Kenny Chesney, James Taylor Honor Jimmy Buffett At Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction
on Oct 19, 2024
Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett was officially inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday (October 19), just over a year after his death at the age of 76.
Held at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio, the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony was a star-studded event that featured performances from living inductees and award presentations from those in the industry who were impacted by the careers of the inductees.
The ceremony was a night of celebration for parrot heads everywhere as Jimmy Buffett received a long-awaited and much-deserved honor. Buffett was one of many artists honored during the ceremony where Dave Matthews presented the Musical Excellence Award and remembered the late singer with a beautiful rendition of “A Pirate Looks At Forty.”
Jimmy’s wife, Jane, was in the audience as James Taylor then took the stage to officially announce Jimmy Buffett’s induction. Taylor recalled a recent “goodbye party” Jane recently held for Jimmy, saying, “I think it helped us all accept the fact that he’s really gone. I don’t know why that’s so hard to believe.”
Taylor then remembered Buffett’s impact on music and his fans. “His adventure was our adventure. We got to share his huge love of this life. He loved, loved being Jimmy Buffett … He made you feel that,” Taylor shared. “He was larger than life, but somehow, at the same time, always right-sized and always authentic. Jimmy was the self-made man, and a poet, and there won’t be another like him. I just wish I could see him enjoy this moment tonight.”
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Kenny Chesney and Mac McAnally, a longtime member of Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band, joined James Taylor on stage for a tribute performance to honor the late singer. The trio sang “Come Monday,” Jimmy’s 1974 release that became his first Top 40 hit.
See their performance below.
Jimmy Buffett passed away on September 1, 2023, after a valiant battle with cancer.
According to a statement issued by his family, Buffett breathed his last surrounded by his family at his home in Sag Harbor, Long Island. They shared that he had been fighting Merkel Cell Skin Cancer for four years.
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Jimmy continued to perform throughout his sickness, with his last appearance being two months before his death. His final public performance was a surprise during a Mac McAnally set at Sunset Cove in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
Other 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees included Dionne Warwick, Kool & The Gang, Peter Frampton, Cher, The Dave Matthews Band, and Mary J. Blige. Jelly Roll, Keith Urban, Kelly Clarkson, Demi Lovato, and Jennifer Hudson were among the star-studded list of those who performed on behalf of this year’s honorees.
The full Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony can be seen on Disney+ and Hulu. A television special will air on ABC at a later date.
Watch Kenny Chesney, James Taylor and Mac McAnally pay tribute to Jimmy Buffett in the clip below.
