Kerri Watt – the musician commonly described as “Artist // Songwriter // Mama // Scottish” – sits comfortably in the space occupied by contemporary country music. With her debut album, Neptune’ s Daughter under her belt, he’s an accomplished performer, singer and guitarist and having supported the likes of Coldplay and Celine Dion, is also an in demand writer for film & TV music. She also has an upcoming headline London show at The Troubadour on 15th May (ticket link) so it’s a great time to highlight her music and (one of) her influences and inspirations.

Kerri joins us for a Why I Love on the tropical rocker whose philosophy is about enjoying life and following passions, Jimmy Buffett.

Jimmy Buffett has been a name in my household for as long as I can remember. My parents had a handful of Jimmy records at home, but I always remember my dad keeping the Fruitcakes tape in his car. “Fruitcakes in the kitchen, fruitcakes on the street, strutting naked through the crosswalk in the middle of the week.” Songs like this and Everybody’s Got A Cousin In Miami immediately took me away to happy sunny places I’d never even been before. With their Caribbean rhythms and quirky lyrics, it was like nothing else I was hearing on the radio. 

I should briefly tell the story of how my parents came to know and love an artist who rarely toured the UK and had limited radio appeal in Britain (one of his most famous songs was banned by the BBC for mentioning a shoe manufacturer) at a time when there was no internet to discover music. In 1987, my mum and dad went on a Caribbean cruise for their honeymoon. On this cruise, they made great lifelong friends with a couple from California who introduced them to Jimmy Buffett’s music. My parents fell in love with his sound that felt so far from our Scottish roots, and a couple of Parrot Heads were born. This is the name for Jimmy’s fans. I’ve considered myself a Parrot Head since age 5. 

So what is it about this guy? Jimmy didn’t just write music, he created a lifestyle, a state of mind really. His songs were my saviour on many a dull day in Glasgow. One listen to Cheeseburger In Paradise and I could be transported to a hammock under a palm tree where I forget all my cares and woes. I think this is what Jimmy did for all his fans. It didn’t matter if you were from Florida or the other side of the world, you wanted to hang with this dude, to be a part of whatever it was he had going on. And what he had going on… was fun! 

As I grew older, so did my love for Jimmy Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band. My husband is now just as obsessed as I am and in the summer we start every morning with the song Fins to put us in a happy mood. But as an adult, I also appreciate Jimmy’s business mind. A true genius who created a brand empire that made him a billionaire by the time of his death in September 2023. Pretty impressive for a guy who spent every day of his life in floral shirts and flip flops.   

I’m sad to say I never made it to one of his concerts, although I’ve watched them many times on video. But Jimmy made this dreamy, laid back lifestyle accessible to everybody. I didn’t see a show but I have been to multiple of his Margaritaville restaurants – complete with volcano and live mermaid diving into a giant margarita glass! Only a few weeks ago, I stayed at Margaritaville Resort in Orlando where lyrics of Jimmy’s like “Mind on a permanent vacation, ocean is the only medication. Wishing my condition ain’t ever gonna go away” would resound through the place and you could order a real Cheeseburger in Paradise by the pool. 

I believe Jimmy’s music and legend will live on for many years to come. As an artist, he’s inspired me to find humour in my lyrics, to write what you know and always be true to yourself. 

And of course to always remember that… “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere!“

Our thanks to Kerri for reminding us that above all else, music should be fun – and don’t you just love those chairs at Margaritaville!?

Here’s Kerri’s latest single, Predictable:

Kerri Watt online: Website / Facebook / X (Twitter) / Youtube

You can read more from our extensive archive of Why I Love pieces from a wide array of artists on an even wider array of subjects, here.

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