Mailboat RecordsJimmy Buffett has scored his highest-charting album in almost 16 years, as his new release, Life on the Flip Side, has debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200.
The record notched 75,000 equivalent album units earned, 74,000 of which were for album sales, during its first week out. Buffett’s only studio album ever to nab a higher spot on the chart was License to Chill, which bowed at #1 back in July of 2004.
Sales of Life on the Flip Side were enhanced by a special redemption offer that bundled a copy of the album with concert tickets. The offer originally was connected to a series of shows Buffett had scheduled this year from May through October. Some of those have since been canceled, while many others were postponed to a later date. Only album sales attached to the rescheduled concerts were counted as part of the Billboard chart figures.
Overall, the 73-year-old singer/songwriter has had 40 charting albums on the Billboard 200, 12 of which have reached the top 10.
Life on the Flip Side is Jimmy’s first album of new original tunes since 2013’s Songs from St. Somewhere.
In other news, Buffett is slated to make his Grand Ole Opry debut on Saturday, June 27, when he will perform alongside country star Brad Paisley and Mac McAnally, one of the producers behind Life on the Flipside.
The famous Nashville venue continues to operate each week with a small staff following social distancing protocols, with the artists performing acoustically while spaced six feet apart on the stage. Since March 14, the Opry has been closed to the public.
Fans can watch the weekly show on the Circle TV network and stream it on Circle’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
By Matt Friedlander and Cillea Houghton
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