Jimmy Buffett

A Good Life All the Way

By: Ryan White

Narrated by: Gibson Frazier

Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's Summary

In Jimmy Buffett: A Good Life All the Way, acclaimed music critic Ryan White has crafted the first definitive account of Buffett's rise from singing songs for beer to his emergence as a tropical icon and CEO behind the Margaritaville industrial complex, a vast network of merchandise, chain restaurants, resorts, and lifestyle products all inspired by his sunny but disillusioned hit "Margaritaville".

Filled with interviews from friends, musicians, Coral Reefer Band members past and present, and business partners who were there, this book is a top-down joyride with plenty of side trips and meanderings from Mobile and Pascagoula to New Orleans, Key West, down into the islands aboard the Euphoria and the Euphoria II, and into the studios and onto the stages where the foundation of Buffett's reputation was laid.

Buffett wasn't always the pied piper of beaches, bars, and laid-back living. Born on the Gulf Coast, the son of a son of a sailing ship captain, Buffett scuffed around New Orleans in the late '60s, flunked out of Nashville (and a marriage) in 1971, and found refuge among the artists, dopers, shrimpers, and genuine characters who'd collected at the end of the road in Key West. And it was there, in those waning outlaw days at the last American exit, where Buffett, like Hemingway before him, found his voice and eventually brought to life the song that would launch Parrot Head nation.

And just where is Margaritaville? It's wherever it's five o'clock; it's wherever there's a breeze and salt in the air; and it's wherever Buffett sets his bare feet, smiles, and sings his songs.

©2017 Ryan White (P)2017 Simon & Schuster Audio

Learn how to pronounce local terms

Love the book but the narrater mispronounced so many Florida terms wrong. You can't do a Keys story using a soft ch in Conch!

insightful, but hard listen/ read

struggled through the first half, almost gave up. pushed through and second half was better. the overall story is good, i think it was told poorly and was very slow to develope.

Can be very dry at times

This book at times can keep you going but on many occasions I found myself losing interest.

Flip flop

If your not a hardcore fan this book isn’t for you. And if you are-there is a lot to be desired in terms of flowing together.

What's not to love.

Great book, really brings a lot of the history of where the songs came from that are so popular today. Jimmy Buffett has changed my life in a dark time of it and I know he has saved many others people's life with his music and books.

Fun Listen with some great history

Really fun listen sharing the history of my favorite cultural icon. Tells the story of all the songs that I love made me want to go back and listen to every album in its entire tea over again. Also reminded me of some of the great music from some of Jimmy Buffett's friends.

A+

This story is good even if you're not a Buffett fan. Ride your own wave. Don't give up. Keep working.

Well done. Buckets of parrot head info

How to put this much info coherently into a book is masterfully done. I liked the narrator and learned a lot.

Better as you as you go

The first half is a bit long winded with more detail on ancillary characters than I cared for, but it ties together eventually.

Read this book and know the story...

Super good book that takes you through the whole story of Buffett and everything around him. This book will have you reminiscing and breaking out the Buffett tunes that you know and love by heart.