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Carlos Vives

Carlos Alberto Vives Restrepo (born 7 August 1961) is a Colombian singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his interpretation of traditional music styles of Colombia such as vallenato, cumbia, champeta, bambuco and porro as well as genres such as Latin pop, reggaeton, dance pop and tropical music.

Having sold over 20 million records worldwide, Vives is one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all time. He is regarded as one of the most influential artists in the world as he has progressively helped vallenato gain popularity globally by combining traditional vallenato music with pop/rock music, forming a subgenre that has come to be known as "vallenato-pop".

In 2019, Vives was selected as #45 on both the Greatest of All Time Latin Artists and Top Latin Artists 2010s. by Billboard.

His hits include "Matilde Lina", "La Hamaca Grande", "La Gota Fría", "Alicia Adorada" (all four of which are covers of classic vallenato songs), "Pa' Mayte", "La Tierra del Olvido", "Tu Amor Eterno", "Fruta Fresca", "Déjame Entrar", "Luna Nueva", "Carito", "Papadio", "Como Tú", "Décimas Del Parecido" (a tribute to Guillermo Martínez, a Cuban-born radio host who resides in Mayagüez, and for whose program Vives was an occasional master control technician), "Robarte un Beso", (a collaborative effort with fellow Colombian singer Sebastián Yatra), "La Bicicleta" (a collaboration with Shakira) and "Canción Bonita" (collaborative effort with Ricky Martin).

Vives is also a successful actor. His roles as the titular character in the soap opera Gallito Ramírez and as Rafael Escalona in Escalona, a story about the famous Colombian composer of the same name, are among his most important and well-remembered appearances.

He has collaborated with multiple artists, including Juanes, Ricky Martin, Camilo, Shakira, Maluma, Wisin, Daddy Yankee, Alejandro Sanz, Manuel Turizo, Ryan Castro, Sebastián Yatra, Mau y Ricky, Michel Teló, Gente de Zona, Thalía, Pedro Capó,Lalo Ebratt, Los Ángeles Azules, Fito Páez, Carlos Rivera, Play-N-Skillz, Mike Bahía, Nacho and  Diego Torres.

In addition to his artistic endeavors, Vives is involved in various social and philanthropic activities. He has used his platform to support causes related to education, culture, and social development in Colombia. His foundation, Tras la Perla, focuses on improving the quality of life in his hometown of Santa Marta by promoting sustainable development and cultural initiatives.

Early life
Carlos Vives was born on 7 August 1961 in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia, where he spent his first 12 years of life. At that age, he and his family moved to Bogotá in search of a better life. He enrolled at Jorge Tadeo Lozano University and holds a degree in Advertising from the university. In Bogotá, he also acquired a taste for rock, getting involved in the local music scene, and started playing in bars and cafés around the city.

1982–1989
In 1982, Vives began acting in a number of shows and telenovelas including Pequeños Gigantes ("Little Giants" – 1983) and Tuyo es Mi Corazón ("Yours Is My Heart" – 1985). He finally found fame in 1986 by playing the title role of Gallito Ramírez, which told the story of a Colombian Caribbean coast boxer who falls in love with an uptight girl, who was portrayed by his first wife, Margarita Rosa de Francisco. That same year, he released his first album, Por Fuera y Por Dentro. The album, primarily made of ballads, failed to gain any success. In 1987, he released his second ballad album, No Podrás Escapar de Mí. Though the title track reached No. 30 on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks, the album did not sell well. His next album, Al Centro de la Ciudad, would become his last album to feature synthesizer-romantic ballads. Some of the songs got some attention being featured in telenovelas, but the album, just as its predecessors, failed to gain success.

In 1989, he was offered an acting job in Puerto Rico, and upon moving, he took a break in his music career. He is remembered for his leading roles in the soaps La Otra and Aventurera. He married Herlinda Gómez, his second wife (they have since divorced). Vives would spend his time between Colombia, Miami and the city of Mayagüez, Herlinda's hometown, during his marriage to her.

Since 1991
Upon his return to Colombia in 1991, he was offered a TV role that would change his life forever. He was cast in the leading role of a fantasy series based on the life of vallenato composer Rafael Escalona unsurprisingly titled Escalona. He sang the composer's songs in the series, and that's when he retooled his career towards vallenato, gaining national success with the release of the Telenovela's two soundtrack albums, Escalona: Un Canto a la Vida and Escalona: Vol. 2.

In 1993, backed by the band "La Provincia", Vives released the album Clásicos de la Provincia in which he started fusing vallenato with rock, pop and other Caribbean Colombian ethnic rhythms. This fusion scandalized vallenato purists. Clásicos de la Provincia, won the Billboard Latin Music Awards Best Album, introducing vallenato to both Colombia and the rest of the world.

The follow-up album, La Tierra del Olvido would mark a further step in Vives' desire to fusion rock, funk and pop music with traditional Colombian genres. The album gave Vives classic hits such as the title track, and the up-tempo opening track Pa' Mayte.

His subsequent releases, Tengo Fé (1997), El Amor de Mi Tierra (1999), Déjame Entrar (2001) and El Rock de Mi Pueblo (2004), were all commercially successful and were well received by critics. In 2002 Carlos Vives' album "Déjame Entrar" won him his first Grammy award for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album.

In 2009 he released the album Clásicos de la Provincia II, which was sold exclusively in Colombian supermarket chain "Almacenes Éxito." The album saw Vives' return to covering vallenato songs in his own style.

Current
With more than 40 songs written in 2012, Corazon Profundo was released in April 2013 and featured 11 tracks. The first single, "Volví a Nacer", was released in September 2012 and went straight to No. 1 on Billboard. The second single, "Como Le Gusta a Tu Cuerpo" featuring Michel Teló was released in late January 2013. Carlos appeared with fellow artists Ricardo Montaner, Fanny Lu, and Andrés Cepeda as one of the coaches for the first season of the vocal competition series phenomenon The Voice Colombia, which premiered October 2012 via Colombian TV network Caracol TV.

On 27 May 2016, "La Bicicleta" with fellow Colombian singer Shakira was released as a single. The video for the song was filmed in Colombia in each of their home cities. The song debuted at the number one spot on Billboard's US Latin Airplay chart and number four on the US Hot Latin Songs chart.

On 13 September 2018, Telemundo announced Carlos Vives as the fourth coach of La Voz (U.S.). Vives joined Luis Fonsi, Alejandra Guzman and Wisin as coaches on the Spanish-language version of NBC singing-competition The Voice.

In 2020, he joined Diego Torres, Lali, Coti, Ángela Torres, Thalía, Camila's Mario Domm, Sin Bandera's Leonel García, Reik's Jesús Navarro, Río Roma, Carlos Rivera, Camilo, Fonseca, Manuel Turizo, Jorge Villamizar, Pedro Capó, Farruko, Kany García and Rauw Alejandro, Ivete Sangalo, Dilsinho, Rubén Blades, Gente de Zona, Mau y Ricky, El Cigala, Dani Martín, Leslie Grace, Nicky Jam, Ara Malikian and Prince Royce for 'Color Esperanza 2020', a version of  Diego Torres' Color Esperanza.

In April 2021, Vives joined Ricky Martin for "Canción Bonita", a song which was critically acclaimed for its fusion of musical styles from Colombia and Puerto Rico. The song was nominated for Song of the Year and Best Pop Song at the 2021 Latin Grammy Awards.

In November 2021, he was a featured artist in the Disney movie 'Encanto' singing the credits song 'Colombia, Mi Encanto' written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

In 2023, Vives appeared in the Disney+ show 'The Low Tone Club' and sang the theme 'Tumbando Muros' and two other songs for the show. In addition, Vives wrote all songs included on the show's soundtrack.

Personal life
Vives was married to the Colombian actress Margarita Rosa de Francisco in a relationship that was closely followed by the national media. Puerto Rican Herlinda Gómez was his second wife, with whom he had two children: Carlos Enrique Vives and Lucía Vives. He is now married to former Miss Colombia Claudia Elena Vásquez and they have two children: Elena Vives, and Pedro Vives. He divides his time between Miami and Colombia, mainly Santa Marta and Bogotá.

Discography

 * 1986 Por Fuera y Por Dentro
 * 1987 No Podrás Escapar de Mí
 * 1989 Al Centro de la Ciudad
 * 1991 Escalona: Un Canto A La Vida
 * 1992 Escalona: Vol. 2
 * 1993 Clásicos de la Provincia
 * 1994 20 De Colección
 * 1995 La Tierra del Olvido
 * 1997 Tengo Fe
 * 1999 El Amor de Mi Tierra
 * 2000 15 Exitos
 * 2001 Déjame Entrar
 * 2004 El Rock de Mi Pueblo
 * 2009 Clásicos de la Provincia II
 * 2013 Corazón Profundo
 * 2014 Más + Corazón Profundo
 * 2017 Vives
 * 2020 Cumbiana
 * 2021 Canción Bonita [Single]
 * 2022 Cumbiana II
 * 2023 Escalona Nunca Se Habia Grabado Asi

Filmography

 * 1982 Tiempo Sin Huella (Julián).
 * 1982 David Copperfield (David Copperfield "Adult").
 * 1983 Pequeños gigantes (Guineo).
 * 1984 El Faraón (Capitolino Rojas).
 * 1985 Tuyo es mi corazón (Carlos Sánchez).
 * 1986 Gallito Ramírez (Javier "Gallito" Ramírez).
 * 1987 Tormento (César Augusto Caballero).
 * 1988 La Otra (Arnaldo Vásquez).
 * 1989 La Conciencia de Lucía (Alberto).
 * 1989 LP loca pasión (Julio Sanmiguel "Sammy").
 * 1990 Aventurera (Juan Carlos Santander).
 * 1991 Escalona (Rafael Escalona).
 * 1991 Cadena Braga (José Antonio).
 * 1992 La mujer doble (Mateo Escondria).
 * 1992–1993 La estrategia del caracol (José Antonio Samper Pupo).
 * 1995 La Tele.
 * 2012 La Voz Colombia (Coach).
 * 2019 La Voz (Coach).
 * 2021 Encanto (Colombia, Mi Encanto)
 * 2023 The Low Tone Club - El Club de los Graves (Amaranto Molina)

Grammy Awards
Vives has won two awards out of seven Grammy Award nominations.

Latin Grammy Awards
A Latin Grammy Award is awarded by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. Carlos Vives has won 16 awards from 43 nominations.

Premios Nuestra Tierra
A Premio Nuestra Tierra is an accolade that recognize outstanding achievement in the Colombian music industry. Carlos Vives has received 8 awards from 24 nominations.

World Music Awards
The World Music Awards is an international awards show founded in 1989 that annually honors recording artists based on worldwide sales figures provided by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).

title: Carlos Vives


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Mu (letter)

Mu ( uppercase Μ, lowercase μ; Ancient Greek μῦ, or μυ—both ) is the twelfth letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the voiced bilabial nasal. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 40. Mu was derived from the Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol for water, which had been simplified by the Phoenicians and named after their word for water, to become 𐤌 (mem). Letters that derive from mu include the M|Roman M and the Cyrillic М, though the lowercase resembles a small U|Latin U (u).

Ancient Greek
In Greek, the name of the letter was written μῦ and pronounced.

Modern Greek
In Modern Greek, the letter is spelled μι and pronounced. In polytonic orthography, it is written with an acute accent: μί.

Use as symbol
The lowercase letter mu (μ) is used as a special symbol in many academic fields. Uppercase mu is not used, because it appears identical to Latin M.

Prefix for units of measurement
"μ" is used as a unit prefix denoting a factor of 10−6 (one millionth), in this context, the symbol's name is "micro".
 * Metric prefix
 * International System of Units prefix, also known as "SI prefix"
 * The micrometre with a symbol of "μm" can also be referred to as the non-SI term "micron".

Mathematics
"μ" is conventionally used to denote certain things; however, any Greek letter or other symbol may be used freely as a variable name.
 * a measure in measure theory
 * minimalization in computability theory and Recursion theory
 * the integrating factor in ordinary differential equations
 * the degree of membership in a fuzzy set
 * the Möbius function in number theory
 * the population mean or expected value in probability and statistics
 * the Ramanujan–Soldner constant

Physics and engineering
In classical physics and engineering:
 * the coefficient of friction (also used in aviation as braking coefficient (see Braking action))
 * reduced mass in the two-body problem
 * Standard gravitational parameter in celestial mechanics
 * linear density, or mass per unit length, in strings and other one-dimensional objects
 * permeability in electromagnetism
 * the magnetic dipole moment of a current-carrying coil
 * dynamic viscosity in fluid mechanics
 * the amplification factor or voltage gain of a triode vacuum tube
 * the electrical mobility of a charged particle
 * the rotor advance ratio, the ratio of aircraft airspeed to rotor-tip speed in rotorcraft
 * the pore water pressure in saturated soil

In particle physics:
 * the elementary particles called the muon and antimuon
 * the proton-to-electron mass ratio

In thermodynamics:
 * the chemical potential of a system or component of a system

Computer science
In evolutionary algorithms:
 * μ, population size from which in each generation λ offspring will generate (the terms μ and λ originate from evolution strategy notation)

In type theory:
 * Used to introduce a recursive data type. For example, $$\text{list}(\tau) = \mu{}\alpha{}.1 + \tau{}\alpha$$ is the type of lists with elements of type $$\tau$$ (a type variable):  a sum of unit, representing nil, with a pair of a $$\tau$$ and another $$\text{list}(\tau)$$ (represented by $$\alpha$$).  In this notation, $$\mu$$ is a binding form, where the variable ($$\alpha$$) introduced by $$\mu$$ is bound within the following term ($$1 + \tau{}\alpha$$) to the term itself.  Via substitution and arithmetic, the type expands to $$ 1 + \tau + \tau^2 + \tau^3 + \cdots$$, an infinite sum of ever-increasing products of $$\tau$$ (that is, a $$\tau{}\text{ list}$$ is any $$k$$-tuple of values of type $$\tau$$ for any $$k \ge 0$$).  Another way to express the same type is $$\text{list}(\tau) = 1 + \tau{}\text{list}(\tau)$$.

Chemistry
In chemistry:
 * the prefix given in IUPAC nomenclature for a bridging ligand

Biology
In biology:
 * the mutation rate in population genetics
 * A class of Immunoglobulin heavy chain that defines IgM type Antibodies

Pharmacology
In pharmacology:
 * an important opiate receptor

Orbital mechanics
In orbital mechanics:
 * Standard gravitational parameter of a celestial body, the product of the gravitational constant G and the mass M
 * planetary discriminant, represents an experimental measure of the actual degree of cleanliness of the orbital zone, a criterion for defining a planet. The value of μ is calculated by dividing the mass of the candidate body by the total mass of the other objects that share its orbital zone.

Music

 * Mu chord
 * Electronic musician Mike Paradinas runs the label Planet Mu which utilizes the letter as its logo, and releases music under the pseudonym μ-Ziq, pronounced "music"
 * Used as the name of the school idol group μ's, pronounced "muse", consisting of nine singing idols in the anime Love Live! School Idol Project
 * Official fandom name of Kpop group f(x), appearing as either MeU or 'μ'
 * Hip-hop artist Muonboy has taken inspiration from the particle for his stage name and his first EP named Mu uses the letter as its title.

Cameras
The Olympus Corporation manufactures a series of digital cameras called Olympus μ (known as Olympus Stylus in North America).

Linguistics
In phonology:
 * mora

In syntax:
 * μP (mu phrase) can be used as the name for a functional projection.

In Celtic linguistics:
 * /μ/ can represent an Old Irish nasalized labial fricative of uncertain articulation, the ancestor of the sound represented by Modern Irish mh.

Image list for readers with font problems

 * 1) [[Image:Phoenician mem.svg|50px]]

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Mu (letter)


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Kool & the Gang

Kool & the Gang is an American R&B, soul, and funk group formed in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964. Its founding members include brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell aka "Khalis Bayyan", Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, Sir Earl Toon, Woodrow "Woody" Sparrow, and Ricky Westfield. They have undergone numerous changes in personnel and have explored many musical styles throughout their history, including jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, funk, disco, rock, and pop music. The group changed their name several times. Settling on Kool & the Gang, the group signed to De-Lite Records and released their debut album, Kool and the Gang (1969).

The band's first mainstream success came with the release of their fourth album Wild and Peaceful (1973); it contains the US top-ten singles "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging". Kool & the Gang entered a period of decline before they reached a second commercial peak between 1979 and 1986 following their partnership with Brazilian musician and producer Eumir Deodato and the addition of singer James "J.T." Taylor to the line-up. Their most successful albums of the time include Ladies' Night (1979), Celebrate! (1980), and Emergency (1984), their highest selling album with two million copies sold in the US. Their hit singles during the period include "Ladies' Night", the US No. 1 "Celebration", "Get Down on It", "Joanna", "Misled", and "Cherish". The group continues to perform worldwide, including as support for Van Halen in 2012 and their fiftieth-anniversary tour in 2014.

Kool & the Gang have won numerous awards, including two Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and, in 2006, a Music Business Association Chairman's Award for artistic achievement. The group has been inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame and been given a MOBO Award for Outstanding Achievement, the Soul Train Legend Award, the Marian Anderson Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as well. In 2007, the group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. During 2018, the Bells, Brown, and Taylor were also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the group were selected as inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024.

Their discography includes 23 studio albums and almost 70 singles. They have sold 7.5 million and 4.5 million RIAA-certified albums and singles, respectively, in the United States. Worldwide, they have sold 70 million albums.

1964–1972: Formation and signing with De-Lite
The band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964 when seven school friends decided to perform together as an instrumental jazz and soul group named the Jazziacs. Among them were Robert "Kool" Bell on bass, his brother Ronald Bell on keyboards, Robert "Spike" Mickens on trumpet, Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas on saxophone, Ricky West on keyboards, George Brown on drums, and Charles Smith on guitar. Except Smith, all of them attended Lincoln High School in Jersey City. Robert Bell had given himself the nickname "Kool" as a way of adapting to the street gangs in his neighborhood after moving from Ohio. The Bells' father Bobby and uncle Tommy were boxers. They moved to New York to train and lived in the same apartment building as Thelonious Monk, who became Robert's godfather. Miles Davis would drop by because he wanted to be a boxer.

Their first gigs took place as the opening act to a weekly jazz night held in a local theatre every Sunday. They also played occasionally with McCoy Tyner, Pharoah Sanders, and Leon Thomas during their early years as a group. They then had several name changes, including to The Soul Town Band and The New Dimensions. They played Motown covers as the backing musicians for Soul Town, a small Jersey City-based organization similar to Motown. In 1967, they decided to perform as their own identity and became regulars at the Blue Note Lounge in Jersey; one of the MC's advertised them with a new name, Kool & the Flames. However, their manager Gene Redd advised against it to avoid confusion with James Brown's band, The Famous Flames. They settled on Kool & the Gang, in 1969.

After selecting their new name and line-up, Kool & the Gang signed a recording deal with Redd's new independent label, De-Lite Records. Redd wrote: "I discovered these eight super talented incomparable young musicians[...] I immediately realized that their potential would earn them success unknown by most musicians". The group entered the studio and recorded their debut album, the all-instrumental Kool and the Gang (1970), with Redd as a producer, arranger, conductor, and partial songwriter. It is their only album with guitarist Woody Sparrow who completed a temporary eight-man formation. The album peaked at No. 46 on the Billboard R&B chart. Around this time, the group began to develop their stage performance after they witnessed a set by Willie (Feaster) and the Mighty Magnificents which, according to Robert Bell, "Blew us away[...] We thought, 'Wow, if we want to be in show business, we have to change our act. We can't just stand up there and play'." Also at this time, the group were asked to deliver songs with vocals. Despite Bell recalling the group sounding "real ragged" with lyrics at first, "Bit by bit we gained in confidence... we kinda learnt how to sing as we went along."

The group followed their debut with two live albums: Live at the Sex Machine, recorded the year before, and Live at PJ's, both released in 1971. These were their final albums before their amicable split with Redd. Their next album, Music Is the Message, was the first time the group self-produced one of their records. It was released in July 1972, and peaked at No. 25 on the R&B chart. It was followed with Good Times in November, which features the band backed by a string section. The elements of jazz, rock, and instrumental styles on the record made it difficult for reviewers to label them as one specific genre. The album failed to generate the amount of radio exposure the group had expected to gain a new audience, so they looked at ways to breakthrough without relying on the radio.

1973–1978: First commercial success and low period
By the spring of 1973, Kool & the Gang began to observe disco music trends influencing the group to become as Robert Bell described as "a much harder, funkier, tighter" unit than before. He clarified, saying that most of the group did not visit discos and learned of disco culture from others. As a result of their change in direction, the group scored their first major commercial success with their fourth studio album, Wild and Peaceful. The album went to No. 33 on the album chart, became their first gold album for selling 500,000 copies, and spawned the single "Funky Stuff" which entered the Top 40 pop chart. The next two, "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging" fared even better by entering the US top 10, marking the group's breakthrough to a white audience. The latter two songs sold over one million copies and were certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Their success continued with Light of Worlds (1974), which contained the hit instrumental "Summer Madness". In October 1974, the group landed a spot on the national television music show Soul Train. In 1975 Kool & the Gang added Larry Gittens from the Stylistics, and released Spirit of the Boogie which contained the top 40 single "Spirit of the Boogie". That was followed by the part-studio part-live release Love & Understanding, in 1976.

In mid-1976, Kool & the Gang entered a period of commercial decline; Rolling Stone writer Geoff Himes wrote the disco-era "frowned on their loose and greasy approach to dance music." Their three albums released during this time, Open Sesame (1976), The Force (1977), and Everybody's Dancin' (1978) failed to generate the same commercial or critical acclaim as their previous records. Bell later said the albums "bent our style a bit and we didn't feel at home with it". The Force and Everybody's Dancin' displayed the group's attempt to adopt disco elements with female vocalists and a string section, but Robert Bell later said the group got "Too fancy and over-creative[...] We got away from the basic Kool & the Gang sound[...] and the public didn't like it". The change in style affected their ability to secure as many dates as before, working "just off and on" during this time. The latter album received negative responses; one review for Everybody's Dancin' had the headline: "Kool and the Gang have gone bland." Writer Mike Duffy wrote, "They've joined the disco lemmings [...] The edge has gone. Say so long to the raw and raunchy."

During their low period, the group gained some mainstream attention with their contribution of "Open Sesame" to the soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever (1977). "Summer Madness" was also used in Rocky (1976), but not released on its soundtrack album.

1979–1988: J.T. Taylor, Deodato partnership, and commercial peak
By 1979, Kool & the Gang changed musical direction in two distinct ways. After several years of consideration, and at the suggestion of promoter turned SOLAR Records founder Dick Griffey, they brought in a dedicated lead vocalist to become a focal point of their music. James "J.T." Taylor from South Carolina was added; Taylor noted that vocals added more warmth to the songs, especially to ballads, which the group had previously avoided as no vocalist in the group could sing them properly. He recalled some resistance to his arrival from some group members and the female singers they had used on The Force and Everybody's Dancin'. The change in style developed further when the group entered a four-album association with Brazilian musician, songwriter, and arranger Eumir Deodato as their producer, who helped them move towards mainstream pop and dance-oriented music with greater emphasis on catchy hooks and chorus lines. The group's first choice, Stevie Wonder, was too busy to work with them. Earl Toon Jr. was added to the group.

Kool & the Gang's first album with Deodato, Ladies' Night, was released in September 1979 and became their most successful album since their formation. This was helped by the hit singles "Too Hot" and "Ladies' Night", which went to No. 5 and No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, respectively. In January 1980, Ladies' Night was certified platinum by the RIAA for selling one million copies in the US. Later that year, Celebrate! became a bigger commercial success than Ladies' Night; the lead single "Celebration" remains the band's only single to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The song originated from the lyric "Come on, let's all celebrate" from "Ladies' Night", which inspired Robert Bell to write "an international anthem." The group developed the song on a tour bus after attending the American Music Awards. The song was used in national media coverage for the 1980 World Series, the 1981 Super Bowl, the 1981 NBA Finals, and the 1981 return of the Iran hostages.

After the release of Something Special (1981), which continued the level of success of the previous two albums, the band recorded their fourth and final album with Deodato, As One (1982). The latter struggled to reach gold certification in the US, which led to the band's decision to end their time with Deodato as they had enough with the direction they had adopted. They then decided to produce their next album, In the Heart (1983), by themselves with Jim Bonnefond as co-producer. The album contained the US top-five single "Joanna". The song was declared the most-played pop song in 1984 by Broadcast Music International. Bonnefond stayed with the group for Emergency (1984), which remains their highest selling album with over two million copies sold in the US. It spawned four US top 20 singles, including "Emergency", "Cherish", "Fresh", and "Misled". The feat made Kool & the Gang the only group to have four top 20 singles from a single album in 1985.

In June 1984, Kool & the Gang took time off from recording Emergency to perform at Wembley Stadium as part of a sold-out summer concert organised by Elton John. That November, during a visit to Phonogram's offices in London, Bob Geldof arrived to pitch his idea of the multi-artist charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" to the label. Kool & the Gang participated in the project. In 1985, Bell said the group retained control of their own business affairs, avoiding to hire management on a full-time basis and preferring to hire consultants and agents for each project or a single term.

The group's seventeenth album, Forever, was released in November 1986. The album included two hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart: "Victory" (US #10, R&B #2) and "Stone Love" (US #10, R&B #4). Two further singles, "Holiday" and "Special Way" were also released from the album; the former reached the top ten on the R&B Chart, the latter hit reached No. 6 on the Adult Contemporary chart. By 1986, the group had scored 14 top 40 singles in the US since 1980, more than Michael Jackson. In July 1986, the group recorded a special version of "Celebration" with different vocals that was used in an advertisement for Wendy's.

In 1987, the group completed a 50-city tour of the US. The tour included the group establishing their own public service program, devised by Robert Bell and Taylor, which encouraged school children to pursue education, giving free tickets to those with perfect attendance. The group rehearsed their stage show with a choreographer at Prince's studio at Paisley Park. At the time of the tour's start, the group ceased producing adverts with Schlitz beer because of their new image towards children and that they felt it had run its course. After the tour, Taylor left Kool & the Gang to pursue a solo career. He returned in 1996 for their State of Affairs album.

1988–present: Later career
In February 1988, news of Taylor's departure from the group to pursue a solo career was reported in the press. The group had discussed pursuing solo projects during the previous year, with Thomas suggesting the band had considered splitting into twos or threes. Taylor was replaced by three vocalists: Sennie "Skip" Martin, Odeen Mays, and Gary Brown.

In 1989 the group's 18th album Sweat was released. By that time Khalis Bayyan and Robert "Spike" Mickens also had departed the group. The album did not fare well. Unite, the group's nineteenth studio album, was released in 1992. It marked the return of Khalis Bayyan to the group. In 1995, Taylor returned to the group for State of Affairs (1996), hailed as the group's "comeback" album. All of the songs on the album were written by Khalis Bayyan and Taylor. Taylor left the group for the second time in 1999.

On their next studio album Gangland (2001), Kool & the Gang pursued elements of hip hop. The album was a compilation of rappers backed by Kool and the Gang remaking some of the group's songs. During 2003 the group was given a Mobo Award for Outstanding Achievement. In 2004 they released another album featuring remakes and some new songs. The Hits Reloaded contained collaborations with artists such as Atomic Kitten, Lisa Stansfield and Jamiroquai. The album reached No. 21 on the UK R&B Albums chart. During 2007 the group released another album entitled Still Kool. The album reached No. 31 on the US Billboard Top Soul Albums chart. Still Kool has also been certified Platinum in France by the SNEP.

In 2012, Bell accepted Van Halen singer David Lee Roth's invitation for Kool & the Gang to be the opening act during their A Different Kind of Truth Tour as Roth had noticed a significant portion of their concert audience were women. Roth wanted the group after seeing their set at Glastonbury. In 2013 the group released a Christmas album Kool for the Holidays. That was the group's 24th studio album.

In 2015, 50 years after formation, the group received their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. During that year they were also inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. In 2016, a Jersey City street was renamed the "Kool and the Gang Way". During 2019 Kool and the Gang was also bestowed with the Marian Anderson Award. In 2021, the group released Perfect Union, their 25th studio album and first album of new material in 14 years. The album was produced by Khalis Bayyan before his 2020 death. On November 20, 2022, the group performed a special live concert at the naming ceremony for the newly christened Carnival Celebration, notably performing “Celebration” as a nod to the newest addition to the Carnival fleet.

Kool & The Gang were selected for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2024.

Music appearances
The group's music has been featured in several movies and video games:

 * "Jungle Boogie" was featured on the soundtracks for the movies Pulp Fiction (1994) and Undercover Brother (2002).
 * One Life to Live (January 1986 Episode #4491)
 * "Open Sesame" was featured on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (1977)
 * "Summer Madness" was played in the movie Baby Boy (2001)

Personnel
Current members
 * Robert "Kool" Bell – bass, backing vocals (1964–present)
 * Michael Ray – trumpet, backing vocals (1979–1991, session/touring 2007–present)
 * Curtis "Fitz" Williams – keyboards, backing vocals (1982–1988, session/touring 1995–present), alto saxophone (session/touring 2021–present)
 * Shawn "Shawny Mac" McQuiller – vocals, guitar (1991–1995, session/touring 1995–present)

Former members
 * George "Funky" Brown – drums (1964–1998), keyboards (1989–1993, 1998–2023), percussion, backing vocals (1964–2023; his death)
 * Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas – alto saxophone, flute, backing vocals (1964–2021; his death)
 * Claydes Charles Smith – guitar (1964–2006; his death)
 * Ronald Bell – tenor saxophone, keyboards, backing vocals (1964–1989, 1992–2020; his death)
 * Ricky Westfield – keyboards, vocals (1964–1976; died 1985)
 * Robert "Spike" Mickens – trumpet, backing vocals (1964–1986; died 2010)
 * Woodrow "Woody" Sparrow – rhythm and lead guitar (1964–1969; his death)
 * Larry Gittens – trumpet, flugelhorn, backing vocals, keyboards (1975–1977, 1986–1988, session/touring 2000–2013)
 * Otha Nash – trombone (1975–1977; died 2003)
 * Kevin Lassiter – keyboards, vocals (1976–1979)
 * Clifford Adams – trombone, backing vocals (1980–1995; session/touring 1977–1980, 1995–2015; his death)
 * James "J.T." Taylor – vocals (1979–1988, 1996–1999)
 * Sir Earl Toon – keyboards, vocals (1979–1982)
 * Gary Brown – vocals (1988–1990)
 * Sennie "Skip" Martin – trumpet, vocals (1988–1995; session/touring 1995–2007)
 * Odeen Mays – keyboards, guitar, vocals (1988–1995)
 * Gerald Harris – keyboards, guitar (1992–1995)

Session/touring musicians
 * Timothy Horton – drums, percussion (1998–present)
 * Kevin Bell – lead guitar (2006–present)
 * Curtis Pulliam – trumpet, backing vocals (2013–2016, 2024–present)
 * Jermaine Bryson – trombone, backing vocals (2015–present)
 * Walt Anderson – vocals, keyboards (2016–present)
 * Rick Marcel – guitar, bass, backing vocals (2017–present)

Former session/touring musicians
 * Donald Boyce – vocals (1973–1976)
 * Royal Bayyan – guitar (1978–1987)
 * Mark Blakey – drums (1988–1989)
 * Robert "Robbie G" Goble – drums, percussion (1989–1993)
 * Frank "Rusty" Hamilton – keyboards (1996–2005)
 * Louis Van Taylor – tenor saxophone, backing vocals (2020–2023; touring substitute for Ronald Bell 1996–2017)
 * Rodney "King" Ellis – vocals (2000–2007)
 * Jirmad "Soul-O" Gordon – vocals (2007–2010)
 * Lavell Evans – vocals, percussion (2009–2023)
 * Ravi Best – trumpet, backing vocals (2016–2024)
 * Shelley Carrol – tenor saxophone (touring substitute for Ronald Bell 2017–2020)

Rick West, the group's original keyboardist, who left in 1976 to form his own band, died in 1985.

Guitarist Charles Smith died after a long illness in 2006 and was replaced by the Bells' youngest brother, Amir Bayyan, former leader of the Kay Gees.

Original trumpet player Robert "Spike" Mickens, who retired in 1986 due to poor health, died at the age of 59 on November 2, 2010, at a nursing home in Far Rockaway, New York.

Trombonist Clifford Alanza Adams Jr. died in January 2015 at the age of 62 after a year-long battle with cancer. Adams, who had been with Kool & The Gang since 1977, had no health insurance to cover medical expenses.

Saxophonist Ronald "Khalis Bayyan" Bell died suddenly in September 2020; the cause of death was not announced.

Alto saxophonist Dennis "D.T." Thomas died in his sleep on August 7, 2021, at the age of 70. Drummer George “Funky” Brown died from lung cancer on November 16, 2023, at the age of 74.

Discography
Studio albums

 * Kool and the Gang (1969)
 * Music Is the Message (1972)
 * Good Times (1972)
 * Wild and Peaceful (1973)
 * Light of Worlds (1974)
 * Spirit of the Boogie (1975)
 * Love & Understanding (1976)
 * Open Sesame (1976)
 * The Force (1977)
 * Everybody's Dancin' (1978)
 * Ladies' Night (1979)
 * Celebrate! (1980)
 * Something Special (1981)
 * As One (1982)
 * In the Heart (1983)
 * Emergency (1984)
 * Forever (1986)
 * Sweat (1989)
 * Unite (1992)
 * State of Affairs (1996)
 * Gangland (2001)
 * The Hits: Reloaded (2004)
 * Still Kool (2007)
 * Kool for the Holidays (2013)
 * Perfect Union (2021)
 * People Just Wanna Have Fun (2023)

title: Kool & the Gang


text:
Dreamcatcher (disambiguation)

A dreamcatcher is a Native American cultural object.

Dreamcatcher or Dream Catcher may also refer to:

People and characters

 * The Dreamcatcher, nom de guerre of Gegard Mousasi, a Dutch mixed martial arts fighter
 * Dreamcatcher, a Skylanders: Trap Team villain

Places

 * Dreamcatcher, Cacodemon boulder, Squamish, B.C., Canada; a climbing route first ascended by Chris Sharma
 * Dreamcatcher (roller coaster), a rollercoaster in Bobbejaanland of Belgium

Businesses and organizations

 * Dreamcatcher Company, a South Korean entertainment company
 * DreamCatcher Interactive, a Canadian video game publisher
 * Dreamcatcher Broadcasting, a U.S. broadcasting company
 * The Dreamcatcher Foundation, a Chicago-based U.S. non-profit

Film

 * Dreamcatcher (2003 film), based on the Stephen King novel
 * Dreamcatcher (2015 film), a 2015 documentary about prostitution
 * Dreamcatcher (2021 film), a 2021 horror
 * The Dream Catcher (film), a 1999 independent drama directed by Edward Radtke

Television

 * Dreamcatchers, a travel documentary TV series
 * The Dream Catchers, a TV series produced by Singapore's Chinese-language channel MediaCorp Channel 8
 * "Dreamcatcher" (Once Upon a Time), an episode from the fifth season of the TV series Once Upon a Time
 * "Dream Catcher" (Star Trek: Prodigy), a 2021 episode of Star Trek: Prodigy

Music

 * Dreamcatcher (group), a South Korean pop group

Albums

 * Dreamcatcher (Ian Gillan album), 1997
 * Dreamcatcher (Last Autumn's Dream album), 2008
 * Dreamcatcher (Andy McKee album), 2004
 * Dreamcatcher (Secret Garden album), 2000
 * Dreamcatcher (David Lowe album), 1997
 * Dreamcatcher, an album by Mark Medlock and Dieter Bohlen, 2007

Songs

 * "Dreamcatcher", a 2001 song by Secret Garden from the eponymous album Dreamcatcher
 * "Dream Catcher" (The Word Alive song), a 2010 song by The Word Alive from Deceiver
 * "Dreamcatcher", a 2014 song by Erra from the EP Moments of Clarity
 * "Dreamcatcher", a 2015 song by Crystal Lake from the album The Sign
 * "Dreamcatcher" (Metro Boomin song), a 2018 song by Metro Boomin from the album Not All Heroes Wear Capes
 * "Dreamcatcher" (LP song), a 2018 song by LP from Heart to Mouth
 * "Dreamcatcher" (GFriend song), a 2020 song by GFriend from Labyrinth

Literature

 * Dreamcatcher (novel), a 2001 novel by Stephen King
 * The Dream Catcher (novel), a 1986 children's novel by Monica Hughes

Other media

 * Spirit Catcher, also called Dream Catcher, a sculpture by Ron Baird
 * Dream Catchers, an overnight program of soft music and short stories on SiriusXM's Kids Place Live

title: Dreamcatcher (disambiguation)


text:
Theta

Theta (, ; uppercase Θ or ϴ; lowercase θ or ϑ; thē̂ta ; Modern:  thī́ta ) is the eighth letter of the Greek alphabet, derived from the Phoenician letter Teth. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 9.

Greek
In Ancient Greek, θ represented the aspirated voiceless dental plosive, but in Modern Greek it represents the voiceless dental fricative.

Forms
In its archaic form, θ was written as a cross within a circle (as in the Etruscan or ), and later, as a line or point in circle ( or ).

The cursive form ϑ was retained by Unicode as, separate from. (There is also ). For the purpose of writing Greek text, the two can be font variants of a single character, but θ and ϑ are also used as distinct symbols in technical and mathematical contexts. Extensive lists of examples follow below at Mathematics and Science. is also common in biblical and theological usage e.g. πρόϑεσις instead of πρόθεσις (means placing in public or laying out a corpse).

Latin
In Latin script used for the Gaulish language, theta inspired the tau gallicum. The phonetic value of the tau gallicum is thought to have been. Theta itself is used alongside Latin letters in Halkomelem, an indigenous North American language.

Cyrillic
The early Cyrillic letter fita (Ѳ, ѳ) developed from θ. This letter existed in the Russian alphabet until the 1918 Russian orthography reform.

International Phonetic Alphabet
In the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), represents the voiceless dental fricative, as in thick or thin. It does not represent the consonant in the, which is the voiced dental fricative counterpart, represented in the IPA by (cf. Eth). A similar-looking lower-case symbol,, which is called barred o, is the IPA symbol for the close-mid central rounded vowel.

Lower case
The lowercase letter θ is used as a symbol for:
 * A plane angle in geometry
 * An unknown variable in trigonometry
 * The voiceless dental fricative, spelled θ
 * A special function of several complex variables
 * One of the Chebyshev functions in prime number theory
 * The potential temperature in meteorology
 * The score of a test taker in item response theory
 * Theta Type Replication: a type of bacterial DNA replication specific to circular chromosomes
 * Threshold value of an artificial neuron
 * A Bayer designation letter applied to a star in a constellation; usually the eighth star so labelled but not necessarily the eighth-brightest as viewed from Earth
 * The statistical parameter frequently used in writing the likelihood function
 * The Watterson estimator for the population mutation rate in population genetics
 * Indicates a minimum optimum integration level determined by the intersection of GG and LL schedules (The GG-LL schedules are tools used in analyzing the potential benefits of a country pegging their domestic currency to a foreign currency.)
 * The reserve ratio of banks in economic models
 * The ordinal collapsing function developed by Solomon Feferman
 * Heaviside step function
 * In pharmacology, the fraction of ligand bound to a macromolecule based on the Hill Equation

Upper case
The uppercase letter Θ is used as a symbol for:
 * Dimension of temperature, by SI standard (in italics)
 * Dimensionless temperature in transport phenomena
 * The set of positive real numbers in thetalogy.
 * An asymptotically tight bound in the analysis of algorithms (big O notation)
 * A certain ordinal number in set theory
 * Pentaquarks, exotic baryons in particle physics
 * A brain signal frequency (beta, alpha, theta, delta) ranging from 4–8 Hz
 * One of the variables known as "Greeks" in finance, representing time decay of options or the change in the intrinsic value of an option divided by the number of days until the option expires
 * A variable indicating temperature difference in heat transfer
 * Measuring the angle of incident X-ray beam during XRD
 * An Unknown angle

Symbolism
In ancient times, Tau was used as a symbol for life or resurrection, whereas the eighth letter of the Greek alphabet (ninth in the archaic form anciently used for numeration), theta, was considered the symbol of death. A quotation attributed to the ancient Roman author Ennius (though possibly spuriously) said of it: "oh, theta, a letter much unluckier than the others".

According to Porphyry of Tyros, the Egyptians used an X within a circle as a symbol of the soul; having a value of nine, it was used as a symbol for Ennead. Johannes Lydus says that the Egyptians used a symbol for Kosmos in the form of theta, with a fiery circle representing the world, and a snake spanning the middle representing Agathos Daimon (literally: good spirit).

Abbreviation
In classical Athens, it was used as an abbreviation for the Greek θάνατος (Thanatos, "death") and as it vaguely resembles a human skull, theta was used as a warning symbol of death, in the same way that skull and crossbones are used in modern times. It survives on potsherds used by Athenians when voting for the death penalty. Petrus de Dacia in a document from 1291 relates the idea that theta was used to brand criminals as empty ciphers, and the branding rod was affixed to the crossbar spanning the circle. For this reason, the use of the number 9 was sometimes avoided where the connotation was felt to be unlucky—the mint marks of some Late Imperial Roman coins famously have the sum ΔΕ or ΕΔ (delta and epsilon, that is 4 and 5) substituted as a euphemism where a Θ (9) would otherwise be expected.

Character encodings

 * Greek Theta

 * Coptic Thethe

 * Cyrillic Fita

 * Mathematical Theta

These characters are used only as mathematical symbols. Stylized Greek text should be encoded using normal Greek letters, with markup and formatting to indicate text style.

title: Theta


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Windsock

A windsock (a wind cone or wind sleeve) is a conical textile tube that resembles a giant sock. It can be used as a basic indicator of wind speed and direction, or as decoration. Windsocks are typically used at airports to show the direction and strength of the wind to pilots, and at chemical plants where there is risk of gaseous leakage. They are also sometimes located alongside highways at windy locations.

At many airports, windsocks are externally or internally lit at night. Wind direction is the direction in which the windsock is pointing. (Wind directions are conventionally specified as the compass point from which the wind originates, so a windsock pointing due north indicates a southerly wind.) Wind speed is indicated by the windsock's angle relative to the mounting pole—in low winds it droops; in high winds, it flies horizontally.

History
Alternating stripes of high-visibility orange and white were initially used to help to estimate wind speed, with each stripe adding 3 knots (5.6km/h; 3.5mph) to the estimated speed. However, some circular frame mountings cause windsocks to be held open at one end, indicating a velocity of 3 knots even when stripes are not present. A fully extended windsock suggests a wind speed of 15 kn or greater.

Standards
Per FAA standards, a properly functioning windsock orients itself to a breeze of at least 3 kn and fully extends in a wind of 15 kn.

Per Transport Canada standards, a 15-knot wind fully extends the windsock; a 10 kn wind raises it to 5° below the horizontal; and a 6 kn wind raises it to 30° below the horizontal.

ICAO standards specify a truncated cone-shaped windsock at least 3.6 m long and 0.9 m in diameter at the large end. It should be readable from an altitude of 300 m and ideally be of a single colour. If it is necessary to use two colours, they should ideally be orange and white, arranged in five alternating bands, with the first and last darker in tone. In wind speeds of 3 kn or more, they must indicate wind direction to within ±5°.

Other related wind direction indicators

Wind tees and wind tetrahedrons are two other commonly used wind direction indicators in airports. Wind tees are shaped like an airplane so that they match with the heading of an aircraft ready to take off and land. Wind tetrahedrons always have their pointy ends pointing to the wind. Wind tees and tetrahedrons can swing freely and align themselves with the wind direction, but neither measures the wind speed, unlike a windsock. Since a wind tee or tetrahedron can also be manually set to align with the runway in use, a pilot should also look at the wind sock for wind information, if one is available.

title: Windsock


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Zeta

Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; ζῆτα, ζήτα, classical or  zē̂ta;  zíta) is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 7. It was derived from the Phoenician letter zayin. Letters that arose from zeta include the Roman Z and Cyrillic З.

Name
Unlike the other Greek letters, this letter did not take its name from the Phoenician letter from which it was derived; it was given a new name on the pattern of beta, eta and theta.

The word zeta is the ancestor of zed, the name of the Latin letter Z in Commonwealth English. Swedish and many Romance languages (such as Italian and Spanish) do not distinguish between the Greek and Roman forms of the letter; "zeta" is used to refer to the Roman letter Z as well as the Greek letter.

Letter
The letter ζ represents the voiced alveolar fricative in Modern Greek.

The sound represented by zeta in Greek before 400 BC is disputed. See Ancient Greek phonology and Pronunciation of Ancient Greek in teaching.

Most handbooks agree on attributing to it the pronunciation (like Mazda), but some scholars believe that it was an affricate  (like adze). The modern pronunciation was, in all likelihood, established in the Hellenistic age and may have already been a common practice in Classical Attic; for example, it could count as one or two consonants metrically in Attic drama.

Arguments for

 * 1) PIE *zd becomes ζ in Greek (e.g. *sísdō > ἵζω). Contra: these words are rare and it is therefore more probable that *zd was absorbed by *dz (< *dj, *gj, *j); further, a change from the cluster /zd/ to the affricate /dz/ is typologically more likely than the other way around (which would violate the sonority hierarchy).
 * 2) Without  there would be an empty space between  and  in the Greek sound system (πρέσβυς, σβέννυμι, φάσγανον), and a voiced affricate  would not have a voiceless correspondent. Contra: a) words with  and  are rare, and exceptions in phonological and (even more so) phonotactic patterns are in no way uncommon; b) there was  in ὅσδε, εἰσδέχται etc.; and c) there was in fact a voiceless correspondent in Archaic Greek ( > Attic, Boeotian ττ, Ionic, Doric σσ).
 * 3) Persian names with zd and z are transcribed with ζ and σ respectively in Classical Greek (e.g. Artavazda = Ἀρτάβαζος/Ἀρτάοζος ~ Zara(n)ka- = Σαράγγαι.  Similarly, the Philistine city Ashdod was transcribed as Ἄζωτος.
 * 4) Some inscriptions have -ζ- written for a combination -ς + δ- resulting from separate words, e.g. θεοζοτος for θεος δοτος "god-given".
 * 5) Some Attic inscriptions have -σζ- for -σδ- or -ζ-, which is thought to parallel -σστ- for -στ- and  therefore to imply a  pronunciation.
 * 6) ν disappears before ζ like before σ(σ), στ: e.g. *πλάνζω > πλᾰ́ζω, *σύνζυγος > σύζυγος, *συνστέλλω > σῠστέλλω. Contra: ν may have disappeared before /dz/ if one accepts that it had the allophone  in that position like /ts/ had the allophone : cf. Cretan ἴαττα ~ ἀποδίδονσα (Hinge).
 * 7) Verbs beginning with ζ have ἐ- in the perfect reduplication like the verbs beginning with στ (e.g. ἔζηκα = ἔσταλται). Contra: a) The most prominent example of a verb beginning with στ has in fact ἑ- < *se- in the perfect reduplication (ἕστηκα); b) the words with /ts/ > σ(σ) also have ἐ-: Homer ἔσσυμαι, -ται, Ion. ἐσσημένῳ.
 * 8) Alcman, Sappho, Alcaeus and Theocritus have σδ for Attic-Ionic ζ. Contra: The tradition would not have invented this special digraph for these poets if  was the normal pronunciation in all Greek. Furthermore, this convention is not found in contemporary inscriptions, and the orthography of the manuscripts and papyri is Alexandrine rather than historical. Thus, σδ indicates only a different pronunciation from Hellenistic Greek, i.e. either  or.
 * 9) The grammarians Dionysius Thrax and Dionysius of Halicarnassus class ζ with the "double" (διπλᾶ) letters ψ, ξ and analyse it as σ + δ. Contra: The Roman grammarian Verrius Flaccus believed in the opposite sequence, δ + σ (in Velius Longus, De orthogr. 51), and Aristotle says that it was a matter of dispute (Metaph. 993a) (though Aristotle might as well be referring to a  pronunciation). It is even possible that the letter sometimes and for some speakers varied in pronunciation depending upon word position, i.e., like the letter X in English, which is (usually) pronounced [z] initially but [gz] or [ks] elsewhere (cf. Xerxes).
 * 10) Some Attic transcriptions of Asia Minor toponyms (βυζζαντειον, αζζειον, etc.) show a -ζζ- for ζ; assuming that Attic value was, it may be an attempt to transcribe a dialectal  pronunciation; the reverse cannot be ruled completely, but a -σδ- transcription would have been more likely in this case. This suggests that different dialects had different pronunciations. (For a similar example in the Slavic languages, cf. Serbo-Croatian (iz)među, Russian между, Polish między, and Czech mezi, "between".)

Arguments for [dz]

 * 1) The Greek inscriptions almost never write ζ in words like ὅσδε, τούσδε or εἰσδέχται, so there must have been a difference between this sound and the sound of ἵζω, Ἀθήναζε. Contra: a few inscriptions do seem to suggest that ζ was pronounced like σδ; furthermore, all words with written σδ are morphologically transparent, and written σδ may simply be echoing the morphology. (Note, for example, that we write "ads" where the morphology is transparent, and "adze" where it is not, even though the pronunciation is the same.)
 * 2) It seems improbable that Greek would invent a special symbol for the bisegmental combination, which could be represented by σδ without any problems. , on the other hand, would have the same sequence of plosive and sibilant as the double letters of the Ionic alphabet ψ  and ξ , thereby avoiding a written plosive at the end of a syllable. Contra: the use of a special symbol for  is no more or no less improbable than the use of ψ for   and ξ for , or, for that matter, the later invention ϛ (stigma) for , which happens to be the voiceless counterpart of .  Furthermore, it is not clear that ζ was pronounced  when it was originally invented.  Mycenean Greek had a special symbol to denote some sort of affricate or palatal consonant; ζ may have been invented for this sound, which later developed into . (For a parallel development, note that original palatal Proto-Slavic  developed into  in Old Church Slavonic, with similar developments having led to combinations such as зд and жд being quite common in Russian.)
 * 3) Boeotian, Elean, Laconian and Cretan δδ are more easily explained as a direct development from *dz than through an intermediary *zd. Contra: a) the sound development dz > dd is improbable (Mendez Dosuna); b) ν has disappeared before ζ > δδ in Laconian πλαδδιῆν (Aristoph., Lys. 171, 990) and Boeotian σαλπίδδω (Sch. Lond. in Dion. Thrax 493), which suggests that these dialects have had a phase of metathesis (Teodorsson).
 * 4) Greek in South Italy has preserved  until modern times. Contra: a) this may be a later development from  or  under the influence of Italian; b) even if it is derived from an ancient, it may be a dialectal pronunciation.
 * 5) Vulgar Latin inscriptions use the Greek letter Z for indigenous affricates (e.g. zeta = diaeta), and the Greek ζ is continued by a Romance affricate in the ending -ίζω > Italian. -eggiare, French -oyer. Italian, similarly, has consistently used Z for  and  (Lat. prandium > It. pranzo, "lunch"). Contra: whether the pronunciation of ζ was,  or , di would probably still have been the closest native Latin sound; furthermore, the inscriptions are centuries later than the time for which  is assumed.

Summary

 * σδ is attested only in the lyric poetry of the Greek isle of Lesbos and the city-state of Sparta during the Archaic Age and in Bucolic poetry from the Hellenistic Age. Most scholars would take this as an indication that the -pronunciation existed in the dialects of these authors.
 * The transcriptions from Persian by Xenophon and testimony by grammarians support the pronunciation in Classical Attic.
 * is attested from c. 350 BC in Attic inscriptions, and was the probable value in Koine.
 * or may have existed in some other dialects in parallel.

Numeral
Zeta has the numerical value 7 rather than 6 because the letter digamma (ϝ, also called 'stigma' as a Greek numeral) was originally in the sixth position in the alphabet.

Mathematics and science
The uppercase zeta is not used, because it is normally identical to Latin Z. The lower case letter can be used to represent:
 * The Riemann zeta function in mathematics
 * The damping ratio of an oscillating system in engineering and physics
 * The rotational quantity of angular jerk in physics
 * The effective nuclear charge on an electron in quantum chemistry
 * The electrokinetic potential in colloidal systems
 * The lag angle in helicopter blade dynamics
 * Relative vorticity in the atmosphere and ocean
 * A number whose discrete values (eigenvalues) are the positive roots of transcendental equations, used in the series solutions for transient one-dimensional conduction equations
 * The heat flux across or through a plane (industrial materials technology)
 * The Weierstrass zeta-function
 * In physical chemistry equilibrium computations (using lower case Zeta (ζ)), the extent of reaction
 * The height of the surface of a fluid layer

ZETA (fusion reactor) (all uppercase) was an early fusion experiment.

Mathematical Zeta
The following characters are used only as mathematical symbols. Stylized Greek text should be encoded using the normal Greek letters, with markup and formatting to indicate text style.

General references

 * Hinge, George. “Die Aussprache des griechischen Zeta”, in Die Sprache Alkmans: Textgeschichte und Sprachgeschichte. PhD dissertation. Aarhus: Aarhus University Press, 2001, pp. 212–234 =
 * Méndez Dosuna, Julián. “On <Ζ> for <Δ> in Greek dialectal inscriptions”, Die Sprache 35 (1993): 82–114.
 * Rohlfs, Gerhard. 1962. “Die Aussprache des z (ζ) im Altgriechischen”, Das Altertum 8 (1962): 3–8.
 * Sheets, George A. “The Pronunciation of Classical Attic Zeta” Classical Continuum 2023.07.25.
 * Teodorsson, Sven-Tage. “On the pronunciation of ancient greek zeta”, Lingua 47, no. 4 (April 1979): 323–32.
 * Teodorsson, Sven-Tage. “The pronunciation of zeta in different Greek dialects”, in Dialectologia Graeca: Actas del II Coloquio internacional de dialectología griega, eds. E. Crespo et al. Madrid: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 1993, pp. 305–321.
 * Teodorsson, Sven-Tage. “The pronunciation of zeta in different Greek dialects”, in Dialectologia Graeca: Actas del II Coloquio internacional de dialectología griega, eds. E. Crespo et al. Madrid: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 1993, pp. 305–321.

title: Zeta


text:
Zeta (disambiguation)

Zeta (Ζ or ζ) is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet.

Zeta or ZETA may also refer to:

Manufacturing

 * GM Zeta platform, a full-size car series
 * Zeta (automobile), an Australian car produced by Lightburn

Organizations

 * FK Zeta, a Montenegrin football club
 * Los Zetas, a criminal drug cartel in Mexico
 * Zeta Global, an internet marketing firm
 * Zeta India, an India fintech firm
 * Motorcycle-mounted special operations branch of the Greek police

People

 * Zeta (name), list of people and fictional characters with the name

Places

 * Zeta Banovina, a province of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941
 * Zeta (medieval region), a medieval region in southern parts of modern Montenegro and some northern parts of Albania
 * Zeta (crown land), a part of the medieval Serbian state, from the end of the 12th to the middle of the 14th century
 * Principality of Zeta, a medieval principality, from the middle of the 14th up to the end of the 15th century
 * Zeta Plain, a plain in Montenegro
 * Zeta (river), a river in Montenegro
 * Zeta Municipality, a municipality in Montenegro
 * Zeta, Missouri, a ghost town in the United States

Science

 * Zeta distribution, a discrete probability distribution
 * ZETA (fusion reactor), the Zero-Energy Toroidal (or Thermonuclear) Assembly reactor, a British test facility
 * Zeta (wasp) a genus of potter wasps
 * Zeta pinch or Z-pinch, a type of plasma confinement system
 * Zeta potential, the electrokinetic potential of a colloidal system
 * Riemann zeta function, a function used in analytic number theory
 * Zeta function, any of a number of functions analogous to the Riemann zeta function
 * SARS-CoV-2 Zeta variant, one of the variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19

Video games

 * Mothership Zeta, a location in Fallout 3
 * Zeta Metroid, a type of Metroid from the Metroid franchise

Other uses

 * List of storms named Zeta
 * magnussoft ZETA, a computer operating system
 * Via de Zenta or Zeta, a medieval road connecting the Adriatic with Nemanjić' Serbia
 * Zeta, a Baja California investigative journalism newsweekly
 * Zéta, a Hungarian wine grape
 * USS Zeta, U.S. Navy ship

title: Zeta (disambiguation)


text:
Jimmy Buffett

James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapism" and promoted enjoying life and following passions. Buffett recorded many hit songs, including those known as "The Big 8": "Margaritaville" (1977), which is ranked 234th on the Recording Industry Association of America's list of "Songs of the Century"; "Come Monday" (1974); "Fins" (1979); "Volcano" (1979); "A Pirate Looks at Forty" (1974); "Cheeseburger in Paradise" (1978); "Why Don't We Get Drunk" (1973); and "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" (1977). His other popular songs include "Son of a Son of a Sailor" (1978), "One Particular Harbour" (1983), and "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" with Alan Jackson (2003). Buffett formed the Coral Reefer Band in 1975.

Of the over 30 albums released by Buffett, eight are certified gold and nine are certified platinum or multi-platinum by the RIAA. In total, Buffett sold over 20 million certified records worldwide, placing him amongst the world's best-selling music artists. In addition to two Grammy Award nominations, Buffett will be posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence category in 2024.

Buffett also parlayed the "island escapism" lifestyle of his music into several business ventures, including Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville restaurant chain, the now-defunct Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant chain, and ventures in hotels, casinos, liquor, and retirement communities. With a net worth of $1 billion, Buffett was one of the world's richest musicians. He was also a bestselling author. His devoted fans are known as "Parrotheads".

Early life
Buffett was born on December 25, 1946, in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and he spent part of his childhood in Mobile and Fairhope, Alabama. He was the son of Mary Lorraine (née Peets) (died September 25, 2003) and James Delaney Buffett, Jr. (died May 1, 2003), who worked for the United States Army Corps of Engineers. He has two younger sisters, Laurie (born 1948) and Lucy (born 1953).

As a child, Buffett was exposed to sailing: his grandfather, James Delaney Buffett, was a steamship captain from Newfoundland, and his father was a marine engineer and sailor—these experiences later influenced his music. Buffett was educated by Jesuits as a Catholic and served as an altar boy.

In 1961, after seeing a folk music ensemble perform in Biloxi, Mississippi, Buffett realized that he wanted to be a musician. His first performance was a month later at a hootenanny, where he played a Stella guitar.

Buffett attended St. Ignatius School, where he played the trombone in the school band at age 8 in the 1950s. Buffett graduated from McGill Institute in 1964.

Buffett enrolled at Auburn University and was taught how to play guitar by a Sigma Pi fraternity brother to "garner attention from girls". Buffett failed out of Auburn after a year, in April 1966, "unable to balance his newfound interests in music and girls with his college classes". In 1966, Buffett played acid rock in a band called the Upstairs Alliance that was trying to sound like Jefferson Airplane. He continued college at Pearl River Community College and the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and got a bachelor's degree in history in 1969. In college, Buffett worked in a shipyard as an electrician and welder. He avoided serving in the Vietnam War due to a college deferment and a failed physical exam.

Music career
After graduating in 1969, Buffett moved to New Orleans and often held street performances for tourists on Decatur Street and played for drunken crowds in the former Bayou Room nightclub on Bourbon Street. In 1970, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to further his country music career. Buffett did not have much luck with music jobs but got a job working as an editorial assistant for Billboard, where he was the first to report that the bluegrass duo Flatt and Scruggs had disbanded.

Buffett signed a two-album contract with Barnaby Records. He released his first album, the country-tinged folk rock record Down to Earth, in August 1970; it sold 324 copies. The masters of his second album, High Cumberland Jubilee, recorded in 1971 in Berry Hill, Tennessee, were allegedly lost by the label before the album was released, although they were found in 1976, once Buffett became popular.

In the fall of 1971, after an impromptu audition, Buffett was hired by the Exit/In, a Nashville club, as the opening act for recording artist Dianne Davidson. Unhappy with the business climate in Nashville and with his first marriage heading for divorce, Buffett took up an offer by fellow country singer Jerry Jeff Walker, whom he had met while working as a journalist in Nashville, for lodging in his house in Coconut Grove. In November 1971, they went to Key West on a busking expedition; Buffett liked it so much that he moved there in the spring of 1972. There, Buffett got involved in the literary scene, meeting writers Thomas McGuane (who married Buffett's sister ), Jim Harrison, Tom Corcoran, and Truman Capote; sex and drugs were plentiful. Buffett was hired by David Wolkowsky, playing for drinks at the Chart Room Bar in the Pier House Motel. There, Buffett met his second wife. From a connection he made there, Buffett was hired as the first mate on the yacht of industrialist Foster Talge, heir to The Rival Company, which became his day job.

In 1973, Buffett signed a recording contract with ABC/Dunhill Records, then run by Don Gant. After Jim Croce died in a plane crash in September 1973, Dunhill promoted Buffett as a replacement.

Buffett's second release and his first release on ABC/Dunhill Records was A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean, recorded at Tompall Glaser's studio on Music Row and released in June 1973. The album featured the hit singles "Grapefruit—Juicy Fruit" and "Why Don't We Get Drunk" as well as "I Have Found Me a Home", written about his experiences in Key West. Buffett used the money he made from the album to buy his first boat.

Living & Dying in 3/4 Time, recorded in October 1973 and released in February 1974, deviated from the island-theme of Buffett's other albums. It included "Come Monday", written for his then-girlfriend and future wife, his first single to place on the Billboard Hot 100. A1A, released in December 1974, included "A Pirate Looks at Forty", written about a drug smuggler.

In 1975, Buffett formed the Coral Reefer Band. He credits his future wife for cleaning up their look, replacing their ripped Levi jeans and collarless shirts. The band was the opening act for the Eagles in August 1975.

Havana Daydreamin', produced by Don Gant, was released in January 1976. In January 1977, Buffett released Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes, which, in addition to the title track, featured his breakthrough hit song "Margaritaville". Buffett claims that he wrote most of the song in six minutes. Ironically, while it attempts to negatively portray tourists in Key West, it led to an increase in tourism to the city. That year, Buffett sublet his apartment in Key West to Hunter S. Thompson.

Buffett first traveled to Saint Barthélemy in 1978 and moved there shortly thereafter, where he got the inspiration for songs and characters in his books.

In March 1978, Buffett released Son of a Son of a Sailor. In addition to the title track, it featured "Cheeseburger in Paradise", which reached number 32 on the Hot 100. In August 1979, he released Volcano, which included "Fins" and the title track.

In 1983, Buffett filed and won a lawsuit against Chi-Chi's for attempting to trademark "Margaritaville" as a drink special. In October 1985, he released the compilation album Songs You Know By Heart, which included all of the "Big Eight" songs and was his best selling album, selling over 7 million copies by 2005.

In 1994, Buffett dueted with Frank Sinatra on a cover of "Mack the Knife" on Sinatra's final studio album, Duets II. In 1996, Buffett penned the song "Jamaica Mistaica" for his Banana Wind album based on a January 1996 incident in which Buffett's Grumman HU-16 airplane named Hemisphere Dancer was shot at by Jamaican police, who believed the craft to be smuggling marijuana. The aircraft sustained minimal damage. The plane was carrying Buffett, as well as Bono of U2, his wife, and two children, and Island Records producer Chris Blackwell, and co-pilot Bill Dindy. The Jamaican government acknowledged the mistake and apologized to Buffett.

In April 1998, Buffett released an album of songs from a musical theatre production he co-created based on Herman Wouk's novel, Don't Stop the Carnival; was certified gold. After Frank Sinatra died the following month, he attended his funeral. Buffett's song "Math Suks", released in May 1999, was condemned by the U.S. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the National Education Association for its alleged negative effect on children's education. Comedian Jon Stewart also jokingly criticized the song on The Daily Show during a segment called "Math Is Quite Pleasant".

By 1999, Buffett had shifted to a more relaxed concert schedule of around 20–30 dates per year, with infrequent back-to-back nights, preferring to play only on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. This schedule provided the title of his 1999 live album.

In 2003, Buffett partnered in a partial duet with Alan Jackson for the song "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere", which spent a then record eight weeks atop the Hot Country Songs charts. This song won the 2003 Country Music Association Award for Vocal Event of the Year, Buffett's first award in his 30-year recording career.

Buffett's album License to Chill, released on July 13, 2004, sold 238,500 copies in its first week of release according to Nielsen Soundscan. With the album, Buffett topped the U.S. pop albums chart for the first time in his career.

In May 2005, Buffett signed an agreement with Sirius Satellite Radio to broadcast Radio Margaritaville, which, from its founding in 1998, was broadcast only online. The channel broadcasts from the Margaritaville Resort Orlando in Kissimmee, Florida.

In August 2006, Buffett released the album Take the Weather with You, which hit number 1 on the country chart. The album included "Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On", written in honor of the survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

In August 2007, Buffett was nominated at the Country Music Association Awards for the Event of the Year Award for his song "Hey Good Lookin'" which also features Alan Jackson and George Strait. Also in August 2007, Buffett received a star on the Mohegan Sun Walk of Fame.

In April 2010, a double CD of performances recorded during the 2008 and 2009 tours called Encores was released exclusively at Walmart, Walmart.com, and Margaritaville.com.

In 2010, Buffett was named the tenth biggest touring artist of the decade, with 4.5 million ticket sales over the previous 10 years.

Since Wyatt Durrette, co-writer of the song "Knee Deep", was a fan of Buffett's, Buffett partnered on the song with the Zac Brown Band, which was released on Brown's 2010 album You Get What You Give. The single was certified platinum in September 2017.

In November 2011, Buffett voiced Huckleberry Finn on Mark Twain: Words & Music, a benefit for the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum, which was released on Mailboat Records.

In August 2013, Buffett released Songs from St. Somewhere; many of the songs were recorded at Eden Rock, St Barths.

In 2020, Buffett released Songs You Don't Know by Heart, a fan-curated collection of his lesser-known songs rerecorded on his collection of notable guitars.

Buffett performed his final full concert at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego on May 6, 2023. He made two further concert appearances, as an unannounced guest at concerts by Coral Reefer Band members, in Amagansett, New York, on June 11 and in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, on July 2, his final live performance before his death.

Equal Strain on All Parts was released posthumously in November 2023. Buffett got the idea for the album title from his grandfather's description of a nap.

Buffett was posthumously selected for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024 in the musical excellence category.

Musical style
Buffett's music combined country, rock, folk, calypso, and pop music with coastal as well as tropical lyrical themes for a sound sometimes called "gulf and western" or tropical rock.

Buffett called his music "drunken Caribbean rock 'n' roll".

"'It's pure escapism is all it is...I'm not the first one to do it, nor shall I probably be the last. But I think it's really a part of the human condition that you've got to have some fun. You've got to get away from whatever you do to make a living or other parts of life that stress you out. I try to make it at least 50/50 fun to work and so far it's worked out.' -Jimmy Buffett"

In 1989, a music critic in The Washington Post described Buffett's music as a combination of "tropical languor with country funkiness into what some [have] called the Key West sound, or Gulf-and-western." The name "Gulf-and-western" derives from elements in Buffett's early music including musical influence from country, along with lyrical themes from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. It is a play on the form of "Country & Western" and Gulf+Western is the former parent company of Paramount Pictures.

In 2020, The Associated Press described Buffett's sound as a "special Gulf Coast blend of country, pop, folk and rock, topped by Buffett's swaying voice. Few can mix steelpans, trombones and pedal steel guitar so effortlessly."

Musical legacy
Musicians that have cited Buffett as a musical influence include Greg "Fingers" Taylor, a former member of Buffett's Coral Reefer Band, as well as musicians that have "latched on to his seaside-and-booze themes" such as Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, and Zac Brown.

"Parrothead" fans
Parrot Head or parrothead is a commonly used nickname for Buffett fans with "parakeets" or "keets" used for younger fans, or children of Parrotheads. At a 1985 Jimmy Buffett concert at the Timberwolf Amphitheater at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, Buffett commented about everyone wearing Hawaiian shirts and parrot hats and how they kept coming back to see his shows, just like Deadheads. Timothy B. Schmit, then a member of the Coral Reefer Band, coined the term "Parrot Head" to describe them. In 1989, the first Parrothead club was founded in Atlanta. The annual Meeting of the Minds in Key West, Florida is a five-day festival held after Fantasy Fest that attracts approximately 5,000 Parrotheads. The Pikes Peak Hash House Harriers and Harriettes have an annual Parrot Head Hash weekend hosted by Yeastee Boy and Bread Box. Buffett's fanbase is composed mostly of baby boomers. His concerts were known for tailgate parties and alcohol consumption.

Writing
Buffett wrote three books, all of which placed on The New York Times Best Seller list. Tales from Margaritaville and Where Is Joe Merchant? both spent over seven months on The New York Times Best Seller fiction list. His memoir A Pirate Looks at Fifty, published in 1998, went straight to number one on the New York Times Best Seller nonfiction list, making him one of the few authors to have reached number one on both the fiction and nonfiction lists.

Buffett also co-wrote two children's books, The Jolly Mon and Trouble Dolls, with his eldest daughter, Savannah Buffett. The original hardcover release of The Jolly Mon included a cassette tape recording of the two reading the story accompanied by an original score written by Michael Utley.

Buffett's novel A Salty Piece of Land was released on November 30, 2004, and the first edition of the book included a CD single of the song "A Salty Piece of Land." The book was a New York Times best seller soon after its release.

Buffett's last title, Swine Not?, was released on May 13, 2008.

Soundtracks
Buffett wrote the soundtrack for, co-produced, and played a role in, the 2006 film Hoot, directed by Wil Shriner and based on the book by Carl Hiaasen, which focused on issues important to Buffett, such as conservation. The film was not a critical or commercial success.

Among his other film music credits are the theme song to the short-lived 1993 CBS television series Johnny Bago; "Turning Around" for the 1985 film Summer Rental starring John Candy; "I Don't Know (Spicoli's Theme)" for the 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High; "Hello, Texas" for the 1980 John Travolta film Urban Cowboy; and "If I'm Gonna Eat Somebody (It Might As Well Be You)" for the animated film FernGully: The Last Rainforest, which was sung in the film by rap artist Tone Loc.

Cameo appearances
Buffett made cameo appearances in Repo Man, Hook, Cobb, Hoot, Congo, and From the Earth to the Moon. He also made cameo appearances as himself in Rancho Deluxe (for which he also wrote the music) and in FM.

Buffett appeared on the Sesame Street special, Elmopalooza, singing "Caribbean Amphibian" with the popular Muppet, Kermit the Frog.

Buffett portrayed helicopter pilot Frank Bama in seven episodes of the 2010 reboot of Hawaii Five-0, in 2011, April 2013, March 2015, January 2017, March 2018, May 2019, and March 2020.

Buffett made a cameo in the 2015 film Jurassic World, where he is seen holding two margaritas while the dinosaurs are set loose in the park.

In 2017, Buffett was the musical guest on the NCIS: New Orleans episode "Rogue Nation", playing the song "I Will Play for Gumbo" in Dwayne Pride's (Scott Bakula) newly rebuilt bar. His final TV appearance saw him busking the same tune on a New Orleans sidewalk to Beth (Amy Schumer) and her fiancée in the 2024 Life and Beth episode "Who Dat?"

In 2019, Buffett had an extended cameo playing himself in the Harmony Korine film The Beach Bum.

Buffett portrayed both himself and a con artist by the name of Dickie Delaney, who pretended to be the famous singer in order to pull off schemes and trick unsuspecting marks on Season 12, Episode 11 of Blue Bloods.

Theatre
In 1994, Buffett began developing a musical based on Herman Wouk's 1965 novel, Don't Stop the Carnival. Buffett wrote the music and lyrics and Wouk wrote the book for the show. Don't Stop the Carnival debuted in Miami, Florida, in 1997 to negative reviews from critics. The show ran only for six weeks in Miami.

Escape to Margaritaville, a musical, ran at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego from May 2017 to July 2017. The show then performed limited runs in New Orleans, Houston, and Chicago, and was well received by critics. The show features a book by Greg Garcia and Mike O'Malley and uses Buffett's classic songs, some of which he rewrote the lyrics to in order to better fit in the context of the story. The show began previews at the Marquis Theatre on Broadway on February 16, 2018, and officially opened on March 15 under the direction of Tony winner Christopher Ashley. The Broadway production received mixed reviews from New York critics and closed on July 1 after 29 previews and 124 regular performances. A national tour launched in Providence, Rhode Island, in the fall of 2019.

Business ventures
Buffett took advantage of the tropical "island escapism" lifestyle that fans of his music sought by launching several business ventures to sell this lifestyle to his fans.

Through his Margaritaville brand, Buffett licensed hotels, casinos, cruise experiences, restaurants and bars, packaged foods, beverages, spirits, outdoor furniture, home goods, appliances, and apparel and accessories.

Restaurants
In 1984, Buffett and a friend opened a T-shirt shop in Gulf Shores, Alabama. After it failed, in 1985, they tried again in Key West, expanding it to what became Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville in 1987. The chain opened restaurants under the Margaritaville and LandShark Bar & Grill names in locations including Atlantic City, New Orleans, Nashville, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Las Vegas, Jamaica, Orlando, Baltimore, and the Cayman Islands. The Margaritaville cafe on the Las Vegas strip was possibly the highest grossing restaurant in the U.S.

Buffett previously owned the Cheeseburger in Paradise Restaurant chain, founded in 2002 in partnership with Bloomin' Brands; it was sold to Luby's for $11 million in 2012 and shut down in 2020.

Record labels
In 1992, Buffett launched Margaritaville Records, with distribution through MCA Records. His MCA record deal ended in 1996. In 1999, he started Mailboat Records to release live albums.

Beer
Buffett sought and received a concert sponsorship from Corona; the partnership was credited for increasing sales of the brand. After deciding that he wanted his own beer brand, Buffett partnered with Anheuser-Busch in 2006 to brew Landshark Lager, now one of the Anheuser-Busch brands.

Casinos
In 2013, Buffett partnered with the Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to open the $35 million Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville-themed entertainment complex at the hotel, which included a Margaritaville Restaurant with a giant blender and tiki bar, a Landshark Bar and Grill, the 5 O'Clock Somewhere Bar, a coffee shop, a retail store, and a gaming area with 12 Margaritaville-themed table games and 160 slot machines.

The Margaritaville Casino and Restaurant in Biloxi, Mississippi, licensed the name from Buffett; it was in operation from May 2012 to September 2014. Plans to bring a Buffett-themed casino to Biloxi had been in process since 2000.

Sports
From May 8, 2009, through January 5, 2010, the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins, now called Hard Rock Stadium, was named LandShark Stadium pursuant to an eight-month naming rights deal. Buffett also wrote new lyrics for the team to his 1979 song "Fins", which is played during Dolphins home games.

As a baseball fan, Buffett was part-owner of two minor-league teams: the Miami/Fort Myers Miracle (1989–2014) and the Madison Black Wolf (1996–2000).

Video games
In 2012, a "Margaritaville Online" game was released by THQ for Facebook. The game was discontinued two years later. In 2016, Buffett partnered with FunPlus to develop a new Margaritaville game.

Retirement communities
In 2017, Latitude Margaritaville, a 3,900-home $1 billion retirement village near Interstate 95 in Daytona Beach, Florida, was announced by Buffett in partnership with Minto Group. The partnership announced similar retirement communities on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, also in 2017 and in Panama City Beach, Florida, in 2021.

Cannabis
In September 2018, Buffett teamed with Wrigley Company heir William Wrigley Jr. II's Surterra Holdings to license "Coral Reefer" brand marijuana; it launched in April 2019. The brand licensing ended in April 2023.

Berkshire Hathaway
In the 1980s, Buffett became friends with Warren Buffett and a shareholder in Berkshire Hathaway, increasing his stake over the years. They called each other "Cousin Jimmy" and "Uncle Warren" though they were not related.

Environmental conservation
In 1981, the Save the Manatee Club, a 501(c)(3) organization, was founded by Buffett and former Florida governor Bob Graham. In 1986, Buffett began work to introduce the "Save the Manatee" license plate, featuring an image of a West Indian manatee, with proceeds going to the Save the Manatee Club. Buffett was also a major donor to the Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory.

In 1987, Buffett lobbied for the reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

Charity performances
Buffett enjoyed playing for U.S. troops; he played at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in 2002.

Buffett performed at several hurricane relief concerts including the Surviving the Storm hurricane relief concert in November 2004, which raised funds to support relief efforts for the four major hurricanes that year: Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances, Hurricane Ivan, and Hurricane Jeanne and a hurricane relief concert in November 2017 with Kenny Chesney and Toby Keith.

In January 2008, Buffett performed a concert in Hong Kong that raised funds for the Foreign Correspondents' Club Charity Fund to support needy children.

On July 11, 2010, along with Jesse Winchester and Allen Toussaint, Buffett, a Gulf Coast native, performed a free concert for 35,000 people on the beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama to draw tourism to the area in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Buffett changed some of the lyrics of his songs to reference the environmental disaster.

Disaster relief
After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Buffett brought tents via his seaplane to donate to those that lost their homes.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, Buffett sent private planes to help ferry supplies and gave a benefit concert in Gustavia, Saint Barthélemy.

Personal life
Buffett married Margie Washichek in 1969; they divorced in 1972. Buffett met his second wife, Jane (née Slagsvol), then a student at the University of South Carolina, at the Chart Room bar while she was visiting Key West on spring break; she never returned to the university. They were married in 1977 in Aspen, Colorado. The Eagles, for whom Buffett was the opening act in 1975, played at their wedding. The couple had two daughters, radio personality Savannah Buffett (born 1979) and filmmaker Sarah Delaney (born 1992), and an adopted son, Cameron Marley (born 1994). They split in the early 1980s due to their partying lifestyle but reconciled in 1991 after she got sober.

Buffett resided in a waterfront estate in Sag Harbor, New York. In September 1998, he sold his properties in Key West for $900,000. In 2010, Buffett sold his house in Palm Beach, Florida, to Jon Stryker for $18.5 million; he had bought the house in 1994 for $4.4 million. At that time, he also owned a 2-unit property in the area, which he purchased in 2002 for $802,000. In 2013, Buffett purchased another house in Palm Beach, with 3,100 square feet, for $1.3 million. In April 2014, he bought a 4,322 square foot house in Beverly Hills, California for $8.25 million. In 2020, Buffett sold a 4,783-square-foot house in Palm Beach for $6.9 million; he paid $4.95 million for it in 2011. Buffett also owned a home in Saint Barthélemy, where he lived on and off in the early 1980s. There, Buffett was part owner of the Autour de Rocher hotel and restaurant. It burned down. He also owned an apartment in the Deutsche Bank Center in New York City.

Buffett was a devoted New Orleans Saints fan, having attended the team's first game at Tulane Stadium in 1967. On April 1, 2012, he had Saints head coach Sean Payton serve as an honorary member of the Coral Reefer Band at a concert in New Orleans in protest of Payton's suspension by the National Football League as a result of the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal.

Buffett was an avid pilot and owned a Dassault Falcon 900 jet that he often used while on concert tours and during his travels. At various points, he also owned a Boeing Stearman, Cessna Citation, Lake Amphibian, Pilatus PC-12, and Grumman Albatross. While attempting to take off on August 25, 1994, around 3:00 p.m. Eastern time, Buffett crashed his Grumman G-44 Widgeon into the waters off Nantucket, Massachusetts. The airplane nosed over, and Buffett was able to swim to safety, sustaining only minor injuries.

On February 4, 2001, Buffett was ejected from the American Airlines Arena (now the Kaseya Center) in Miami during a basketball game between the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks for cursing. The referee who ejected Buffett apparently did not know who he was, and got upset at Heat coach Pat Riley because he thought Riley—who was trying to explain to him who Buffett was—was insulting him by asking if he had ever been a "Parrothead", the nickname for Buffett fans.

On October 6, 2006, Buffett was detained by French customs officials in Saint Tropez for allegedly carrying over 100 pills of ecstasy. Buffett's luggage was searched after his Dassault Falcon 900 private jet landed at Toulon-Hyères International Airport. He paid a fine of $300 and was released. A spokesperson for Buffett stated the pills in question were prescription drugs but declined to name the drug or the health problem for which he was being treated. Buffett released a statement that the "ecstasy" was in fact a B-vitamin supplement known as Foltx.

At a performance by Buffett on January 26, 2011 (Australia Day) at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion, he fell off the stage after an encore and lost consciousness. Coincidentally, Gordian Fulde, a trauma surgeon, was at the concert and close to the stage; Fulde treated Buffett at the scene. Buffett regained consciousness within a few minutes, and was then transported to St. Vincent's Hospital Emergency Centre for treatment and was discharged the next day. Buffett returned to Australia in 2012 for two shows in Brisbane and Melbourne, and made fun of the incident during those shows.

In 2015, Buffett spoke at the University of Miami's graduation ceremony and received an honorary doctorate in music. Wearing aviator sunglasses, he told graduates, from a line in his song "The Pascagoula Run", that "it's time to see the world, time to kiss a girl, and time to cross the wild meridian."

By 2017, Buffett's diet did not include sugar or carbohydrates, except on Sundays, and he no longer smoked marijuana.

Buffett was a supporter of the Democratic Party. He sang in Florida for the Bill Clinton 1992 presidential campaign and again for Bill Clinton in the White House in August 2000. Buffett hosted fundraisers for Democratic politicians, including several for Hillary Clinton in 2016. In 2018, Buffett hosted a concert to support Gwen Graham, daughter of Bob Graham, in the Democratic primary of the 2018 Florida gubernatorial election. In November 2018, he hosted a rally for Florida Democratic candidates Andrew Gillum and Bill Nelson in West Palm Beach, Florida, changing the lyrics of some of his songs to disparage the policies of Rick Scott and Donald Trump. The rally faced some backlash from conservative fans.

Buffett was raised Catholic, although he did not practice the religion later in life.

In 2015, Buffett's hometown of Pascagoula, Mississippi, named a bridge after him in his honor, Buffett Bridge.

A species of crustacean discovered in 2023, Gnathia jimmybuffetti, was named after Buffett.

Illness and death
In May 2023, Buffett was hospitalized to "address some issues that needed immediate attention" and rescheduled tour dates. In late August, he entered hospice care and had a final meeting with family and friends.

Buffett died on September 1, 2023, at age 76, at his home in Sag Harbor, New York, due to complications from Merkel-cell carcinoma, a rare and aggressive skin cancer, with which he had been diagnosed four years earlier. Prior to his death, Buffett had kept his illness private and continued to tour while undergoing treatment.

Various celebrities, politicians and musicians paid tribute to Buffett, including Paul McCartney, Sheryl Crow, Elton John, Snoop Dogg, Al Roker, Andy Cohen, Joe Biden, Toby Keith, Blake Shelton, Pitbull, Drew Brees, and Michael Douglas.

Discography

 * Down to Earth (1970)
 * High Cumberland Jubilee (1971)
 * A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean (1973)
 * Living and Dying in 3/4 Time (1974)
 * A1A (1974)
 * Havana Daydreamin' (1976)
 * Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes (1977)
 * Son of a Son of a Sailor (1978)
 * Volcano (1979)
 * Coconut Telegraph (1981)
 * Somewhere over China (1982)
 * One Particular Harbour (1983)
 * Riddles in the Sand (1984)
 * Last Mango in Paris (1985)
 * Floridays (1986)
 * Hot Water (1988)
 * Off to See the Lizard (1989)
 * Fruitcakes (1994)
 * Barometer Soup (1995)
 * Banana Wind (1996)
 * Christmas Island (1996)
 * Don't Stop the Carnival (1998)
 * Beach House on the Moon (1999)
 * Far Side of the World (2002)
 * License to Chill (2004)
 * Take the Weather with You (2006)
 * Buffet Hotel (2009)
 * Songs from St. Somewhere (2013)
 * 'Tis the SeaSon (2016)
 * Life on the Flip Side (2020)
 * Songs You Don't Know by Heart (2020)
 * Equal Strain on All Parts (2023)

Tours

 * A Pink Crustacean Tour (1976)
 * Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes Tour (1977)
 * Cheeseburger in Paradise Tour (1978)
 * You Had to Be There Tour / Volcano Tour (1979)
 * A Hot Dog & A Road Map Tour (1980)
 * Coconut Telegraph Tour (1981)
 * Somewhere over China Tour (with broken leg) (1982)
 * Homecoming Tour (1982)
 * The Six-Stop American Tour (1983)
 * Feeding Frenzy Tour (1984)
 * Last Mango in Paris Tour (1985)
 * Floridays Tour / World Tour of Florida (1986)
 * A Parrot Looks at Forty Tour (1987)
 * Cheap Vacation Tour / Hot Water Tour (1988)
 * Off to See the Lizard Tour / Buffett Does Ballads Tour (1989)
 * Jimmy's Jump Up Tour (1990)
 * Outpost Tour (1991)
 * Recession Recess Tour (1992)
 * Chameleon Caravan Tour (1993)
 * Fruitcakes Tour (1994)
 * Domino College Tour (1995)
 * Banana Wind Tour (1996)
 * Havana Daydreamin' Tour (1997)
 * Don't Stop the Carnival Tour (1998)
 * Beach House on the Moon Tour (1999)
 * Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays Tour (2000)
 * A Beach Odyssey Tour (2001)
 * Far Side of the World Tour (2002)
 * Tiki Time Tour (2003)
 * License to Chill Tour (2004)
 * A Salty Piece of Land Tour (2005)
 * Party at the End of the World Tour (2006)
 * Bama Breeze Tour (2007)
 * Year of Still Here Tour (2008)
 * Summerzcool Tour (2009)
 * Under the Big Top Tour (2010)
 * Welcome to Fin Land Tour (2011)
 * Lounging at the Lagoon Tour (2012–13)
 * Songs from St. Somewhere Tour (2013–14)
 * This One's for You Tour (2014–15)
 * Workin' n' Playin' Tour (2015–16)
 * I Don't Know Tour (2016–18)
 * Son of a Son of a Sailor Tour (2018–19)
 * Life on the Flip Side Tour (2021–22)
 * Second Wind Tour (2023)

title: Jimmy Buffett