Jimmy Buffett died in September after a battle with skin cancer. His passing left a hole in the hearts of friends, family, and fans the world over. To commemorate the impact that he had on the world of music, the Country Music Association will hold a tribute to the “Margaritaville” singer at the 2023 CMA Awards.
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The tribute will include Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Zac Brown Band, and Mac McAnally. At this time, the Country Music Association hasn’t announced what songs the tribute will include. However, the lineup is more than fitting.
[RELATED: 5 of the Best Jimmy Buffett Collaborations]
McAnally joined the Coral Reefer Band in 1994. He shared vocal duties with Buffett and also played guitar, dobro, and slide guitar for the band. More importantly, McAnally called Buffett and the rest of the band a second family. After nearly three decades of collaboration and friendship, there are few better choices to pay tribute to the late singer/songwriter.
Chesney is also a perfect choice to pay tribute to Buffett. They collaborated on songs including “Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season” together. One could call Chesney Buffett’s spiritual successor. He followed in the late singer/songwriter’s sandy footsteps and infused island vibes into his country sound.
Alan Jackson is another great addition to the Buffett tribute. “Five O’clock Somewhere” is a country classic at this point and wouldn’t have been the same without the “Pirate Looks at 40” singer’s laid-back vibes.
According to a social media post from September, Buffett bonded with the members of the Zac Brown Band during their taping of CMT Crossroads. “Back when we did CMT Crossroads with JB, he said he’d pass the torch on to us. It was one of the greatest honors of my life,” the band wrote in the post. “We will mourn him and we will celebrate one of the most incredible lives of any artist that I’ve ever seen.”
The 2023 CMA Awards will air on November 8 on ABC. Additionally, the event will stream on Hulu and the ABC app. The live broadcast from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena kicks off at 8/7c.
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