Review by Booklist Review
Journalist and music critic White presents an in-depth biography of megastar musician and businessman Jimmy Buffett, from the life stories of his ancestors to the evolution of his music and iconic persona. Those who know little about Buffet beyond his legend will find White's detailed coverage illuminating, while longtime fans may find it repetitive and overly reliant on Buffett's autobiography, A Pirate's Look at Fifty (1999). The most striking sections of the book focus on the enormous success of Buffet's Margaritaville network of restaurants, merchandise lines, and resorts. A thorough, well-researched, and fully dimensional portrait of a multitalented and wildly popular and influential music and entrepreneurial star.--Hayman, Stacey Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In his memoir, A Pirate Looks at Fifty (1998), musician Jimmy Buffett reflected on his life; in this biography of Buffett, White has written an entertaining life of the entertainer but hasn't revealed many new anecdotes. White's starry-eyed fan's notes perpetuate the legend of the laid-back, shrimp-eating, beer-guzzling, flip-flop-wearing daydreamer who was nevertheless a canny businessman. Drawing on interviews with Buffett's friends and fellow musicians, White faithfully chronicles Buffett's rise to fame and fortune from his childhood in Mobile, Ala., and his short-lived college days in Hattiesburg, Miss., to his unsuccessful forays into Nashville's music scene and his eventual landing in Key West, where he roamed the bars with writers Thomas McGuane and Jim Harrison. Working chronologically, White (Springsteen: Album by Album) carefully takes readers behind the scenes of every Buffett album, revealing an artist who was always in control, despite his slapdash public persona. White aptly captures an ingenious musician who's expertly figured out how to spin his music and himself into something that his fans will continually follow. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The Mayor of Margaritaville gets mythic treatment in an adoring chronicle that looks back at his decadeslong career.For many, Jimmy Buffett (b. 1946) endures simply as an icon of midlife escapism, forever grinning behind aviator-style sunglasses, beachwear, and his guitar. Former Oregonian sports and culture reporter White (Springsteen: Album by Album, 2014) further cultivates that legend, locating the beginning of Buffett's unlikely rise to the predilections of a ship-hopping father who once yearned for a life of seafaring adventure. With that tone set, the author explores Buffett's spawning grounds in and around Mississippi and Alabama with equal awe and wonder. When Buffett was born, notes the author, the town of Mobile was known as the "Mother of Mystics." Making it as a musician in places like Nashville, New Orleans, and Key West was a mystical feat in and of itself. However affable, Buffett was something of a curious oddity in a town enamored with the sort of darkness embodied in the likes of Kris Kristofferson. But as Buffett's pals explain, he always had the right mojo. As musician and talent scout Don Light remembers, " the people liked him.' Not just the songs, they liked the singer. If it was him and guitar, he could talk all evening.' " Fans also liked the freedom that the singer represented. Consequently, he was able to turn his laid-back lyrics and lifestyle into a powerful corporate brand responsible for a slew of chain restaurants, resorts, and assorted merchandise. In White's account, how Buffett actually managed to become a multimillion-dollar mogul is far less important than the legend and lore behind the man. The author's subject, however, is conspicuously absent from the career-spanning chronicle. Many of the direct quotes attributed to the artist are actually taken from various concert stages over the years, and they don't illuminate much outside of demonstrating Buffett to be a likable guy. A feel-good biography for Parrotheads; others may want to pass. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
