, 2023 @ 4:06 pm
I agree that worthy Hall of Fame inductions should happen while the artist is still alive and can enjoy the accolade. But I don’t understand why righting a previous wrong and putting someone in after they passed makes no sense. The point of a Hall of Fame induction is to preserve that artist’s legacy for the future. The also often have friends and family who can enjoy the recognition.
November 11, 2023 @ 2:12 pm
I am amazed how many flash in the pan musical acts have made the Rock and Roll HOF. Jimmy gave 50 years of happiness and, no, his music may not be pure rock, it’s about the music. Case in point, the CMA awards show – admittedly dull and slow until the Jimmy Buffett tribute. If you watched the crowd, they all smiled, they were laughing, dancing and appeared to know all the lyrics. If you’re that contagious, you belong. Jimmy doesn’t belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he belongs in the HOF of Positivity and Life is Whatever you make it. Rest In Peace JB, you made more people happy than anyone!!!!!!
November 12, 2023 @ 6:06 pm
Have you ever noticed how many of JB’s fans can sing every word of many of his songs? Some of it was magic and some of it was tragic BUT “BUBBLES UP” IS A TOUCHING FAREWELL. Any one agree?
November 16, 2023 @ 2:40 pm
he invented an entire lifestyle. and then he invented the music “business”. other than performers and record labels, there wasn’t too much “business” to do. a lifestyle-themed bar? you’re crazy. hotel? you’re nuts!! an entire living community? outrageous!!! the guy was a marketing genius. he was taylor before she was swifting people out of their money!
as far as his writing goes, i don’t care for most of it, but there are a couple of songs i’d recommend that haven’t been mentioned yet…
“the night i painted the sky”- the lyrical imagery is worthy of my personal writing hero, jackson browne. stunning. my favorite.
“little miss magic”- if you have a daughter, required listening. for his daughter savannah. i covered this song on a CD i recorded. i have some “phriends” in buffett world, and they tell me he heard it, and loved it. i will not name names to protect the guilty. no lawyers either!! take that, don henley!!
i got to play “volcano” with him on stage in orlando. nothing but smiles. and, man, did he sing LOUD!! my monitor ripped my face off.
from what i hear, the band will continue. if you ever get a chance to meet them, be prepared- it’s a cast of characters. and have a drink with my man doyle (pedal steel). he’s the greatest…
November 16, 2023 @ 4:44 pm
I’ll have to go listen to some of his music. I’ve avoided it because it thought the whole Parrotheads thing was too contrived. “Woo! Look at me, I’m pretending to be a fun person.”