“The Enduring Magic of Margaritaville” to be next Distinguished Speaker Series Talk featuring Jimmy Buffett Biographer Ryan White

July 29, 2024 – (KEY WEST, FL).  On Friday, August 30, join journalist and Jimmy Buffett biographer Ryan White as he presents on the legacy of the famed Trop Rock singer-songwriter as part of the Key West Art & Historical Society’s Distinguished Speaker Series.  His talk entitled, “Some Things Never Change (But Most Do): The Enduring Magic of Margaritaville” takes place from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Tropic Cinema, 416 Eaton Street.  A book signing of his acclaimed biography “Jimmy Buffett: A Good Life All the Way” will immediately follow the presentation.

Billboard’s 14th biggest hit of 1977 was a happy-sounding sad song that arrived from a specific time in an extremely specific space.  Five decades later, “Margaritaville” is included in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress and Jimmy Buffett is being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  But 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 sixties, flunked out of Nashville in 1971, and found refuge among the artists, dopers, shrimpers, and genuine characters who had 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 found his voice and eventually brought to life the song that would launch a lifestyle.

“The Society is thrilled that Ryan has agreed to present on Key West’s favorite son, Jimmy Buffett, during the inaugural “Just a Few Friends” festival this Labor Day weekend,” says Dr. Cori Convertito, curator for the Society.  “His talk will emphasize the romanticism and optimism associated with “Margaritaville” and why the idea of swaying palm trees, fruity frozen drinks, and minimal responsibilities is more popular than ever.”

The presenter, Ryan White, was twice named one of the top writers in the country by the Society for Features Journalism.  He spent nearly 16 years at the “Oregonian” newspaper covering sports, music, and culture.  He’s appeared on the public radio show Live Wire, as both an essayist and an interviewer.  The author of “Jimmy Buffett: A Good Life All the Way” and “Springsteen: Album by Album,” he lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan and currently spends his days at the same Detroit ad agency that once employed Elmore Leonard.  That’s all they have in common.

To reserve tickets for the lecture, visit kwahs.org/dss-buffett – $12 for KWAHS members, $15 for non-members.  This program is sponsored in part by Aloys & Carol Metty, and the John & Marilyn Rintamaki Family Charitable Fund.  For more information, contact Cori Convertito, Ph.D. at 305-295-6616 x507 or [email protected].  Your Museums.  Your Community.  It takes an Island.