Everyday Creation
Everyday Creation is about living our purpose, lifting our vibes, and expressing our creativity for the highest good. The show's title refers to three types of creation: The ways we express ourselves (for example, with art, music and so many other pursuits fueled by purpose and passion); the parts of life that fill us with awe — birth, death, love, the big picture; and our innate personal power to create our best possible lives while also making the world a better place. You’ll hear conversations with terrific guests on matters we care about, as well as spiritual perspectives, personal essays on being our best selves, and episodes simply for information and fun. I'm your host Kate Jones, welcoming you to Everyday Creation.
Everyday Creation
Tribute to Jimmy Buffett, featuring Sheldon Zoldan
Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett released 56 albums and, along the way, built a billion-dollar business. This tribute is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who died in 2023.
Buffett's 1977 single, “Margaritaville,” reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. The song became the foundation of his business empire.
Here are a couple of videos of Buffett performing the song. The first is from 1978. It's not a slick version, but it's fun to watch. And the comments below the video are lovely and worth reading. And here's an official video of him performing live in Minneapolis in 1993. It's another good one with more heartfelt comments.
The picture in the chapters is a promotional photo of Buffett taken by Tom Corcoran in 1980. It was distributed by Front Line Management Company Inc., and is available on Wikimedia Commons.
Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime writer and newspaper editor, wrote these tributes and recorded them. As an added bonus, here's Sheldon telling Buffett's story on WGCU.org, where he posts once a week.
Sheldon also writes Song of the Day, a music-related story sent daily to an email list of subscribers. To get on his subscriber list, email shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.
Audio engineer/musician Mike Villegas edited all the audio for this series. Hope you enjoy these intriguing glimpses into the lives of the people who made some of the music we love.
This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation, available on YouTube and in podcast directories including Apple, Spotify and Audible.
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Kate:
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Hello, and welcome to Everyday Creation. This is
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your host, Kate Jones, with one of 44
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tributes
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to significant figures in the music industry
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who passed away in 2023.
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My guest Sheldon Zoldan,
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a longtime writer and newspaper editor,
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wrote these short biographies
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and recorded them.
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Each one is an intriguing
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glimpse into the life and impact of someone
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who contributed
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to the soundtracks of our lives. Here's what
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Sheldon has to say in this tribute.
Sheldon:
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Jimmy Buffett went from beach bum to billionaire
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during his five decades of playing music.
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Buffett released 56 albums,
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but he was known as much for his
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business
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acumen as he was for his songs.
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Buffett died September 1st in Sag Harbor, New
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York, from Merkel cell carcinoma,
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a rare skin cancer.
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He was 76.
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Buffett grew up on the Gulf Coast loving
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music and the sea.
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He bounced around New Orleans and Nashville without
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success.
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His first album,
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recorded in 1970,
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sold
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324 copies.
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He changed record companies,
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and each new album did better than the
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previous.
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Then came "Margaritaville"
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in 1977.
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The single reached number 8 on the Billboard
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Hot 100,
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his best-selling single ever.
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More importantly,
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it would be the foundation
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of his business empire.
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He got the idea for the song while
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drinking margaritas at a bar in Houston, Texas,
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at the end of his tour.
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He started writing it while stuck in a
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traffic jam on the Seven Mile Bridge while
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heading back to Key West.
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The song touched a nerve for a generation
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dreaming of leaving the rat race for a
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tropical lifestyle.
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He got the idea of creating a business
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when his lyrics were becoming fodder for cheap
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souvenirs.
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A T-shirt shop grew into restaurants,
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resorts and senior citizen communities.
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He became a pilot and an author with
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three best-selling novels.
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It didn't matter that his albums barely charted
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anymore.
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He became legendary thanks to the million or
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so Parrot Heads
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who attended his annual summer concert tours
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and how he turned "Margaritaville"
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from a song, to a lifestyle,
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to a billion-dollar-
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business.
Kate:
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This is Kate again. Please go to the
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description for more information and to hear the
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song that Sheldon referenced.
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If you enjoyed this tribute, please check out
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the rest of them. Although some of the
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names are not as familiar as others, the
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biographies
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are equally intriguing.
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Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation.
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Please share this episode with anyone who might
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enjoy it.
