Parrot Heads began with an ad in ‘Creative Loafing’

A small advertisement placed in an early Atlanta edition of Creative Loafing turned out to be the genesis of an organization known as Parrot Heads in Paradise that now spans countries globally, created by and for fans of singer Jimmy Buffett.

“A guy named Scott Nickerson placed an ad in CL in early 1989 to gather some like minded folks together around Buffett’s music,” says Brent Jones, a member of what became the Atlanta Parrot Head Club. “That in turn — at the request of the Buffett organization — led to the formation of Parrot Heads in Paradise, the umbrella organization that now charters nearly 200 Parrot Head clubs across the US and the world,” Jones says.

Parrot Head clubs, however, are more than just an excuse for straw-hatted aficionados to frolic on the beach and waste away in Margaritaville. “We’re a Jimmy Buffett fan club with a community service problem,” the Atlanta Chapter’s website states.

The local club sponsors and participates in numerous community service and charitable events annually: the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, food drives for the Atlanta Community Food Bank and toy collecting for Toys-For-Tots among others. Its 150-plus members also support cancer fundraising efforts through Swim Across America and Paint Georgia Pink.

Ultimately, they say, “We’re people from all walks of life who enjoy the music, lifestyle, and — whether real or imagined — attitude of living out life [in a] Jimmy Buffett [song].” —CL