In an email to the Miami Herald, Jimmy Buffett shared a remembrance of his good friend Glenn Frey, who died Monday at the age of 67.

In August of 1975, I was sitting in a dressing room in the Columbia Coliseum in South Carolina, about ready to go onstage. It wasn’t your ordinary gig by any stretch of the imagination, and still gives me “chicken skin” as I write about [it] this morning. We were opening for the Eagles, the best American band of my generation and many to follow. Any band worth their salt started out as an opener for somebody. Opening for the right band at the right time, could be your stairway to heaven.

Earlier in the afternoon Tommy Nixon, one of their road managers, had invited us to watch the Eagles sound check. I sat there with all the members of the Coral Reefer Band in awe, and when it was over, we strolled back through the empty arena towards our dressing room, and I said to my band, “that is the kind of band we want to become.”

Waiting to go on that night seemed like an eternity. Mixed emotions were flowing, fear, excitement, and a lot of “what if’s” were running through my head, when the door suddenly opened and in walked Glenn Frey. That was the first time we met. He greeted me and the band warmly, thanked us for being there (duh?) and said to me how much he loved A Pirate Looks at 40. He wished us luck and then went back out the door. That was the beginning of a long and lovely friendship.

Only a few people really know how significant Glenn, Don, Irving and the Eagles were to my rise through the ranks of bands trying to achieve just a sliver of the success that they had achieved. After that first night, Glenn and I went on to become close friends, songwriting collaborators and neighbors in Aspen. He and Don were instrumental in getting Irving Azoff to become my manager, and eventually open for the Eagles on the Hotel California tour of America, which was the rocket ship we rode to eventually becoming a headliner.

When the Eagles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, they asked me to give their induction speech. I was humbled. Glenn was a true friend, a true professional, an inspiration and sometimes could be a handful. I cherish great memories of our time spent together and will never forget his kindness that first night and our friendship for all these years. My heart goes out to Cindy, Deacon, Taylor and Otis. He rocked all our worlds.

Read more at The Miami Herald.

BuffettWorld would like to wish the chief parrothead a happy 69th birthday today!

Born December 25th, 1946 to James Delaney Buffett and Mary Loraine, Jimmy shares his birthday with Humphrey Bogart, Sir Isaac Newton, Barbara Mandrell, Sissy Spacek, Annie Lennox, Justin Trudeau, Karl Rove, and Jesus Christ.

Happy birthday Jimmy and Merry Christmas everyone!

Look for our 2015 Year in Review soon!

Jimmy Buffett was in New Orleans on Friday for the memorial service for his friend Allen Toussaint.

Jimmy and Allen at the New Orleans Jazz Fest in 2014

World-renowned stars and home folks who love New Orleans’ rich musical heritage crowded into a historic theater Friday to bid farewell in words and song to Allen Toussaint, a prolific songwriter, performer and producer who died last week at age 77.

Jimmy Buffett sang “Fortune Teller.” Davell Crawford accompanied himself on piano, singing a haunting version of “Southern Nights,” the New Orleans-born Toussaint’s reminiscence of childhood visits to relatives in rural south Louisiana. Other performers included John Boutte, Dr. John and New Orleans’ “Queen of Soul” Irma Thomas, who said farewell with a gospel tune. The Preservation Hall Brass Band joined Trombone Shorty to close out the performances with a rousing “I’ll Fly Away.”

The tribute was at the Orpheum, recently renovated and reopened a decade after it was damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The performances were carried live on the city’s community radio station WWOZ. Toussaint’s body lay in repose in a closed casket in the theater.

Toussaint died from a heart attack on Nov. 10 while on tour in Spain. A private burial is planned Saturday.

Jimmy Buffett was in Pascagoula, Mississippi on Saturday as the city renamed a bridge after the native son.

Buffett played a concert for the first time on the sands of Pascagoula after the city dedicated the bridge over Baptiste Bayou in his honor.

“I was thinking earlier about how I’ve never actually played here,” he said. “I figure today is a great day to start.”

Buffett played his celebratory concert along with seven-time CMA Musician of the Year Mac McAnally.

His fans erupted as their homegrown star began the concert with the chords to his song “The Pascagoula Run,” which he originally released in 1989.

“I always return to Pascagoula in song and in thought,” he said. “Most of my songs were inspired by my younger years along the Gulf Coast.”

Before the concert, Mayor Jim Blevins presented Buffett with a key to the city and officially renamed the little bridge the Jimmy Buffett Bridge.

“We know that bridge will lead Jimmy around the world,” he said. “But it will also lead him back home.”

Blevins said Buffett used to go crabbing in Baptiste Bayou when he was a child and is more than welcome to go crabbing there again.

“What Jimmy doesn’t know is I’ve got some chicken meat in my car ready to go after the concert,” the mayor said. “The invite is always extended.”

The state legislature also proclaimed May 6 as Jimmy Buffett Day in honor of Buffett’s parents’ wedding anniversary.

Councilman Freddy Jackson said signs will be erected at Pascagoula’s three entrances touting it as Buffett’s birthplace.

“As people go through Pascagoula, they will know it’s capable of producing great people like Jimmy,” he said. “It’s time people know Pascagoula was the birthplace of a worldwide superstar.”

Read more at The Sun Herald.

The city of Pascagoula will rename a bridge after native son Jimmy Buffett on September 19th.

Buffett is expected to be in attendance on Saturday, Sept. 19 for the dedication of Jimmy Buffett Bridge, which spans the Baptiste Bayou.

The day will transform into one of celebration and song, as Buffett is expected to bring his guitar with him and perform a brief acoustic set to commemorate the occasion while accompanied by Coral Reefer guitarist and seven time Country Music Association Musician of the Year Mac McAnally on the beach at the corner of 11th Street and Beach Boulevard.

City officials will present Buffett with a key to the City, and the City and State Legislature will proclaim May 6th Jimmy Buffett Day at the local and state levels in honor of his parents’ wedding anniversary. Jimmy Buffett signage will also be placed at Pascagoula’s three entrances advertising it as his birthplace.

The singer-songwriter, author, actor, and entrepreneur was born Christmas Day, 1946 in the old Jackson County Hospital in Pascagoula. He moved to Mobile with his parents when he was a child.

Read more at GulfLive.com.