“I Had a Lump in My Throat”: Kenny Chesney on His Emotional Tribute to Jimmy Buffett with James Taylor and Mac McAnally

The touching Rock & Roll Hall of Fame tribute performed by Kenny Chesney, James Taylor and Mac McAnally in honour of their late friend, Jimmy Buffett, remains one of the most moving homages delivered at the iconic venue in recent memory.

Chesney, Taylor and McAnally were all close to the sun-chasing, margarita-toasting sailor, making this performance at Buffett's posthumous Hall of Fame induction extra moving.

In his new book, HEART*LIFE*MUSIC, written with Holly Gleason, Chesney reflects on the emotional weight he felt heading into that performance, and stresses how special it was getting to share the stage with Taylor and his good buddy McAnally.

Chesney shares how the invitation to be a part of the induction brought a torrent of memories of Buffett flooding back, “When the call came from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to come to Cleveland and sing for my friend Jimmy's induction, it was a lot to take in. How much I loved Jimmy's carefree being, his curiosity, the way he treasured things most people never noticed, not to mention how his songwriting, those character sketches held together by truth, had inspired me”.

The ‘I Go Back’ hitmaker goes on to stress that, despite comparisons often being drawn, it was never his intention to copy Buffett. Rather, he wanted to reimagine the Gulf and Western trailblazer's island-inspired, glass-half-full sound for a new audience.

Chesney muses, “I'd never wanted to be Jimmy Buffett, as the less generous critics insist. I wanted to do for people in East Tennessee what Jimmy did for folks in Alabama where he grew up. Like Jimmy, I wanted to take people far away from their problems for a few hours, make them forget and feel happy, calm, and alive”.

He recalls how he thought of Buffett on the flight over to Cleveland, with the bitter weather reminding him of how both artists would always try to avoid the cold wherever possible. Nonetheless, Chesney stresses that he wouldn't have missed this event for the world, “I wanted to be there, and I wanted to show up with my heart open”.

The five-time CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year winner describes Taylor, who was a key influence on his music, as “one of the kindest people”, before sharing that McAnally decided to bring up Buffett's famous guitar on-stage alongside them, as well as the ‘Come Monday’ crooner's ashes, so he would be present with them.

Chesney concludes, “Even in death, Jimmy Buffett, flyer of seaplanes, surfer, author, rogue, father, friend, and Key West folkie, found a way to not miss the party. On the night he was to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Jimmy was in the house”.

Chesney has never shied away from the fact that Buffett was one of the first artists to expand his musical horizons, and show him that country music didn't have to be landlocked.

Many view Chesney as having taken the Gulf and Western baton from Buffett, with the former synonymous with his stellar catalogue of feel-good, uplifting and beachside anthems.

Chesney and McAnally in particular are making a concerted effort to continue Buffett's legacy, along with other artists that have been inspired by the pioneering ‘A Pirate Looks at Forty’ singer-songwriter, such as Zac Brown Band and Niko Moon.

McAnally still performs as part of Buffett's Coral Reefer Band, and in a 2025 interview with Holler, the prolific songsmith revealed that he would be sifting through Buffett's archives of unreleased material to release at some point in the future.

Before we get to hear those forthcoming tracks, you can find us rewatching Chesney, Taylor and McAnally's induction tribute, perhaps shedding a tear or two and putting on Songs You Know By Heart, and raising a margarita in Buffett's honour.

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