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The Master of Deviation
Meet Davis Murray, fleet captain for the annual Caribbean 1500 rally, the "mayor" of St. Thomas, and a salty old Virgin Island sea dog who, on a lark, picked up a guitar and learned a whole new set of tricks.

Aug 18, 2008
By Herb McCormick (More articles by this author)
Herb McCormick
The "master," Davis Murray, conquers deviation, having swung more than 10,000 compasses since the mid-1970s.
Pink. The audience is a resounding shade of pink, their collective tint suggestive of far too much tropical sun and several rounds of lunchtime drinks. "Damn," says a fellow in one of the more ridiculous floral shirts ever created, a mélange of colors that simply do not exist anywhere in the natural world. "We look like tourists."

"That's because," his pal says, a bit too glumly for a party animal on a rippin' trip to the islands, "we are."

It's 3:30 in the afternoon in an open-air courtyard at the exceptionally well-named Point of Sale Mall hard by the gleaming, downtown cruise-ship docks of St. Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The assembled crowd, having spilled ashore from one of the bulbous white cruise ships nearby, represents the Atlanta chapter of what has become an international string of Parrothead Clubs, whose members worship at the altar of all things Jimmy Buffett. They're on their yearly swing through the islands (during which, it should be noted, they raise money for charity), and they're more than ready to be entertained by an authentic island character.

They're not kept waiting.

For suddenly, there before them stands a rather strapping dude in dark shades and baggy Hawai'ian shirt, his Harley-Davidson mug haloed by an unruly blonde helmet, wearing a pair of khakis that look like they were last washed and ironed during the Clinton administration.

"I'm Barefoot Davis," the shoeless one says, strapping on his black, carbon-fiber guitar and nodding at the musicians who've assembled behind him, "and this is the Barefoot Davis Band. Welcome to St. Thomas. It takes an hour and a half to watch 60 Minutes down here. Don't forget that." Then he launches into a song, the refrain of which poses a curious existential question: "How many lies are in that whiskey bottle?"

 
 
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Cruiser Comments 1 Comments
Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Cruising World stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms and Conditions. Click here to read the Privacy policy
i listened, i learned, i loved the music and lyrics! have to get their cd!
DAVEH31419
2008-09-02, 12:46 AM

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