A1A—The Official and Original Jimmy Buffett Tribute Show was born in 1991 when lead vocalist, guitarist, and keyboardist Jeff Pike invited drummer and harmonica player Scott Nickerson, founder of the first Jimmy Buffett Parrot Head Club and Parrot Heads In Paradise, to join him in his already successful solo tribute to Jimmy Buffett.
In 1992, the band won a Jimmy Buffett Sound Alike Contest for Margaritaville Records, bringing them to the attention of Jimmy Buffett and his organization. That same year, A1A was the first band to perform at and repeatedly headline for many years the annual Jimmy Buffett ‘Meeting of The Minds’ Jimmy Buffett Parrot Head Convention and many other national landmark annual Parrot Head Events across the country. These performances laid the foundation for the fundamental considerable growth of the National Jimmy Buffett fan base through the Parrot Head Club community and the Tribute, Trop Rock, and Coastal Americana Music genres as they are today. There were no tribute shows in 1992, and due to the massive impact that A1A and the Parrot Head Clubs were having across the country, Jeff and Scott were granted the use of the name A1A – The Official and Original Jimmy Buffett Tribute Show through Jimmy and his management.
During it’s long and popular history, A1A was invited to appear in Jimmy Buffett’s MTV Video, ‘Fruitcakes,” amd Jeff Pike performed “Cheeseburger In Paradise” with Jimmy Buffett and The Coral Reefer Band at Lakewood Amphitheater in Atlanta, Georgia. The show was recorded and released as “Jimmy Buffett’s Barometer Soup Radio Special.” This show and Jeff’s performance still receive regular rotation on Jimmy Buffett’s “Radio Margaritaville” on SiriusXM Radio.
The late Jimmy Buffett and members of his band, the late Greg “Fingers” Taylor, Mac McAnally, Michael Utley, Robert Greenidge, Peter Mayer, Amy Lee, Nadirah Shakoor, and Tina Gullickson, have all performed with A1A over the years. Greg “Fingers” Taylor and saxophonist Amy Lee were featured on the band’s first two live CDs, and Greg was a member of A1A for several years and performed many shows with the band. A1A appeared in the Lions Gate Major Motion Picture Release, ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting.’ The band recorded Jimmy’s classic, ‘Why Don’t We Get Drunk,’ which was included in the movie and on the soundtrack released by Capitol Records.
They have been honored to be requested to perform with Jimmy Buffett and Mac McAnally as their band in a private performance for State Dignitaries and some of Jimmy’s personal friends at The Masters Open in Augusta, Georgia.
Today, the band’s popularity continues to grow, and with Jimmy Buffett’s devastating passing in September 2023, their mission, show, and presence are evermore critically important. The commitment, energy, musicianship, excitement, and continuous honest dedication to preserving Jimmy Buffet’s legacy that has always surrounded a Jeff Pike and A1A performance are an experience and a driving force that has helped the band remain the first, foremost, and longest-running Jimmy Buffett Tribute Show in history.
