From Mac McAnally:

From Kenny Chesney:

For Buffett Fans, Cunningham delves into the history of the early Coral Reefer Band, sharing how his documentary shines a light on the musicians who helped shape the iconic sound and lifestyle from the very beginning.

“John H. Cunningham has captured a crucial piece of musical history with this film, documenting the early magic of Jimmy Buffett’s band and the lasting impact they made,” says host Paul Leslie.

Beyond the documentary’s creation, Cunningham shares insights into the filmmaking process, the incredible stories uncovered during production, and what it was like preserving the legacy of this legendary group of musicians.

The episode is available now on all major streaming platforms and the official show website.

Steve Huntington joined The Paul Leslie Hour for an interview:

Are you here? You meaning, the listener, and here being: The Paul Leslie Hour. Welcome to episode number 1,011 featuring special guest Steve Huntington!

Long-standing broadcaster Steve Huntington served as both program director and on-air radio personality. And what a great presence on the airwaves he is! Steve has had quite an experience and added to the enjoyment and interest of people from coast to coast and beyond through terrestrial radio, as well as online and satellite radio.

For many of you, Steve Huntington is who you think of when you think about Jimmy Buffett’s Radio Margaritaville. To us, he’ll always be “the voice of Radio Margaritaville,” but of course that’s just our opinion.

After the movie, we headed outside for a very special Concert. Original band members Roger Bartlett and Keith Sykes were joined by Nadirah Shakoor, Tina Gullickson and Doyle Grisham along with Melissa May and Roger’s band for an awesome Coral Reefer Reunion Show.

I’m thinking this was a first with these guys playing together. Good times with great music.

Youtube Link to concert video collage: https://youtu.be/SAeUL0HpmW4

Photos by: Bill & Linda Klipp

Join our FB Group called ” Key West Wanderings” for more of our Local Photography

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www.WildlifePhotos.me
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©All Contents All Rights Reserved Bill Klipp 2026

During a Feb. 12 hearing in Palm Beach, Fla., attorneys for the siblings outlined their divergent views as Buffett’s widow, Jane Buffett, and his longtime adviser, Richard Mozenter, fight to remove one another as co-trustees.

In an answer and cross complaint, Jane has accused Mozenter of “wasting” the trust’s assets and withholding key financial information, while Mozenter has alleged in a complaint that Jane “has been completely uncooperative” and impaired the administration of the trust, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.

As beneficiaries of the trust, Buffett’s three children Savannah, Cameron and Delaney have been drawn into the legal dispute.

Savannah, the eldest of Buffett’s three children, opposes her mother’s effort to remove Mozenter as co-trustee.

Savannah also raised another concern that has surfaced amid the litigation: that her mother may attempt to disinherit her.

The issue emerged in filings last August, when attorneys for Mozenter presented screenshots of alleged text messages between Savannah and Jane in which Jane appeared to threaten to cut her out of the trust while comparing her behavior to that of her siblings.

Jimmy Buffett’s Oldest Daughter Claims Mom Tried to Disinherit Her as Siblings Share Other Concerns in $275M Trust Fight
https://people.com/jimmy-buffett-children-stake-out-different-positions-in-usd275m-trust-fight-11926079

https://coralreeferband.com/pages/tour

Jul 9 — Bethlehem, PA — Wind Creek Event Center
Jul 10 — Atlantic City, NJ — Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena
Jul 11 — Washington, DC — The Theater at MGM National Harbor
Jul 14 — Wilmington, NC — Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park
Jul 16 — Charlotte, NC — Truliant Amphitheater
Jul 18 — Atlanta, GA — Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park
Jul 19 — Orange Beach, AL — The Wharf Amphitheater
Jul 21 — Rogers, AR — Walmart AMP
Jul 23 — Austin, TX — Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park
Jul 24 — Houston, TX — The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Sponsored by Huntsman
Jul 25 — Fort Worth, TX — Dickies Arena
Jul 28 — Highland Park, IL — Ravinia
Jul 30 — Indianapolis, IN — Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park
Jul 31 — Grand Rapids, MI — Acrisure Amphitheater
Aug 1 — Clarkston, MI — Pine Knob Music Theatre
Aug 4 — Holmdel, NJ — PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug 6 — Wantagh, NY — Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
Aug 7 — Gilford, NH — BankNH Pavilion
Aug 8 — Boston, MA — Leader Bank Pavilion 

For more information visit: https://www.ravinia.org/events/detail/jimmy-buffett-coral-reefer-band-260728

Astronomical Society of the Palm Beaches accepts four telescopes from late musician, now seeks permanent home in Palm Beach County.

More than two years after his death, four of Buffett’s telescopes have landed with the Astronomical Society of the Palm Beaches, a gift from the singer’s estate that has reinvigorated the club’s longtime wish upon a star for a permanent home.

The local amateur astronomers are hoping the donation will spark community interest and help raise money to build a modest observatory in Palm Beach County where the Buffett telescopes and others can be shared with the public.

They don’t have a site yet, but they have a potential name: The Jimmy Buffett Memorial Observatory.

“The quality of these scopes is remarkable. They should be great for the club members who want to learn basic astrophotography,” said ASPB President Bob Barr.

Valued at more than $20,000, the scopes are stored at the homes of a few club members. A dedicated home for the club would “allow us to keep his telescope collection together, along with other donated telescopes,” Barr said. 

Buffett owned seven telescopes when he died. His three children each took one. The other four, geared for astrophotography, are more complicated to operate.

“We could have tried to sell them and made some money,” Hinson said, “but I went to Jimmy’s wife and explained the situation: ‘Why don’t you let me find a place to donate them so they can be put to use?’ She agreed 100 percent.”

The goal is for the Buffett equipment to one day be the centerpiece of a modest observatory with a rolling roof, a home base of operation where members can store their telescopes, offer public night viewings and hold monthly meetings. 

Richard Branson bet him a trip into space

As they got to know Hinson, club members learned more about his connection to Buffett and about the musician’s love for the stars.

Hinson, 48, had been working as a special ed teacher at his alma mater, John I. Leonard High School (class of 1995), when he took a year off in 2001 to work as a nanny for Buffett’s children. 

It was the start of what Hinson calls a 25-year “adventure,” traveling on the family’s private plane, often piloted by Buffett, and meeting billionaire Richard Branson, who in 2013 played a charity tennis match against Buffett with a tantalizing prize for the winner: If Buffett won, Branson would send him into space. If Branson won, Buffett would perform a free concert.

“Jimmy was very gracious in defeat, and soon swapped his racquet for his guitar. The music was good that night!” Branson wrote in a blog.

Buffett, himself a billionaire, was credentialed by NASA to cover John Glenn’s return flight in 1998 for Rolling Stone magazine. A year later, he released the album “Beach House on the Moon,” the title song’s lyrics about “… relics from Apollo trips, when the Earthmen came to play, and a hammock from a distant star, out in the Milky Way.”

Read the full article at: Wastin’ away in deep space — Jimmy Buffett’s telescopes gifted to local stargazing club

Quin Travers, treasurer of the Astronomical Society of the Palm Beaches, with the largest of the four Buffett telescopes. (Photo: Courtesy of Bob Barr)

The three smaller Jimmy Buffett telescopes arrayed in Bob Barr’s backyard. (Photo: Courtesy of Bob Barr)

The Key West Historic Bight Management District Board voted unanimously Wednesday to begin contract negotiations with the Berensen-Spottswood group to redevelop Jimmy Buffett’s former Shrimpboat Sound studio into a working recording studio, small retail shop and a small outdoor music venue with a Margaritaville-themed bar.

They hope the project will help showcase Buffett’s impact on Key West and the rest of the Florida Keys.

The board approved a staff recommendation to enter negotiations, which are expected to begin immediately under a 120-day timeline. City staff was also directed to determine a fair market rent for the city-owned property as part of the negotiation process.

Several speakers during public comment voiced support for the plan, including local restaurateur Joe Walsh and bar owner Jim Gilleran, who urged the board to move forward with a project they said would revive the waterfront site while preserving its musical legacy.

Only one person spoke in opposition to the plan, District 1 resident Jack Stewart, saying the last thing the town needed was another T-shirt shop or margarita bar and questioned why a proposal from the Key West Musician’s Collective was not included on the agenda. He also told members that he favored a second proposal that would just retain the building as a recording studio.

City Property Leasing Manager Gary Moreira said that his office never recieved an official proposal from the collective, which was still on its website as of Wednesday afternoon.

The third proposal for the building was as an express wedding chapel.

Project leader Robert Spottswood told board members he has secured commitments for a licensing agreement from Margaritaville Enterprises to use Jimmy Buffett’s name, image and likeness as part of the redevelopment, though it remains unclear how a revived studio would fit within the broader Margaritaville brand, which spans resorts, retirement communities, cruise ships and other ventures.

Spottswood said final design details still need to be worked out. In addition to the recording studio, the plan calls for a small retail store and an outdoor, roughly 20-seat music venue and Margaritaville bar. He said fitting those elements into the project presents a challenge given the building’s roughly 1,444-square-foot footprint, calling layout and design one of the most difficult aspects of the redevelopment.

He added that the development team intends to begin evaluating the property with city staff, a contractor and an architect to determine what structural repairs and upgrades are needed. That assessment would help provide a more accurate estimate of renovation costs and ongoing maintenance obligations for the city.

Port and Marine Services Director Steve McAlearney said once negotiations are complete, a proposed lease and development agreement would return to the Bight board for approval before being forwarded to the City Commission. That process is expected to begin in June.

Shrimpboat Sound, located along the Historic Seaport, has remained largely unused in recent years despite its ties to Buffett’s recording history. The Berensen-Spottswood proposal envisions restoring the site as a functioning studio paired with limited retail and live-music uses intended to draw both working musicians and visitors back to the waterfront.