By 1989 Jeff Pike had developed an enormous following in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia with his one man, FIRST OF ITS KIND tribute to Jimmy Buffett. In 1991 Jeff formed A1A. In 1992 Jeff and A1A won a Margaritaville Records-sponsored Jimmy Buffett Sound Alike Contest. As the first band ever to showcase a high-energy 4-hour concert composed of nothing except Buffett’s best songs spanning every era of his career, A1A became the only Tribute Band personally sanctioned by Jimmy Buffett. While countless other bands have followed in A1A’s wake and even cited them as their main inspiration, A1A remains the first and foremost Jimmy Buffett Tribute Show.
Jeff Pike and A1A bring to life a highly energetic, colorful, family friendly, Parrot Head Extravaganza Jimmy Buffett Tribute Show and have performed exclusively for clients such as Ted Turner, Bill Gates and Microsoft, CNN, NASCAR, Hewlett Packard, The Atlanta Braves, The United States Navy, Bellsouth, AT & T, Georgia Pacific, The Maui Ocean Center, The Georgia Aquarium, The Georgia Transplant Association, Angel Flight, Delta Com, Team National, The MGM Grand, and many more.
Jeff Pike has performed with Jimmy Buffett in concert, appeared in Jimmy’s MTV Video “Fruitcakes” and was a featured soloist on Jimmy’s “Barometer Soup Radio Special CD.” A1A’s first CD, “A1A – Live” which was produced by Mr. Buffett’s bass player since 1989, Jim Mayer, featured Jimmy’s original harmonica player for 30 years, Greg “Fingers” Taylor, who performed with A1A for several years. The bands second CD featured Jimmy’s saxophone player and horn section leader for 13 years, Amy Lee. Jeff has also performed with Jimmy’s acclaimed guitarist and songwriter Peter Mayer as well as long time Coral Reefer Members Michael Utley and Robert Greenidge. Many members of Jimmy’s band, past and present, have sat in with A1A on many an occasion over the years and it has always been a memorable experience.
In 2009, Grammy Award Nomine and MTV Video Award Winner, Miss Nadirah Shakoor has been performing with A1A. Miss Shakoor has recorded, performed and danced with artist’s such as Paula Abdul, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Al Jarreau, Quincy Jones, Ralph McDonald and Arrested Development, to name just a few. For the past 14 years she has been singing backup and lead with Jimmy Buffett and The Coral Reefer Band. She will be on the road this year with Jimmy Buffett and A1A promoting her new CD “Nod To The Storyteller,” which is available on Jimmy Buffett’s record label, “Mailboat Records.”
Nadirah is available for hire with A1A for an additional fee.
Jeff’s first partner in A1A, Scott Nickerson, started the first Parrot Head Club and PHIP (Parrot Heads In Paradise) in Atlanta Georgia in 1988. This helped pave the way for A1A to be the first and only band to headline the annual Jimmy Buffett “Meeting of The Minds” Parrot Head Convention 8 years in a row, as well as the now legendary Parrot Head Phlockings “Stars On The Water,” “Stars Fell on Alabama, and, the very first Parrot Head Cruises dating back to 1995. Being the first and only Jimmy Buffett Tribute Show for quite sometime A1A was extremely instrumental in the building of the international Parrot Head Club community. They have played all over the United States, the Caribbean, Mexico and Japan, spreading their own unique style of tropical rock music. Simply put, A1A easily inked their place in Parrot Head and Jimmy Buffett history long ago. Heavily instrumental and crucial in the building and shaping of the Parrot Head phenomena as it is today, A1A’s long lasting influence, importance and career cannot be underestimated.
A1A performs as a six piece musical ensemble using the following instrumentation – Three Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Nylon String Guitar, Electric Guitar, Pan Steel Synthesizer Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drums, Keyboards/Sax and Harmonica. Upon request the band can take the visual aspect of our show over the top by adding up to four of The A1A Tropigal Choreographed Dance Team Dancers and/or our A1A Beachwrecked Theme Pirates.
In 2003 A1A released their first all original CD, “Ship Happens!!” June 2008 saw the release of their second original CD, ” Beachwrecked”, which continues to augment the “tropical rock” island genre with the band’s own unique and original style.
Aside from providing the best Jimmy Buffett Tribute on the circuit today A1A travels exclusively with Stewart Sound out of Asheville, NC. Stewart Sound provides top of the line industry standard concert staging, audio and lighting production for A1A, as well as Club Trini, Peter Mayer and Nadirah Shakoor from Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band.
Testimonial
“It is only fitting that we begin with “A1A,” the VERY first of the Jimmy Buffett Tribute Bands. They have appeared at so many Parrothead functions, it’s hard to keep track of. Besides headlining many Phlockings, they have been featured at 8 “Meeting Of The Minds” and been joined on stage at various times by Mike Utley, Robert Greenidge, Amy Lee, Peter Mayer and Fingers Taylor of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band.
“A1A” remains one of the Parrothead favorites, and they have truly been an inspiration to all of the bands that have followed in their footsteps. Parrotheads owe a debt of gratitude to these boys for many reasons. They have been one of the main forces in The PH Evolution”
“Jimmy.com – The Evolution of A Phan”
Published by St. Somewhere Press