What is Jimmy Buffett’s Net Worth?
Jimmy Buffett, the American singer-songwriter, author, actor, and businessman, has a net worth of $1 billion. He is renowned for his “island escapism” style of music and the global business empire he has built around it.
Buffett earns at least $50 million annually from his musical and business ventures, including dozens of Margaritaville locations worldwide. These include restaurants, casinos, hotels, vacation clubs, and retail outlets. Margaritaville Holdings LLC owns the Margaritaville empire, which is a subsidiary of Cheesburger Holding Company, LLC.
Early Life and Education
James William Buffett was born on December 25, 1946, in Pascagoula, Mississippi. He grew up in Mobile and Fairhope, Alabama and attended St. Ignatius School where he played the trombone. Buffett enrolled at Auburn University before transferring to Pearl River Community College at the University of Southern Mississippi where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 1969.
After college, Buffett worked as a Billboard magazine correspondent in Nashville.
Buffett’s Musical Career and “Gulf and Western” Sound
Jimmy Buffett began his musical career in Nashville in the 1960s and recorded his first album, “Down to Earth,” in 1970. He gained recognition for his coastal-themed, folk and country music, which he combined to create the “gulf and western” sound. He gained a loyal following with instant party hits like “Margaritaville” and established a well-known persona as an easy-going beach-bum. Before 2003, songs played at every Buffett show were known as the “Big 8,” including hits like “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes.” Buffett has released 27 albums and completed around 40 live tours to date, and his dedicated fan-base, known as “Parrotheads,” continue to follow his music today.
Buffett’s Writing Career
Jimmy Buffett is a successful writer with three number one bestsellers to his name. His first book, “Tales from Margaritaville” (1989), is a collection of short stories. His second book, “Where Is Joe Merchant?” (1992), is a novel that spent over seven months on The New York Times Best Seller fiction list. Buffett’s memoir “A Pirate Looks at Fifty” (1998) debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller nonfiction list. He has released several other novels, including “A Salty Piece of Land” (2004) and “Swine Not?” (2008).
In addition to his adult novels, Buffett also co-wrote two children’s books with his eldest daughter Savannah Jane Buffet: “The Jolly Mon” and “Trouble Dolls.”
Jimmy Buffett’s Business Ventures
Jimmy Buffett collaborated with Herman Wouk to create a musical based on Wouk’s novel “Don’t Stop the Carnival.” A new musical “Escape to Margaritaville” opened in May 2017 at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego. Buffett is involved in two restaurant chains named after two of his hit songs, “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and “Margaritaville.” He also owns the Margaritaville Cafe restaurant chain and co-developed the Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant concept with OSI Restaurant Partners. Buffett has also licensed a series of products under the “Margaritaville” name, including Margaritaville Tequila, Margaritaville Footwear, and Margaritaville Foods.
Buffett partnered with the Anheuser-Busch brewing company in 2006 to launch LandShark Lager. He also opened the Margaritaville Casino at the Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in May 2013. Other real estate ventures he has made include Latitude Margaritaville, a $1 billion retirement village in Daytona Beach, Florida. Additionally, Buffett launched Margaritaville Records in 1993, distributed through MCA Records.
Personal Life and Philanthropy
Buffett has been married twice. His first marriage to Margie Washichek ended in divorce in 1971. He has two daughters and an adopted son with his second wife, Jane Slagsvol. The couple separated in the 1980s but reunited in 1991. They currently reside in Sag Harbor, New York, and West Palm Beach, Florida, and also own a home in Saint Barts in the Caribbean.
In 1981, Buffett started the charity Save the Manatee along with former Florida governor Bob Graham. The organization is now the world’s leading manatee protection organization.
