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From Facebook: Jimmy & the Coral Reefers rocked the Bamboo Room in Lake Worth, Florida last night for an impromptu intimate show!

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefers were rehearsing earlier this week for the extension of the Welcome to Fin Land tour, kicking off in Miami tomorrow! Can’t make it to the show? Tune in to hear all the concerts LIVE on Radio Margaritaville!

From American Songwiter: Matt Hoggatt took first place in the American Songwriter Lyric Contest with the song “Dear Jimmy Buffett”.

“Dear Jimmy Buffett” is an open letter of sorts – how did you come to write it?

I live in the town on the Mississippi Gulf Coast where Jimmy Buffet grew up, so we share the same stomping ground. He was one of the first songwriters I started studying and listening to as a kid. Oftentimes the songs I was writing were compared to his work, and I thought it would be funny to be playing in a bar one day and have him walk in and hear me singing about him. Later in life, I thought about writing him a letter and telling him all the things I was thinking, but if I turned that letter into a song, it would be 30 minutes long. I had to whittle it down to three minutes, and that’s where “Dear Jimmy Buffett” came from.

From the Washington Post: “Jiffy Lube Live lifts tailgating ban”

Jiffy Lube Live, the 25,000-capacity concert venue in Bristow said Wednesday that it is lifting the tailgate ban it enacted last year, a decision that irritated concert-goers who ventured to see performances from Jimmy Buffett, Lil Wayne, Stevie Nicks, Kid Rock and others in 2011.

Jiffy Lube Live, which is owned and operated by concert promotion colossus Live Nation, says that the decision was inspired by their patrons’ unhappiness over the ban.

“Fan feedback is critical to help improve our operations and create the best possible concert experience for our fans,” Matt Rogers, the venue’s general manager, said in an email. “The decision was made after listening to our fans and doing our due diligence.”

“With the new policy and guidelines, we want nothing more than to work with our fans to create a safe and friendly “pre-concert” environment,” he said.

So here are the rules. Grills will now be allowed. Tents and canopies will still be forbidden. Driving aisles must be kept clear of chairs and tables. And members of the Prince William County police, the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and Jiffy Lube Live staff will continue to enforce a ban on open alcohol containers in the parking lot. Underage drinking will also be targeted aggressively, Rogers said.

Our annual Top Buffett News story poll is now available on our web site (right hand column). Vote for your favorite news story.

- Falls from stage in Australia
- Appears on Hawai Five-0
- LandShark Bar & Grill opens in Myrtle Beach
- 2011 Welcome to Fin Land Tour
- Wins CMT Music Award with Zac Brown
- Mville opens at Navy Pier in Chicago
- Performs after last Space Shuttle launch
- Knee Deep reaches #1 on Country Chart
- Margaritaville Casino opens in Las Vegas
- Reclaims Record for Largest Margarita
- Suprise appearance at MOTM
- Margaritaville Online Game Announced
- Long time Coral Reefer Ralph MacDonald Passes away

2011 was another busy year for Jimmy Buffett, who just turned 65. Listed below are the highlights from the past year.

January 2011
Shows for the Welcome to Fin Land Tour are announced (April/May dates)
Plans presented for Biloxi Margaritaville Casino
Buffett Performs in Sydney Australia
Buffett Falls from Stage in Sydney Australia
New Zealand Show Cancelled

February 2011
Buffett joins Chesney for Everglades Foundation
Buffett vacations in Panama

March 2011
Shows for the Welcome to Fin Land Tour are announced (May to August dates)
Buffett performs at wedding in Florida Keys
Buffett Performs in St Barts
Margaritaville Casino coming to Las Vegas

April 2011
Plans approved for Margaritaville Casino & Restaurant Biloxi
Welcome to Fin Land Tour kicks off in Tampa FL
Buffett performs at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola FL

May 2011
Buffett Performs at the New Orleans Jazz Fest
LandShark Bar & Grill opens in Myrtle Beach
Margaritaville Online Game coming to Facebook & iPad
Buffett to release Buried Treasure of unreleased songs
Chesney joins Buffett for Nashville Show

June 2011
Buffett Attends NYC Police Foundation Gala
Buffett & ZBB win CMT Music Award
Knee Deep hits the Top 40
Margaritaville opens at Navy Pier in Chicago
Proposed Margaritaville Casino & Hotel in Bossier City LA
Buffett plays private show on Nantucket
Knee Deep Video Premieres

July 2011
Buffett Performs after last Space Shuttle launch

August 2011
Knee Deep reaches #1 on Billboard’s Country Chart
Billy Joel and Bon Jovi perform at Jane Buffett’s 60th
Buffett saves Surfer off Montauk
Buffett’s Surprise Appearance at Stephen Talkhouse

September 2011
Margaritaville Coffee available in stores and online
Volcano Live 2011 Release
Buffett on CD Honoring Mark Twain
Buffett Performs in Paris

October 2011
Margaritaville Casino opens in Las Vegas
Margaritaville.com gets a makeover
Margaritaville Reclaims Record for Largest Margarita
2011 Welcome to Fin Land Tour Ends in Las Vegas
February 2012 Tour Dates Announced

November 2011
Buffett’s suprise appearance at MOTM in Key West
Margaritaville Online Beta Available
Buffett appears on Hawaii Five-0

December 2011
Buffett Performs at Child Mind Gala in NYC
Long time Coral Reefer Ralph MacDonald Passes away
Buffetts purchase new home in Palm Beach
Jimmy Turns 65 on Christmas Day

Today Jimmy Buffett celebrates his 65th birthday.
BuffettNews wishes Jimmy a Happy Birthday and a Merry Christmas to all.

From the Palm Beach Daily News: “Jimmy, Jane Buffett purchase ‘zen-like retreat’ on Garden Road for $4.95 million”

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.

The Buffetts bought the house from Caye C. Hoffmaster, who acted individually and as trustee of a residence trust in her name, the deed showed.

Real estate broker Jim McCann of the Corcoran Group had listed the house for sale at $5.2 million but said he could not comment on any aspect the transaction.

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.

From the New York Daily News: Jimmy Buffett isn’t impressed by Justin Bieber. At the Child Mind Institute Gala at Cipriani 42 on Thursday, we asked the “Margaritaville” singerwho he was listening to these days. Buffett, 64, who performed at the event, told us his son Cameron Marley had turned him on “to some people that are pretty cool,” but he was having a “senior moment” and couldn’t recall specifics. When we tried to jog his memory by suggesting Bieber’s name, Buffett shook his head. “No, it’s none of that,” he said. “It’s people that actually write songs and get onstage and sing.” Buffett is still doing both. He told us that he’s working on his next album and has given himself a 2013 deadline to complete it.