The Jimmy Buffett Tribute Zac Brown Started Writing Before the “Margaritaville” Legend’s Death: “He Passed Us the Torch”

“He’s the closest thing we have to a Mark Twain in this time,” said Zac Brown of Jimmy Buffett, two months after the “Margaritaville” icon died in 2023. A longtime fan of Buffett’s songwriting and outside work, including the books he wrote—A Pirate Looks at Fifty (1999), Tales from Margaritaville (2002), and A Salty Piece of Land (2004), among others—Brown considered Buffett a friend and mentor throughout the years.

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“He had such an incredible gift for writing, not just the songs, but his books as well,” added Brown. “He was a super special guy, and he was always at everyone’s service. He built that culture. You can’t buy culture, momentum, or chemistry. You have to earn and build those things, and the culture that he built was incredible.”

Buffett also collaborated with Zac Brown Band, joining them on their 2010 single “Knee Deep,” the story of a man who finds solace, escaping on a boat after a breakup. Released on the band’s second album, You Get What You Give, “Knee Deep” went to No. 1 on the Country chart.

“Pirates and Parrots”

Throughout the years, Brown and Buffett also remained close friends. Before Buffett’s death on September 1, 2023, at 76, Brown says he had already begun writing a tribute to one of his biggest heroes, knowing that Buffett didn’t have much time left.

“It hit me like a truck when I talked to his family,” said Brown. “Heikki [Heikki Larsen, Buffett’s production manager], one of his main guys, told me when I called the house, he said, ‘He’s about to exit the stage.’ I had to get up. I left my bedroom, I went out, and I had to start writing.”

Brown’s lyrics are a fitting send-off for Buffett, the poet, beach bum, and sailor—When the sun goes down, we raise our drinks / All the pirates, and the parrots sing.

Another dollar on the wall
Another poet with a pen
Another beach bum with a dog
Another stranger sailin’ in
And the water’s just as blue
No, you haven’t missed a thing
But we’re all here missin’ you
All the pirates and the parrots sing

So adios, my friend
Anchor where that ocean ends
We’ll pick up where you left off
Strummin’ on a sailor song
We’ll hold down this salty rock
Where it’s always 5 o’clock
When the sun goes down, we raise our drinks
All the pirates and the parrots sing

“There’s a Whole World That Revolves Around Him Being There”

In 2022, Buffett joined Zac Brown again on a remix of their 2021 hit “Same Boat” for the band’s The Comeback (Deluxe) album.

After Buffett’s death, Brown says he couldn’t help but think about the Coral Reefer Band, the crew, and everyone who was part of his team. Coral Reefer Band member and longtime collaborator Mac McAnally also joins Zac Brown Band on “Pirates & Parrots.”

“I started writing because I feel the loss not just as a friend, but I felt the loss for his crew, for his team, for his band,” adds Brown. “There’s a whole world that revolves around him being there. With him being gone, there’s a void that was left with so many people, but he’s gonna live on through his songs. And what an incredible life.”

He continued, “He passed us the torch, and that meant a lot. We’re all only here for a little while, and what we do, and what we put ourselves into, it’s those things [that live on] after we’re gone. And Jimmy will live on through all of the songs and the memories of all of his people, and he’ll continue to new generations.”

Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images