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Key Points Kenny Chesney shares how Jimmy Buffett inspired and mentored him early in his career. The two developed a lasting friendship and collaborated on multiple songs over the years. Chesney pays tribute to Buffett in performances and his upcoming memoir, "Heart Life Music." Kenny Chesney just revealed his favorite memory with his late friend Jimmy Buffett. In an interview with People ahead of the release of his new book Heart Life Music, the country star, 57, shared what he called his “favorite Jimmy story.” “When I went to my first Jimmy Buffett show, I had just moved to Nashville, and I had no money. It was pouring rain, and I was up in the grass [at Starwood Amphitheater] where you go when you can’t afford a real seat. But that night changed my life because I’d never seen anything like it, for someone to give so much love from the stage and connect with an audience like that. I was lying in bed at night going, ‘Wow, I can’t believe what I just saw,'” Chesney began. “And then you fast-forward, and it’s surreal that you become friends with that person and collaborate with that person in the studio and have that person just really inspire you. And that’s what Jimmy was for me,” he continued. “You have people that create space for you to do your own thing, and Jimmy was one of those people.” RELATED: Kenny Chesney Offers Rare Insight Into His Ultra-Private Love Life Buffett died in September 2023 at the age of 76 from Merkel cell carcinoma. After meeting by the pool at a Four Seasons Hotel, the “Margaritaville” singer and Chesney struck up a friendship — and a musical partnership — that lasted decades. In 2018, the pair teamed up for a newer version of “Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season” for Chesney’s Songs for the Saints album. In 2004, the duo recorded Buffett’s “License to Chill” — a song inspired by a Christmas the two spent together in Key West, Florida. “He was so childlike. And I always really appreciated him doing that because he didn’t have to — I got to see a part of Key West through Jimmy’s eyes. And we were really good friends after that day,” Chesney writes in the book. After Buffett’s death, Chesney paid tribute to his mentor and lifelong friend at the 2023 Country Music Association Awards, singing a rendition of “A Pirate Looks at Forty” with Mac McAnally. Chesney also performed at Buffett’s posthumous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2024, teaming up with McAnally and James Taylor to perform “Come Monday.” RELATED: Kenny Chesney Teases Big Changes for Upcoming Shows According to the publisher, Heart Life Music “shares the stories of a kid from small town East Tennessee with a dream fueled by the sports and music around him.” The book traces his path from a high school football star to the early days of his country music career, leading up to the superstardom he enjoys today. Heart Life Music will be published on Nov. 4 and is now available for preorder on Amazon.com or wherever books are sold.
