The celebratory track features Mac McAnally, longtime vocalist and guitarist for Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band
A few months after the death of Jimmy Buffett, the Zac Brown Band is paying tribute to their friend with a new song, “Pirates & Parrots.” “We’re all here missing you,” Brown sings, “All the pirates and the parrots sing, ‘So adios my friend, anchor where that ocean ends.” The song, which evokes Buffett’s easy-breezy permanent vacation vibe, features an appearance by singer-guitarist Mac McAnally, who is a member of the late Parrot King’s Coral Reefer Band.
Brown premiered the tune last Thursday at a tribute concert called “Keep the Party Going: A Tribute to Jimmy Buffett at the Hollywood Bowl.” Other performers at the concert included McAnally, Paul McCartney, the Eagles, Jon Bon Jovi, Jackson Browne, Brandi Carlile, and Pitbull.
“I’m so excited for you to hear this song and to pay tribute to Jimmy Buffett,” Brown said in a statement. “It hit me hard when we found out he was exiting the stage, he was an incredible human being. This is a celebration of his life and all of the people that will remember him through his songs.”
Buffett was an immense influence on country music, but especially Brown. He joined him and his band for collabs like 2011’s “Knee Deep” and 2021’s “Same Boat,” and also united for a taping of CMT Crossroads.
Buffett died in September after a four-year battle with Merkel cell skin cancer. President Joe Biden eulogized the singer-songwriter with a message posted to social media. “A poet of paradise, Jimmy Buffett was an American music icon who inspired generations to step back and find the joy in life and in one another,” Biden wrote. “We had the honor to meet and get to know Jimmy over the years, and he was in life as he was performing on stage – full of goodwill and joy, using his gift to bring people together.”