Jimmy Buffett has posted on his official site that his two shows in Bora Bora last week raised $40,000 for a local school:

Along with Coral Reefers Mac and Robert, Jimmy had some good times down in the [South Pacific] sunshine, playing two shows in Bora Bora in January. Both shows featured a local Tahitian girls’ choir during “One Particular Harbor,” and during Saturday’s show, local musician John Gabilou sat in to sing “Bora Bora E” with Jimmy. Enthusiastic crowds of locals and tourists alike packed the club both night, and raised over $40,000 for a new local playground and park – which will of course feature a tire swing or two!

Update – Tom Moffatt has more details about the shows and the journey leading up to them:

In the following years we often talked about returning. It finally happened … after Jimmy’s surprise concert at Jimmy Buffett’s at the Beachcomber in Waikiki, we headed for Tahiti for the show’s last weekend at Bloody Mary’s. Thanks to managers Craig Gould and Rick Guenett, and owner Dexter Hewett, all proceeds from ticket sales are being donated to build a playground for the children of Bora Bora. And thanks to another dear friend Francis Teai, the Tahitian government provided the best technical equipment to make it a truly first-class presentation. And Gabilou flew in from Papeete to provide a special introduction.

Needless to say, it was very special with Jimmy concluding his performance with a rousing One Particular Harbor.

The crowd wanted one more encore. Well, I had witnessed Jimmy and his brilliant sidemen, guitarist Mac McAnally and steel drum virtuoso Robert Greenidge, working for hours on a special Buffett arrangement of Some Enchanted Evening, and was delighted when Jimmy wisely chose this as his final offering.

Read the full blog post here.

After playing at his restaurant in Hawaii last Friday, Jimmy Buffett traveled to Tahiti and Bora Bora in the French Polynesian islands of the South Pacific.

Jimmy played two benefit shows, one on Thursday and another Saturday, at the legendary sand-floored bar Bloody Mary’s on Bora Bora. The shows raised money to build a playground for a local school.

(This news also answers a question a lot of you had… where was Jimmy at when he filmed the video asking parrotheads to donate to the Haiti relief efforts)

Bloody Mary's. photo: Virtual Tourist

A special charity event will be held at the Viceroy Hotel in Miami the day before the Super Bowl, and Jimmy Buffett will be in attendance as an honorary co-chair.

“Super Brunch” is an invitation-only event that will benefit Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer’s Camp Erin foundation and super chef Mario Batali’s foundation. The benefit includes:

• Gourmet brunch, cocktails – menu designed by Mario Batali
• Food demos with Mario and Emeril Lagasse!
• LIVE entertainment by Bernie Williams
• Auctions

Lagasse and late-night TV show host Jimmy Fallon are both co-chairs also (see Jimmy’s 2009 appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon here), and Land Shark Lager is a corporate sponsor of the event.

Find out how you can support this charitable event here.

Jimmy Buffett has recorded a video appeal to fans asking them to donate to the Red Cross’ relief efforts in earthquake-stricken Haiti.

Simply text “haiti” to 90999 to make a $10 donation to the American Red Cross Relief for Haiti.

In the late 70’s Jimmy wrote “African Friend” after a trip he made to Port-Au-Prince:

For the amount of shit that the Haitian people have had to endure over the centuries, they are the warmest and friendliest people I have come across in my travels. This song was written after a trip to Port-Au-Prince and a wild night in the old casino that made me feel as if I were in a Bogey movie. Those damn Bogey movies have put me in some tight spots as I’ve tried to create fact out of fiction.

Jimmy has also mentioned that the Oloffson Hotel in Port-Au-Prince is one of his favorite places to stay:

One of my favorite hotels in the whole Caribbean is in Haiti: the Oloffson in Port-au-Prince. From Lillian Hellman to Graham Greene, it has an incredible literary history. To me, it’s the Caribbean of the ’30s.

From reports on Twitter it seems the hotel has remained in intact.

2009 was another big year for Jimmy Buffett. His summer tour was hugely successful again, he partnered with the Miami Dolphins to rename their home field Landshark Stadium, and a new album dropped in December. And of course there was lots more in between. So here’s our Jimmy Buffett 2009 Year in Review:

January

• In early January Jimmy made a swing through the Caribbean, making stops at his Margaritaville Cafes in Grand Cayman and Cozumel where he, Mac, and Nadirah played surprise shows
• Buffett attends Wounded Warriors Project’s Soldier Ride in Key West
• Spring and summer tour dates began to trickle out in mid-to-late January

February

• On February 2nd Margaritaville.com confirmed all shows for the Summerzcool Tour
• Also on February 2nd, Jimmy Buffett’s at the Beachcomber Restaurant opened in Honolulu
• Parrothead license plates become available for South Carolina residents
• On February 12th, Jimmy played a surprise show at the Margaritaville in Key West



• About 2 weeks later, Mailboat Records releases 4 digital downloads from the Key West show
• On Tuesday the 24th, Buffett and the Coral Reefers open the 2009 Summerzcool Tour in Maui
• On the 26th he plays a private show for the opening of Jimmy Buffett’s at the Beachcomber

March

• Jimmy performs at Netscape founder Jim Clark’s wedding in the British Virgin Islands



• In late March, we report that Margaritaville Rum is coming soon
• Also at the end of the month, Coral Reefer Mac McAnally releases a new single: “You First”

April

• Buffett sends out an April Fool’s joke on his Twitter account saying that the summer tour has been canceled
• On April 10th, Jimmy called in to Radio Margaritaville to discuss the tour and a new album in the works



• First rumblings surface about Jimmy entering into a partnership with the Miami Dolphins
• Spring tour kicks off in Atlanta on April 16th
• Buffett also plays Dallas, Charlotte, Raleigh, and Tampa in April
• A planned Today Show appearance by Jimmy in Key West in May is scrapped so that the NBC staff could stay in NYC to cover the Swine Flu outbreak

May

• It was announced on May 1st that Jimmy had entered into a agreement with the Miami Dolphins to rename their home field “Landshark Stadium”
• “Summerzcool” is released as a digital download



• The Fall tour dates are removed from Margaritaville.com, causing mass speculation and frustrating parrotheads on the West Coast
• On May 8th the Dolphins held a press conference in Miami announcing the stadium’s name change to Landshark Stadium. Jimmy performed at the event
• Tour resumed on May 14th in Phoenix. Jimmy also plays Las Vegas, Concord CA, and Irvina CA in May
• Additional Fall tour dates are announced in London, Paris, Orlando, and Charlottsville, VA. The San Diego, Seattle, and Las Vegas shows planned for the Fall are officially canceled

June

• Trump Entertainment Resorts terminates the agreement with Coastal Development to buy the Trump Marina and Casino and turn it into a Margaritaville-themed casino
• It’s announced that the first Canadian Margaritaville will open in Edmonton
• “Margaritaville” referenced on The Colbert Report
• On June 13th Jimmy performed at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee
• i-Encore, a parrothead iPhone app is released in mid-June
• Tour resumes on June 18th in Camden, NJ. Jimmy also plays in Pittsburgh and Boston
• In late June, former Coral Reefer Tim Krekel (pictured right) died after a short battle with cancer

July

• On July 1st, Jimmy Buffett and parrotheads are mentioned on an episode of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”
• Jimmy performs in London on July 5th
• On July 9th, Jimmy rode along in the Lance Armstrong’s Team Astana car at the Tour de France
• It was reported that Jimmy Buffett serenaded Walter Cronkite in the weeks before his death
• In late July Coastal Development sues Trump over the Atlantic City casino deal



• On the 29th, Jimmy makes a surprise appearance at the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, New York
• Jimmy performs and is interviewed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on July 29th

August

• Tour resumes in Cincinnati on the 6th. Jimmy also plays Chicago, Indy, Detroit, Atlantic City, Wantagh NY, and East Troy WI in the month of August

September

• On the 2nd, Politico reports that Jimmy Buffett was at the White House



• Jimmy speaks and performs at a memorial for Walter Cronkite in NYC on the 9th
• In mid-September the Orlando show scheduled for November 14th was removed from Margaritaville.com’s tour dates page with no explanation given
• Jimmy lends his boat to three combat veterans
• Prior to the Dolphins Monday Night Football game on the 21st, Jimmy performs outside of the stadium
• A new line of iced tea by Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville is announced
• On September 30th it was announced that Jimmy had joined the effort to restore Miami’s Marine Stadium, the venue for the Live By The Bay show from 1985.

October

• On October 16th the Margaritaville on Grand Cayman was robbed
• Jimmy plays for the National Association of Convenience Stores in Las Vegas



• Jimmy performs at Neil Young’s Bridge School Benefit in Mountain View, CA on October 24th

November

• We reported on the 3rd that “Margaritaville” had been trademarked for video game use
• On the 7th, Jimmy played a show on St. Barth’s for the 60th anniversary of Le Select
• The CMA Awards were held on the 11th and Coral Reefer Mac McAnally won Musician Of The Year for the second straight year
• Jimmy plays final shows of the Summerzcool Tour in Charlottsville VA, Toronto, Uncasville CT, and New York City
• On the morning of the 23rd, Jimmy appeared on the Today Show to discuss his upcoming album “Buffet Hotel”

December

• Jimmy’s new album “Buffet Hotel” is released. It’s Jimmy’s first studio album since “Take The Weather With You” in 2006
• On the 9th, Jimmy and the Zac Brown Band tape an episode of CMT Crossroads in Nashville
• We reported on the 13th that Buffett had acquired two new airplanes
• On the 17th, we reported that an aviation departure procedure out of Palm Beach International Airport in Florida had been named after Jimmy
• We report on the 18th that a job listing for a General Manager at a Margaritaville location in Nashville had been posted
• On Christmas Day, Jimmy celebrated his 63rd birthday