What is a Parrothead?
A Parrot Head is a fan of Jimmy Buffett, singer, songwriter, author, businessman, and movie producer. Jimmy Buffett performs a unique style of music that comprises aspects of country, reggae, pop, jazz, and folk styles – all with a taste of the Caribbean. Jimmy, himself, calls it Caribbean rock.
What is a Parrot Head
… and why would anyone want to be one? (“borrowed” from ClubFinz.com)
Simply put, Parrot Heads are fans of singer–songwriter Jimmy Buffett’s tropically influenced beach/rock/folk music. They know the words to all of his songs and the punch lines to all of his jokes. When Jimmy and the Coral Reefer Band come to town, parking lots are turned into beaches and cars become tiki bars. The yearly concert tour is a rite of summer passage for Parrot Heads that combines the best of Mardi Gras, Carnival, the Fourth of July, and a beach party.
Being a Parrot Head is also much more. For most Parrot Heads, there is a specific state of mind that comes with their condition. Age has nothing to do with it. Through his music and writings, Parrot Heads vicariously experience Jimmy’s lifestyle: the party, the ocean, the sunshine, and a relaxed sense of freedom are a part of it. And that freedom is most appealing; it allows us to express our feelings and creativity in whatever manner we choose and allows us to escape from the rat race to our own little tropical paradise, if only for a little while.
Parrot Heads are everywhere; you probably know a few and don’t even realize it. Parrot Heads are doctors, sales reps, lawyers, pilots, police officers, college students, computer programmers, grandparents, and maybe even your neighbors. And through their common interest in Jimmy Buffett’s music, this incredible gumbo of people from all walks of life is able to join together to support community causes in Buffett’s name.
It was in this spirit that the international network of Parrot Head Clubs, Parrot Heads in Paradise, was created in 1994. PHofNC is open to anyone with the tropical spirit and the desire to contribute positively to the betterment of their little corner of the universe.
This is what Jimmy Buffett has to say about how the origin of Parrot Heads:
“Timothy B. Schmidt (Eagles bass player) was in the band, and we were playing a venue outside of Cincinnati called King’s Island. People had already started wearing Hawaiian shirts to our shows, but we looked out at this Cincinnati crowd, and they were glaringly brilliant to the point where it got our attention immediately. I said “Look at that!” Then Schmidt says to me, “They look like deadheads in tropical suits. They’re like PARROT HEADS!”, he yelled to me in the middle of a song. So I immediately took the term and threw it over the microphone – the people identified themselves with the term from the get-go.”