It seems like we just did this a short time ago… but nope, another year has come and gone and this one saw some big stories in Margaritaville.
Here’s our annual roundup of the biggest Buffett headlines of the year.
January
Tour dates began to leak out and get confirmed, earlier than in years past
Buffett plays Australia for the first time in several years
After a nasty fall off the stage in Australia, Buffett is hospitalized for head and arm injuries
Jimmy cancels show in New Zealand to focus on recovering
February
Buffett’s featured on the 2011 New Orleans Jazz Fest poster
Kenny Chesney joins Jimmy at the Everglades Benefit show in Palm Beach, FL
Charlie Sheen melts down in front of the world, but manages to mention “A Pirate Looks at Forty” in an interview: “Rock bottom? That’s a fishing term. Doesn’t Jimmy Buffett sing ‘down to rock bottom again?’ Love me some Jimmy Buffett. Yeah man, pirate looks at forty.”
March
Mac McAnally is honored with the 2011 Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts
Most of the spring and summer tour is confirmed in March with tickets going on sale later in the month
Buffett trademarks “Tiger Blood” for a vodka energy drink. To date, nothing has been done with the trademark
At the annual SXSW technology festival, Jimmy helps demo StageIt, a service that lets artists broadcast live shows from anywhere and earn money from the viewers.
Jimmy performs at the Key West wedding of Fred Troxel and Rita Brown
Lance Armstrong tweets as Jimmy plays an impromptu show at Baz Bar on St. Barths.
April
Final approval is received for a Margaritaville Casino in Biloxi
The Welcome to Fin Land Tour kicked off April 16th in Tampa
April 16th was officially designated Jimmy Buffett Day in Florida, per a resolution in the state house
Jimmy plays a fundraiser at the Pensacola Naval Air Museum
May
Buffett returns to the iconic New Orleans Jazz Fest
The annual Frisco, TX show is capped off with “Livingston’s Gone To Texas,” played for the first time in over 30 years
Jimmy reveals that he’s come across some unreleased tunes from the 60′s and 70′s and will put them out in a project dubbed “Buried Treasure”
Kenny Chesney makes a surprise appearance at Jimmy’s Nashville show on May 28th. They played “Come Monday” and “Back Where I Come From” together
June
In early June, Buffett attended the 40th annual NYPD Foundation Gala
Jimmy and the Zac Brown Band win CMT Performance of the Year at the CMT Music Awards for their performance of Margaritaville on CMT Crossroads
The duet “Knee Deep” with the Zac Brown Band is released to country radio and a music video is shot in Mexico
July
Buffett attends the final space shuttle launch and plays a private show for shuttle workers
Savannah Jane Buffett, Jimmy’s daughter, launches clothing line
Jimmy plays Cuyahoga Falls outside of Cleveland for the first time since 2004
August
“Knee Deep” becomes Jimmy’s second number one song when it reaches the top of the chart in early August
Jimmy throws a 60th birthday party for his wife Jane. Guests included Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jane Fonda, Jack Nicholson, Harrison Ford, Calista Flockhart, Richard Gere, Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, and James Taylor
The Bristow, Virginia concert is postponed due to Hurricane Irene
Jimmy opens for Ilo at his Stephen Talkhouse show on Long Island. Bill and Hillary Clinton were in attendance
With Hurricane Irene still whipping up waves, Jimmy rescued a surfer off Montauk
Jimmy releases a live version of the Volcano album, with all tracks recorded at shows from the Welcome to Fin Land Tour
It’s become an annual tradition… Buffett plays a show in Paris in late September
October
A 15,000 sq. ft. Margaritaville gaming area opens in the Flamingo Casino in Las Vegas
The Las Vegas Margaritaville breaks the record for the world’s largest margarita
Buffett performs in Phoenix for the first time since 2009 and Denver for the first time since 2004
November
Jimmy performs at Meeting of the Minds in Key West for the first time in several years
Margaritaville Online enters beta testing with several thousand parrothead testers invited to start playing the game before it’s released to the general public
Mac McAnally wins CMA Musician of the Year for the fourth year in a row
Another Margaritaville Casino wins approval, this one in Bossier City, Louisiana
Jimmy Buffett guest stars on an episode of the CBS show Hawaii Five-0
December
Along with his sisters, Jimmy donates a boat to the University of Southern Mississippi
Jimmy and Jane are honored with the 2011 Child Advocacy Award at the annual Child Mind Gala
Longtime Coral Reefer Ralph MacDonald dies after a battle with cancer
On December 25th, Jimmy celebrated his 65th birthday
What do you think was the biggest Buffett story of 2011?
And now that you’ve read through this year, take a trip down memory lane and view our Year in Reviews from previous years:
ESPN has a short interview with Jimmy Buffett where he talks sports, his bucket list, and the Superbowl halftime show:
I hear you love sports. What is your favorite team?
I’m a big sports fan, but favorite … the Saints! I grew up as a Saints fan. I was at the very first game the Saints played in New Orleans — nobody knew who I was back then. It was probably before you were born!
Shane Battier announced he was going to Miami via Twitter and said, “This was a exciting process and after much deliberation, I would like to quote the great poet Jimmy Buffett and take my chances ‘Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season.’ How do you feel about “assisting” with his big announcement?
“I like it a lot. I was a big fan of his during the Duke days. Being a big Heat fan, I think it’s great. I think he has a lot of dimensions. He’s going to be a huge asset. I’m happy with it.”
In 2001 you were ejected from a Heat vs. Knicks game for cursing at referee Joe Forte. Looking back, what are your thoughts, and would you do anything differently?
“No, I wouldn’t do anything different. I remember it humorously now. Alonzo (Mourning) was telling me to stay there. He (referee, Joe Forte) didn’t have any idea who I was. Some people thought it was a publicity stunt. … It completely wasn’t. My son was young, and I told him I was going to have to leave the game because I said a bad word. He said, ‘Do I have to leave?’ ”
What’s on your sports bucket list?
“Saints to win the Super Bowl next year in New Orleans, and I’ll be there.”
Will you be playing halftime? I’m going to vote for that!
“No. I wouldn’t do the halftime show unless it was live. I don’t lip sync.”
Buffett World would like to wish Jimmy Buffett a very happy 65th birthday!
Born December 25th, 1946 to James Delaney Buffett and Mary Loriane, Jimmy shares his birthday with Humphrey Bogart, Sir Isaac Newton, Barbara Mandrell, Sissy Spacek, and Karl Rove.
Happy birthday Jimmy, and Merry Christmas to you all!
A memorial service was held Thursday in Harlem for Ralph MacDonald, who died earlier this week at the age of 67.
Roberta Flack sang one of his final compositions, thanking him for writing hits for her like “Where is the Love.”
MacDonald died Sunday of lung cancer at age 67. He was living in Stamford, Conn.
“The song is over, but the melody lingers on,” the Rev. Calvin Butts said during the eulogy.
Valerie Simpson of Ashford & Simpson and Paul Shaffer of David Letterman’s “Late Show” band also attended the music-filled memorial for the eight-time Grammy nominee.
“Ralph was a very important part of my life,” Flack said before singing to some 300 mourners in front of his closed casket.
When Flack began touring internationally, MacDonald stepped in as her musical director.
“He was the kind of musician who could play and understand any kind of music,” she said. “There were no limits.”
She emotionally recited the words to one of his last compositions, “We Are a Family,” before singing the song.
“We are proud, and we are free,” she sang. “Yes, we are a family.”
When friend and singer Dennis Collins performed “My Way” in MacDonald’s honor, he drew hearty laughter for changing the line about biting off more than you can chew to, “He pissed off more than just a few.”
Born in Harlem to Trinidadian parents, MacDonald played conga drums as a boy in the 14-piece band led by his father, Patrick MacDonald, aka calypso performer Macbeth The Great.
For a decade, beginning at age 17, he played percussion for Harry Belafonte.
In 1971, he had his breakthrough as a songwriter when Flack and Donny Hathaway scored with “Where is the Love,” co-written with William Salter.
Read more from this article here, and read the New York Times obituary here.
Radio Margaritaville Remembers the Legendary Ralph MacDonald:
Remember with us some of Ralph’s great music, and a full life of fun and camaraderie, on this tribute program with band-mate Jim Mayer and Radio Margaritaville’s Steve Huntington.
A memorial service was held for Ralph this morning in New York. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Bennett Cancer Center at Stamford Hospital to assist those who need extra support in fighting their battle with cancer. Ralph has always been a big proponent of helping the youth in Harlem. The Buster Bryant Youth organization operated by the Dunlevy Milbank Center of the Children’s Aid Society was one of his favorite charities, and his dedication even garnered him an Award. Please help continue his legacy by considering a donation to this organization as well. Details will be forthcoming on exactly how to donate.
Jimmy Buffett and his wife Jane purchased a new Palm Beach property this week, according to the Palm Beach Daily News:
Talk about downsizing.
After selling their Palm Beach oceanfront estate last year for $18.5 million, singer Jimmy Buffett and his wife, Jane, have bought a three-bedroom, three-bath home on the North End.
The couple paid $4.95 million for the house at 309 Garden Road, according to a trustees’ deed dated Dec. 16 and recorded Wednesday by the Palm Beach County Clerk’s office.
As described in McCann’s sales listing, the custom house in the “island contemporary” style was built in 2003. The property has a “Zen-like retreat feeling,” according to Corcoran’s property description. “Mahogany-framed glass doors slide open and disappear to create an indoor/outdoor lifestyle befitting a tropical resort.”
The property includes a guest suite above a two-car garage and comes with deeded beach access at Eden Road with additional beach access at Via Marila.
In June 2010, the Buffetts sold their five-bedroom seaside home on 1.6 acres at 540 S. Ocean Blvd. They had paid $4.4 million for that house in 1994.
Nadirah Shakoor posted this video of Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band doing “Knees of My Heart” in a hotel room in 1999 as Ralph contributes with plastic bags and sheets of paper. As Nadirah said, this is “one reason Ralph is hailed as one of the best.”
Mac McAnally also left a very nice remembrance on his Facebook page:
So as you may know by now the Coral Reefer Family lost a Big Brother this week. Ralph MacDonald was One of a Kind in a hundred ways, and was family to me in more than one way as well.
At first inspection we were as different as one could imagine. A white kid from small town Mississippi and a black kid from Harlem. A larger than life of the party guy and a boring Southern Baptist. But we both have these Irish names…. and nicknames (both called Mac). And it turns out we both put our families and our music far above all other things. Ralph lit up at the mention of his kids or his Grace or his music in a way that cannot be measured or faked.
And so the two Mac’s in the Coral Reefers turn out to be more alike than different. My life is better better for having known him. Because of Ralph I’m a better Musician and a better Father and there’s always room for improvement.
As a percussionist (the official term does not do him justice) he did what he did as well as it’s ever been done. Period.
I and my Daughters are blessed to call him family and his status does not change with his passing. He had and shared so much and I will never forget him.
Longtime Coral Reefer Ralph MacDonald died early this morning after battling lung cancer.
From his humble beginnings as the son of Caribbean immigrant parents, MacDonald followed his family’s musical heritage and, in the process, defined the the very nature of percussion in American music.
WLOX Channel 13 in Biloxi, Mississippi checked in on the progress of the Margaritaville Casino under construction on the Gulf Coast and found that work is moving at a dizzying pace.
Officials say the casino is on pace for a Memorial Weekend 2012 opening.
January
April
June
August
September
November
December
ESPN has a short 
WLOX Channel 13 in Biloxi, Mississippi checked in on the progress of the Margaritaville Casino under construction on the Gulf Coast and found that work is moving at a dizzying pace.
