Late longtime North Haven resident Jimmy Buffett, the “Margaritaville” singer-songwriter who personified beach culture, was posthumously inducted Saturday into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame about a year after his death.
Rock royalty who honored the breezy party pop frontman of the Coral Reefer Band — whose legions of Parrothead fans flocked to venues and followed him on tour — included Dave Matthews, who was also inducted, and James Taylor.
“Jimmy was sort of a central hero, like a heroic figure in some Greek myth,” Taylor recalled. “His adventure was our adventure. And we got to share his huge love of this life.”
In addition to Dave Matthews Band, the 2024 class of inductees that Buffett joined also featured Mary J. Blige, Cher, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & The Gang, Alexis Korner, John Mayall, MC5, Ozzy Osbourne, Suzanne de Passe, Big Mama Thornton, A Tribe Called Quest, Dionne Warwick, and Norman Whitfield.
Matthews played an acoustic solo rendition of Buffett’s 1974 single “A Pirate Looks at Forty” after recalling how Buffett made Matthews feel like they were old friends even though they were acquaintances.
Buffett was known for making surprise musical appearances in the Hamptons over the years, including at the Palm Tree Festival that he helped create. The tropical rocker’s passing at age 76 came two months after he debuted a new song, “My Gummy Just Kicked In,” during an in-person interview on WLNG 92.1 FM Radio in Sag Harbor. He ranked as one of the richest celebrities, turning his Caribbean vibe into restaurant chains, a hotel, casino and a lifestyle brand.
Taylor concluded the induction by performing Buffett’s “Come Monday” with Kenney Chesney and Mac McAnally.
“He was larger than life, but somehow, at the same time, always right-sized and always authentic,” Taylor said. “Jimmy was a self-made man and a poet. And there won’t be another like him.”