Jimmy Buffett. Photo: Julie Skarratt

Jimmy Buffett, one of the biggest pop icons Music City ever produced, died Friday night (Sept. 1) at age 76.

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member parlayed his good-time, beach-bum persona into a business empire encompassing restaurants, hotels, resorts, bars, casinos, clothing, packaged food, spirits, books, outdoor furniture, home goods and merchandise. Much of it was branded “Margaritaville,” after the 1977 pop and country hit that was his signature song.

Despite its fame and inclusion in the Grammy Hall of Fame, “Margaritaville” was not Buffett’s biggest hit. “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” a 2003 duet with Alan Jackson, topped the country hit parade and remained at No. 1 for eight weeks. He also scored a No. 1 country hit with 2011’s “Knee Deep,” a collaboration with the Zac Brown Band.

But Buffett’s career was not defined by hit records. Rather, it rested on his phenomenally successful concert tours. At his shows, throngs of fans wearing Hawaiian shirts and/or shark-fin hats tossed beach balls and sang along to songs that were never radio favorites. These perennially faithful devotees were dubbed “Parrotheads.”

Born on Christmas Day in 1946, Buffett was raised in Mobile, Alabama. He began playing guitar as a college student at Auburn University and was soon playing folk clubs. In 1969, Buffett moved to Nashville. He became a reporter at Billboard magazine while peddling his songs on Music Row. His big scoop as a journalist was breaking the news that Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs were dissolving their bluegrass act. In 1971, he became the first artist to play the new Exit/In nightclub.

After recording two failed albums in Music City in 1970-71, Buffett accepted Jerry Jeff Walker’s invitation to come to Florida. The two became buskers on the streets of Key West, and Buffett decided to stay there. He returned to Nashville to record 1973’s A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean and 1974’s Living and Dying in 3/4 Time. The latter contained “Come Monday,” his first pop hit.

“I was sort of a pioneer,” he observed. “I guess I was one of the few pop acts that came outta here. And I’m not a crossover act [from country music]. I’m my own thing.”

Between 1970 and 1985, Jimmy Buffett recorded 13 albums in Nashville. In 1975, he formed his Coral Reefers Band. Over the years, the group included such Nashvillians as Josh Leo, Mac McAnally, Vince Melamed and Tim Krekel with Marshall Chapman, Bergen White, Buzz Cason, Shane Keister, Kenny Buttrey, Reggie Young, Randy Goodrum and various other Nashvillians along for the ride at various shows. Music Row’s Don Light was Buffett’s first manager.

By the mid 1970s, the entertainer had developed his musical niche purveying island escapism and Caribbean sunshine. Working with Nashville producers Don Gant, Norbert Putnman, Jimmy Bowen and Tony Brown, as well as McAnally, Buffett issued a string of Platinum-selling albums that celebrated Boats, Beaches, Bars and Ballads, as the title of his Quadruple Platinum boxed set put it.

In 1983, he performed at Nashville’s Fan Fair country festival. The following year, he moved his song-publishing business to Nashville. So the income from “Volcano,” “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “Why Don’t We Get Drunk (and Screw),” “Changes in Attitudes, Changes in Latitude,” “Fins,” “Son of a Son of a Sailor,” “Coconut Telegraph,” “One Particular Harbor” and the rest of his catalog was managed by Cason’s Southern Writers Group. Buffett’s songs have been recorded by such country stars as Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Tompall & The Glaser Brothers, Willie Nelson, Clint Black, Lefty Frizzell and Crystal Gayle.

“Nashville is the last place where a good melody and a good lyric are appreciated and can be a commercial success,” he said. “I’ve always maintained close friendships with everyone I’ve been involved with in Nashville… I have a lot of roots here and made a lot of records here over the years.”

In 1991, he bought a home in Music City. Then, beginning in 1992, Music Row became the home of his record labels, Margaritaville Records and Mailboat Records.

His songs appeared on the soundtracks of the films Rancho Deluxe, FM, Goin’ West, Summer Rental, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Urban Cowboy. He did cameo appearances in a number of movies and had a recurring role as a helicopter pilot on TV’s Hawaii Five-O in 2011-2020.

His books have all made the New York Times best-sellers lists. They have included Tales From Margaritaville (short stories), Where Is Joe Merchant (a novel), A Pirate Looks at Fifty (a memoir) and A Salty Piece of Land (a novel). Buffett also wrote two musicals and two children’s books.

He co-owned two minor-league baseball teams and three retirement communities. He had his own cannabis brand, as well as a video game. He owned luxury real estate in five states. According to Forbes, he was worth more than $1 billion.

In 1993, Jimmy Buffett played the Tennessee Ball at the Bill Clinton inauguration. A lifelong Democrat, he campaigned for Hillary Clinton in 2016. He was an avid supporter of nature conservation. Buffett was a major donor to the Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory, and in 1987 he’d lobbied for the reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act.

Back in Nashville, he recorded a 1999 duet version of “Margaritaville” with Alan Jackson, which returned him to the country charts. In 2003, he won his first music-industry honor, a CMA Award for the team’s “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere.” The CMA also nominated him for 2004’s “Hey Good Lookin,” a collaboration with Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Toby Keith and Jackson. Buffett’s ties to Music City were underscored in 2004 when he returned to town for his induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

“Shores distant shores,
There’s where I’m headed for,
I got the stars to guide my way,
Sail into the light of day…” #BoatsToBuild

RIP my friend, @jimmybuffett. pic.twitter.com/6j6NrPSRXJ

— Alan Jackson (@OfficialJackson) September 2, 2023

That is the same year that he resumed recording in Nashville. His album License to Chill on his Mailboat label, featured collaborations with Clint Black, Nanci Griffith and Bill Withers, as well as Strait, Chesney, Keith and Jackson. The collection hit No.1 on the country charts, and its “Trip Around the Sun” duet with Martina McBride became a top-20 country hit.

“This is where I belong,” he decided. “I don’t think I’ve changed that much, but Nashville sure has….There’s more room for versatility than there ever was before, more room to fluctuate musically than in any other form of music….All kinds of people are coming back into this town, from musicians to producers to writers.

“All I’m doing is following my market. I am as old as the people who like me….Finally, it’s gotten to the point where people don’t ask me what it is that I play anymore. They say I’m uncategorized; and to that I say, ‘Thank you.’

“I don’t care what you call it, it’s still folk. I don’t want to give up my acoustic guitar. We’re folky, but you can call it anything you want to.”

In 2005, his Songs You Know By Heart greatest-hits collection was certified by the RIAA for sales of seven million copies. In 2006-20, he issued five more studio albums. There is reportedly a sixth, tentatively titled Equal Strain on All Parts, that has yet to be released. He continued to tour and perform, almost to the end of his life. His last appearance was on July 2 at a McAnally show in Rhode Island.

In late August, Jimmy Buffett entered hospice care. He had an aggressive form of skin cancer and died of its complications at his waterfront estate in Sag Harbor on Long Island. According to his website and social media, he was “surrounded by family, friends, music and his dogs.

“He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many.”

Jimmy Buffett is survived by his wife Jane, son Cameron Marley, daughters Savannah Jane and Sarah Delaney, two grandchildren and two sisters. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

The family has asked that donations be made in his name to the foundation Singing for Change, to Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, both in Boston, and to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Chuck Flood

Veteran business manager and Co-Founder of Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Inc. (FBMM), Chuck Flood, passed away Friday morning (July 21) in Nashville with his family by his side. He was 78.

Born Charles Martin Flood Jr. on Sept. 12, 1944, in Waco, Texas, his parents were Charles Martin Flood Sr. and Maida Tull Flood.

Flood attended Baylor University in Waco, which is where he met his wife Beth. The two spent most of their lives in Nashville, raised two daughters and were known not only for their affection and love for each other, but also for their epic parties hosted at their home with friends and family. They shared more than five decades of deep love and friendship. Beth passed away in 2021.

Flood was a prominent figure in the entertainment industry for more than four decades. His career included time at Capitol and Warner Bros. Records in the A&R and national promotion departments. He was also a Partner at Hayes Street Music.

In 1986, Flood founded Chuck Flood & Associates at his dining room table with the help of John Sayles and Betty Sanders.

He later joined forces with Frank Bumstead, Mary Ann McCready and John McCarthy forming what would become FBMM today. Flood was incredibly proud of his career at FBMM and saw his employees and clients as an extension of his family.

Chuck Flood is preceded in death by his parents; Hattie Robinson; his sister, Cecile Marie; and his wife, Beth.

He is survived by his beloved sister, Catherine Flood Weiss of Austin, Texas; daughter Sarah Flood and husband Robert Ryland of Elgin, Texas; and daughter Rachel Flood and husband Kristian Vatalaro, of New York, New York. He is also survived by three grandchildren: Martha Zo Ryland of New York, New York.; Henry Ryland of Elgin, Texas; and Joe Vatalaro of Atlanta, Georgia.

A celebration of life to share memories and honor Chuck and Beth will be held in Nashville. Details will be forthcoming. In lieu of flowers, the family asks and appreciates that donations be made in Chuck’s name to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) or to Doctors Without Borders.

Jerry Bradley. Photo: Tony Brown’s book Elvis, Strait to Jesus; courtesy of Melissa Core and Rick Caballo of Dead Horse Branding

Music industry titan and Country Music Hall of Fame member Jerry Bradley has passed away at age 83. He died peacefully on Monday (July 17) in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee.

His 40 years of success in the record and publishing industries are unique in the Nashville music business community.

Jerry Bradley and the CMHOF’s Kyle Young at Bradley’s induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

As part of what is known as “The First Family of Music Row,” Jerry was the son of Nashville sound architect Owen Bradley as well as the nephew of the renowned A-Team guitarist Harold Bradley, who were both in the Hall of Fame. His late wife was the iconic Connie Bradley, who led ASCAP for three decades.

Other members of the Bradley dynasty include Jerry’s sister, longtime BMI executive Patsy Bradley, and his son, current BMI Nashville VP of Creative Clay Bradley, as well as other family members who made an impact on the music business.

Jerry Owen Bradley was born in Nashville on January 30, 1940. He was a practical jokester in his youth. When he decided to follow his dad and uncle Harold’s footsteps into the music business, after two years in the army, Jerry started working with his family’s music publishing company, Forrest Hills Music. He also started learning to engineer and produce records in his dad’s studio, Bradley’s Barn, after it was built in 1965.

Learning from his father, Jerry watched and often contributed to sessions with artists like Webb Pierce, Loretta Lynn, Brenda Lee, Gordon Lightfoot and more.

Jerry and Connie Bradley. Photo: Donn Jones/CMA

Coming up in the music business as Owen Bradley’s son made Jerry ache for a shot at building his own reputation. In order to make a name for himself, Jerry asked Head of RCA Nashville Chet Atkins—who was ironically Owen’s competition at the time—for a job.

Jerry came on as an assistant for Atkins in 1970, but soon found himself behind the sound board as a staff producer. A few short years later Jerry became Head of RCA Nashville in 1973.

If making a mark for himself was what Jerry yearned for, he did that and more. With Jerry at the helm from 1973 to 1983, RCA Nashville experienced its famed success with country hitmakers Alabama, Ronnie Milsap, Dolly Parton, Charley Pride and many more. The label was heralded Label of the Year by Billboard for ten consecutive years, and launched the careers of some of country music’s most legendary stars.

“When my daddy died, my mother told me he was proud of me. He never said that but he told her that. That touches me,” Jerry told MusicRow in a 2021 interview about his family’s legacy.

One of Jerry’s early signings was Alabama, a family band from Fort Payne, Alabama. Jerry helped design the artwork for their first RCA Nashville album My Home’s in Alabama, and started their iconic trademark of Alabama spelled with a capital “A” at both the beginning and ending of the word. The now Country Music Hall of Fame members would go on to celebrate multiple Platinum and multi-Platinum albums.

Jerry Bradley and Charley Pride attend the 2019 Country Music Hall of Fame Medallion Ceremony. Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Another stunning success of Jerry’s was his work with Ronnie Milsap, who recorded 35 No. 1 hits for RCA Nashville. Jerry produced many of Milsap’s hits, with publisher Tom Collins co-producing some as well.

He made history while working with Charley Pride, who became one of country music’s first Black superstars. Pride recorded hits such as “Someone Loves You Honey,” “Burgers and Fries” and “Where Do I Put Her Memory” under Jerry’s supervision.

During his time at RCA, Jerry was also the force behind the renowned 1976 album, Wanted: The Outlaws, from Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter and Tompall Glaser. He was meticulously involved in the imagery for the project, modeling the cover after a vintage, western wanted poster. The album became the very first country album to achieve Platinum status.

Like his father and uncle Harold, Jerry was very involved in the success of the Music Row community. He was President of the Country Music Association in 1974-1975, and was heavily involved in CMA’s annual Fan Fair (now CMA Fest).

Jerry was also known as a prankster on Music Row. Some of the many pranks he pulled were sticking spoons to his face during formal industry events while speeches were being given, and sneakily planting corn in the yards of his colleagues’ offices.

Connie and Jerry Bradley with Harold and Patsy Bradley at the Owen Bradley statue on Music Row. Photo: Courtesy of Jerry Bradley

“When country music was taking off in the Garth Brooks era, Soundscan came out and all of the sudden country music was selling more than anything else, dad grabbed me one day on a Sunday and we went and planted corn in everybody’s front lot,” Jerry’s son Clay remembers. “In about three weeks they all had corn stalks growing.”

“I took Kenny Chesney on his first ride up 16th Avenue going the wrong way telling him I was checking the corn stalks. He didn’t know what the hell I was talking about until we got up the street,” Jerry admitted.

Jerry married the late ASCAP executive, Connie Bradley, in 1979. The two were married for nearly 43 years, until Connie unexpectedly died in March of 2021. There’s no doubt the two were the ultimate Music Row power couple.

From another marriage, Jerry had two children, Leigh Jankiv and Clay Bradley, who also went on to work in the business. Jerry’s cousin Bobby Bradley Jr. is also a noted recording-studio engineer. Bobby got his start at Bradley’s Barn, and went on to work with Johnny Cash, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Marty Stuart, Tammy Wynette, Trisha Yearwood and more at many different studios.

Jerry left RCA Nashville in 1983 and stepped into leading Opryland Music Group, which owned all the Acuff-Rose publishing catalogs. Opryland Music Group became the first Nashville publishing company to win ASCAP and BMI Song of the Year honors in 1990. Acuff-Rose has been a steady earner because of its catalog of old songs, which included the classics of Hank Williams, Roy Orbison, Don Gibson, John D. Loudermilk, the Everly Brothers and Dallas Frazier. With a fire in his belly to elevate the company, Jerry went to work acquiring new staff, song pluggers and hit songwriters such as Dean Dillon, Casey Beathard and Kenny Chesney. Soon the Opryland Music Group was battling with the multinational corporate giants like Warner Chappell, EMI, Polygram Music and BMG.

Jerry Bradley. Photo: Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Jerry retired from the music business in 2003. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2019 for his incredible impact on Music Row. Jerry has mentored such successful music industry professionals as his son Clay Bradley, Troy Tomlinson and Joe Galante.

“I never lost the fact that it was fun,” Jerry shared. “I had fun.”

Jerry Bradley is predeceased by his parents Owen Bradley and Katherine Bradley; his uncles Harold Bradley, Charlie Bradley and Bobby Bradley; his aunt Ruby Strange; his wife Connie Bradley; and the mother of his two children, Gwynn Hastings Kellam.

He is survived by his sister Patsy Bradley; his children Leigh Jankiv (Rob LeBlanc) and Clay Bradley (Sara); his grandchildren Josh Jankiv (Ashley), Eli Jankiv, Emma Jankiv (Matt Acott), John Bradley and Lillian Grace Bradley; and his five great grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Cedar Creek Yacht Club on Sept. 10 at 4 p.m. This is the place Jerry enjoyed the most. He was a 60-year member and he spent his time on Old Hickory Lake with his family and friends on the “STUDIO A” houseboat.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you please make a donation to Music Health Alliance.