Jimmy Buffett’s Band Still Wants to Tour Following Singer’s Death

The Coral Reefer Band, the musicians that toured alongside the late Jimmy Buffett, hope to continue playing together after his death.

Mac McAnally, the group's singer and guitarist, shared the desire in a recent interview with Billboard. "The Coral Reefer Band is second family to all of us. We are a family. And Jimmy wants us to continue and we want to continue," he said.

"There’s ongoing discussions about the best way to do that, the most practical way to do that and how to do it in a way that is worthy of the legacy that we’re part of."

The "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" singer died in early September of the rare Merkel cell skin cancer. Buffett was 76 years old. Following his death, his 1985 album Songs You Know by Heart: Jimmy Buffett climbed to No. 4 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and "Margaritaville" reached No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

As far as a potential tour goes, McAnally said "We're going to figure it out and we’re going to do something." They miss being "out there," he noted, "playing [Jimmy's] songs to people and feeling that alternating current go back and forth from the stage to the crowd. I don't know who's got more energy, them or us."

The band currently includes McAnally, keyboardist Michael Utley, steel drummer Robert Greenidge, guitarist/vocalist Peter Mayer, bassist Jim Mayer, drummer Roger Guth, steel pedal guitarist Doyle Grisham, trumpeter John Lovell, percussionist Eric Darken and vocalists Tina Gullickson and Nadirah Shakoor.

McAnally joined the band in the 1990s, but some Coral Reefer members have sung with Buffett for almost 50 years.

They last played alongside Buffett at his May 6 concert at the Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.