Getting his touring year off to an early start, Jimmy Buffett [ tickets ] will take to the road with his Coral Reefer Band on Feb. 8. The tour is scheduled to visit eight cities in Florida, Texas and North Carolina in just over two weeks.

Buffett--who often precedes his popular summer amphitheater tours with winter-spring outings--is expected to announce more dates that will keep him on the road into March. Most tickets will go on sale on Jan. 12 or 13, according to promoters.

Buffett, 54, has long been one of the top draws on the concert circuit. His 2000 outing grossed $24.1 million, and ranked at No. 18 on Pollstar magazine�s list of the year�s top-grossing tours. According to Amusement Business, Jimmy Buffett & the Coral Reefer Band was the sixth-highest-grossing touring act of the '90s, taking in nearly $166.6 million and playing almost 400 shows.

Buffett doesn�t currently have a deal with a record company, and hasn�t announced specific plans to record a new album. However, a new book of Buffett�s short stories is expected to hit the market in May.