Coming off of two consecutive sold-out performances by Coral Reefer Band member Mac McAnally in Pascagoula, organizers with Grand Magnolia Music have announced that their next show will feature yet another Jimmy Buffett protégé.
Mobile native and Nashville resident Will Kimbrough will headline “Jazz Fest Unplugged” on Friday, June 24. Jazz Fest Unplugged is the signature live music series of Grand Magnolia Music, in which it places artists that have played over the years at The Fairgrounds in New Orleans and puts them in an up-close and intimate venue at The Grand Magnolia Ballroom.
Kimbrough, a frequent collaborator with the leader of the Coral Reefer Band, will once again take the stage in Buffett’s hometown. The show is set for 7:30 p.m., and tickets are already on sale at www.grandmagmusic.com and in person at Scranton’s Restaurant in Pascagoula.
“I can’t wait to play the Grand Magnolia again,” Kimbrough, who has headlined the “Jazz Fest Unplugged” series on several occasions before, said. “What a great room for music — especially the kind of music I play and sing. I’m bringing my acoustic and electric guitars, plus my mandolin and who knows what else. I’m ready to put on a great show.”
Buffett has recorded versions of Kimbrough’s songs “Nobody from Nowhere,” “Piece of Work,” “Wings,” and “Soulfully” among others. Little Feat and Buffett recorded Kimbrough’s song “Champion of the World.”
Kimbrough has long been considered an “honorary” member of Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band.
The renowned singer/songwriter/performer has written, recorded and toured with the likes of not only Buffett but Emmylou Harris, Little Feat, Rodney Crowell, Roseanne Cash, and John Prine, just to name a few. He is a former Americana Music Association Musician of the Year.
“Will is a tremendous songwriter, a great guitarist and just an inspirational person.” the legendary Harris said. “There’s nobody out there like him. No wonder everybody wants to work with him.”
Crowell, in fact, is such a big fan of Kimbrough that he recently asked him to play for his birthday party.
“Perhaps the best thing I can say about Will Kimbrough is this: When I grow up I want to be like him,” Crowell said. Kimbrough opened for Crowell at The Grand Magnolia in late 2019, and then joined him on stage during Crowell’s encore.
The Pascagoula native Buffett may have said it best, however, when it comes to Kimbrough’s many talents.
“Will is a wonderful throwback to the now by-gone era of singer, songwriter, musician and entertainer,” Buffett, who has recorded at least one of Kimbrough’s songs on each of his last seven albums, said. “Instead of substituting technology for talent, he has a unique ability to use modern day tools to produce lasting lyrics and melody’s. On stage, he can charm a crowd whether fronting a band, or playing solo. That is why you see his songs on my albums and his face on our stage.”
Kimbrough performed on stage with Buffett in a pair of major musical events, both televised by CMT. He was on stage for both the “Live from the Gulf Coast” concert in Gulf Shores in 2010 as well as the “Crossroads” episode that featured Buffett and the Zac Brown Band later that next year.
“To have an ongoing relationship at that level in this business is really a gift,” Kimbrough says of his writing for Buffett.
He also notes that his experience as a touring sideman for Harris, Buffett, and Crowell has provided invaluable lessons.
“I’ve learned a lot about how to conduct myself in front of an audience,” Kimbrough relates. “Rodney taught me that you’ve got to write every day, even on the days when you can’t sit down in a room by yourself with a note pad for three hours. You’ve got to keep your eyes and ears open, and when something interesting happens or gets said, write it down. I try to write a song first thing every morning, just to keep my chops up.”
