Inside the Hidden History of Shrimpboat Sound
Tucked away on the waterfront next to the Schooner wharf bar — no flashy sign, no windows, just a white brick building plastered in stickers — sits one of the most legendary secrets in Key West:
Shrimpboat Sound Studio
Jimmy Buffett’s private recording studio.
It’s not on most tourist maps. Most people walk right past it. But for music fans and locals, it’s a quiet shrine to Buffett’s legacy — and a tribute to the island that inspired so much of his sound.
🎙️ A Studio Built for Escape
Buffett had the studio built in the early 1990s, after decades of bouncing between Nashville, Miami, and L.A. He wanted a spot where he could work close to home — without the noise, pressure, or paparazzi.
He found it right here in Key West, in a former shrimp processing building along the old harbor.
It became Shrimpboat Sound — a name that honored the harbor’s roots, back when this stretch of the Key West Bight was lined with shrimp trawlers, unloading their catch daily and keeping the island’s economy alive long before tourism took over.
The studio’s design was simple: low profile, private, and totally hidden in plain sight — just how Jimmy liked it.
🦐 A Harbor Full of Shrimpers
Long before it became home to restaurants, catamaran tours, and sunset bars, the Key West Bight was a working shrimp harbor — one of the most productive in the Gulf.
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In the 1940s and ’50s, this area was called “The Pink Gold Rush,” referring to the massive haul of pink Key West shrimp.
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Shrimpboats lined the docks, and the neighborhood buzzed with fish houses, ice plants, and diesel engines humming into the night.
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Many of those boats have disappeared, but their legacy remains — especially in the name Shrimpboat Sound.’
(if you like this information about shrimpers, stay tuned for one of our next blogs coming soon)
Buffett was deeply connected to the sea, and he chose this spot for a reason: it represented a working-class Key West that he loved — salty, quiet, and real.
🎵 Music Made Here
While it’s a private studio and not open to the public, Buffett recorded many of his later albums here — including “Beach House on the Moon” and “Far Side of the World.”
Over the years, word spread that other big-name musicians stopped in to record or jam:
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Zac Brown Band
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James Taylor
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Kenny Chesney
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Sheryl Crow
But Jimmy kept the place low-key, avoiding the spotlight — just making music where the shrimpers once hauled in their pink gold.
📸 A Local Moment: Make It So at Shrimpboat Sound
On a recent walk along the harbor walk, Captain Howie stopped at Shrimpboat Sound to check on one of our Make It So Charters stickers. Still holding strong among the layers of band logos, fishing boats, and salty brands from around the world.
It’s kind of poetic — a charter company sticker on the wall of a building that helped shape the soundtrack of island life.
🧭 Want to See It?
While you can’t go inside, you can walk right up to it — From the Corner of Sloppy Joe’s bar, head east down Green St until it ends, just a couple of blocks and there it is.
And if you book a private charter with us, we’ll cruise right past the old shrimp docks and give you the local story behind the place most folks overlook.
Shrimpboat Sound isn’t flashy. No big signs. No glass walls.
Just music, history, and a whole lot of Key West soul.
👉 [Book your private Key West charter]
🌴 Real stories. Hidden sights. Local as it gets.