Longtime friends and collaborators, and Mississippi natives, Mac McAnally and the late Jimmy Buffett, will both be awarded Crossroads of American Music Awards at Grammy Museum® Mississippi’s 2026 Gala, set to take place at the Museum in Cleveland, Miss., on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 6 p.m.
Representing the Grammy® Award-winning group Shenandoah for the evening, founding members Marty Raybon and Mike McGuire will join the celebration with a special acoustic performance, featuring select songs in honor of McAnally and Buffett and the friendship and music that connected them.
The event will feature a reception, dinner and cocktails, live music, and a silent and live auction. It will also feature the presentation of the 2026 L.U.C.Y. Award, which honors a K-12 educator from the state of Mississippi who embodies the educational mission of Grammy Museum Mississippi. Additional details will be announced soon.
Both natives of Mississippi, Jimmy Buffett born in Pascagoula and Mac McAnally raised in Belmont, the two musicians first met after Buffett had gotten a copy of McAnally’s self-titled 1977 album. According to McAnally, Buffett followed up by writing him a note that said, “We’re both from Mississippi. We’re both storytellers. We’re going to be friends.” That note blossomed into a decades-long working relationship and friendship during which McAnally wrote or co-wrote as well as produced several songs with Buffett, including “It’s My Job,” “Coast of Carolina,” and “Oysters and Pearls,” amongst others. Though he’d been collaborating closely with Buffett as a songwriter and in the studio since the early 1980s, he officially joined Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band as a touring member in 1993. All in all, Buffett and McAnally’s professional relationship spanned over four decades of recording, songwriting and touring.
For more information: https://grammymuseumms.org/event/lyrics-and-latitudes-2026-annual-education-gala/