I suppose my love for tropical music began about 2 and a half years ago. My older brother had come down for a visit and insisted that I listen to some Buffett tunes with him in the mall parking lot while we waited for our wives to finish shopping. By the end of the 3rd track of Don't Stop The Carnival, I knew I had found something special.

Soon after, I bought Buffett's Barometer Soup album and learned every word to every song. The themes and stories behind the songs told me that this wasn't just novelty music. This was sophisticated storytelling wrapped in sweet guitars and steel drums.

I had always liked country music, but I just never shared the American Country Music scene's affinity with horses, rodeos, cowboys, rednecks, big hats and pickup trucks. So while I liked the music, the subjects never really struck a responsive chord within me. However, being a child of the water (I grew up on the Gulf Coast. My family actually had a small shrimp boat when I was a teenager, and I had spent great time near the ocean in the Coast Guard) I immediately understood the connection between the country sound and ocean life.

Growing up, my life was filled with music. My dad was an old-style honky-tonk singer in the early 60's, touring the North Texas bar circuit. At the age of 12 I seriously began playing guitar and played in bands until my marriage at the age of 21. After that, my performances were typically limited to campfire gatherings or just entertaining my kids and their friends in the living room.

Not long ago, my boss gave me a Martin D-38 for Christmas (I know) and I fell in LOVE with the sound. Also, I've begun playing the ukulele, and guess what? I'm pretty darned good! :-) In fact, I play my uke way more often lately. I even took the ukulele to Jamaica with my family in November and my daughter and I sang Bob Marley's Three Little Birds in the resort talent show together. It really was magical.

So, two years after the mall parking lot experience, I've got 2 Buffett concerts under my belt, I've visited 4 different Margaritaville Cafe's in 2 different countries and I've built a website to monumentalize the genre that feeds my soul.

Labels: Jimmy Buffett, Parrotheads