In his latest album, Songs & Stories from the 12 Volt Man, Peter Mayer offers much more than a tribute to his late friend. He delivers a masterful reimagining of the Jimmy Buffett Songbook.
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A life in stories
Jimmy Buffett’s world was a mosaic of adventures and semi-true stories. If you follow the songlines, it’s about more than his lyrics and the depth of his legacy. You’ll realize that Jimmy Buffett’s greatest trade wasn’t just melody or mood. It was being in the story business.
The long collaboration between Peter Mayer and Jimmy Buffett
Peter Mayer’s relationship with Buffett began in 1989 and lasted until the end of Jimmy Buffett’s time on this place we call the world. He became one of Buffett’s main songwriting accomplices across more than 30 years.
Paying homage to great songwriters
Peter has always been the kind of singer and musician who likes to pay homage. For instance, he might play an impeccable version of Paul McCartney’s “Dance Tonight” at a soundcheck. Or he could do a medley of his own “India” with Graham Nash’s “Teach Your Children.” And then there’s his whole album of Beatles songs.
It was inevitable that a collection of Buffett songs would surface. When I heard that Peter would be making this album, my mind flashed back to hearing him perform “The Night I Painted the Sky” at The Evening Muse in Charlotte, North Carolina. He may have gotten stuck on a line, but the interpretation was stunning. Ask anyone who was there. I thought—“he must record that!”
Deep connections to the Barometer Soup era
Knowing that Songs & Stories from the 12 Volt Man was in the works, I thought about Buffett’s 1995 album Barometer Soup, where the influence of the Peter Mayer Group in both the sound and writing is especially evident.
It wasn’t surprising that this album starts with the title track of Barometer Soup, and that four songs total from the album are here. Yet, 12 Volt Man is not so much a tribute to Buffett as it is a reimagining. Mayer came up with the idea of making the first track a medley with a samba tune. It fit perfectly. Unfortunately, there aren’t any writing credits on the CD, but it’s likely an original.
A song with history: Everybody’s Talkin’
There’s a song on this album that Buffett recorded, but didn’t write. Fred Neil’s “Everybody’s Talkin’,” which everyone from Willie Nelson, Frank Sinatra Jr., and Julio Iglesias put their own fingerprint on—with the Harry Nilsson version making a splash in the classic film Midnight Cowboy.
The song meant a lot to Jimmy Buffett, who showed up unexpectedly at a Peter Mayer concert at The Stephen Talkhouse on Long Island in June 2023. Peter was with his son Brendan Mayer when Buffett unexpectedly joined them on stage to perform three songs, starting with “Everybody’s Talkin’.” It would be Buffett’s next-to-the-last public performance.
On this incarnation on 12 Volt Man, Brendan takes center stage with an impressive vocal, on par with these other versions. Having knocked me out with his incredible rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Simple Twist of Fate,” I’m not surprised. Like his father, when he picks a song, it’s to do it justice.
“Everybody’s Talkin’” actually feels like a centerpiece in this collection, which says a lot about Buffett. He wasn’t just a great songwriter, but also had a great instinct about what outside material would work for him.
Musical through-lines and original contributions
There’s a through-line on the album with “Colour of the Sun,” which references Fred Neil. Peter told me: “It’s an oft repeated thread in Jimmy’s on-stage banter, and in his songs. Fred Neil was one of the reasons Jimmy moved to Florida—where the weather suits my clothes.” I think of the lyric about “the worst of beaches” never letting you down every time I’m at the shore or pass over the Ben Sawyer Bridge.
Then there’s an original, “A Land Called Summer,” that Peter wrote with Jimmy’s legacy in mind, but it’s totally Peter Mayer. It was written a few years back, and this is his second recording of the song. Those who know Peter’s music will recognize the distinctive feeling, but it feels completely at home on this 12 Volt Man album.
The story behind the Twelve Volt Man
The song “Twelve Volt Man” was frequently named by Jimmy Buffett as one of his favorites. Peter describes seeing Buffett perform the song solo in the liner notes as “a moment when I saw very clearly Jimmy’s gift of storytelling.”
The real-life “Twelve Volt Man” was an offbeat American fisherman that Michael Nesmith of Monkees fame encountered in Baja, Mexico. This unnamed guy devised his own rig that could play Buffett tapes and power the blender needed to make frozen concoctions using his stash of margarita mix.
Decades later, the legend of the “Twelve Volt Man” lives to see another day with this new version by Peter Mayer. I’ll always wonder if the real-life inspiration for the story ever found out he was immortalized by Jimmy Buffett.
Nesmith told me: “Once you get next to Buffett, you realize he’s special. There’s something going on in his head that does not go on in the mind of a journeyman.” It’s remarkable that Jimmy blended a snapshot of this guy living in a hut with his own mystique.
Peter’s version is full of blues stylings. He gave the song a whole new coat of paint that makes me think Buffett would have likely enjoyed it.
Related: Paul Leslie’s interview with Michael Nesmith
Reviving classics and personal favorites
For many Buffett fans, it’s the 70s era of his catalog that they hold in particular esteem. “Tin Cup Chalice” is the one Buffett song from that decade on 12 Volt Man. Brendan is back on lead vocal duties and adds a purity to this almost prayerful version. “Tin Cup Chalice” was Buffett’s first Key West song, written in his late twenties.
“The Night I Painted the Sky” is the superlative track on 12 Volt Man. I’m biased because of my love for this evocative song. It’s so dreamy and the touches that Jay Oliver adds take the song to another level. It ends with a beautiful coda. Perfection.
Then the album ends with “Take Another Road” and “Changing Channels,” two songs from Buffett’s 1989 album Off to See the Lizard. Along with “The Night I Painted the Sky,” this final sequence is my favorite part of 12 Volt Man.
Related: Paul Leslie’s interview of Peter Mayer & Brendan Mayer.
Changing Channels — a fitting finale with Mac McAnally
“Changing Channels” is such a fitting finale for the record. Buffett and Mac McAnally wrote the song, and Mac McAnally recorded his own stripped-down version a few years ago for his “Once in a Lifetime” album. Five years later, the song gets another life with Peter and Mac coming together to do it as a duet. Their voices complement one another so well that it makes me hope for Peter and Mac to cut a whole LP together.
After having listened to the album over and over, I appreciate it more with every listen. I notice something new every time. Peter Mayer and the musicians managed to make this collection of songs from various eras of Buffett’s career so cohesive.
Related: Paul Leslie’s second interview of Mac McAnally.
A unique blend of Buffett’s songs and Mayer’s sound
What dazzles me about 12 Volt Man is that even though it’s almost entirely Jimmy Buffett songs, it’s still very much a Peter Mayer record. I noticed that the word “tribute” or “Jimmy Buffett” is nowhere to be found on the cover. It doesn’t hide the theme, but it manages to be true to the Peter Mayer sound that so many people love.
12 Volt Man is appealing to many people who have never bought a Peter Mayer CD. Terry Lederer, Artist Services and Product Manager at Little Flock Music told me: “There is so much buzz.”
Related: Paul Leslie’s interview of Terry Lederer.
I’m glad, but not surprised to hear it. So, if this is your first time listening to Peter Mayer, I can promise you that there is so much more.
Now, I want to hear what you think about Songs & Stories from the 12 Volt Man. I’d love to know if you have a favorite track.
I appreciate your listening. As always, I’ll end with my most frequent closing: give yourself the gift of the full experience. Listen to albums from beginning to end, the way they were meant to be heard.
Great music is a reward that you only fully receive when you truly practice the art of listening. You know how.
