Ravinia 2026 Issue 2

In fact, McAnally says that the band often made Chicago an unofficial hub for their touring runs through the Mid- west. “We spent usually three weeks out of every touring year in Chicago, and that was not coincidental,” McAnally says with a laugh. “It was because [Buf- fett] loved it, as we all did.” So, to come back to the Windy City is certainly a happy occasion. “Jimmy was always very conscious about what we played last time we were in Chicago and what people wished they had heard then,” says McAnally. “He was always very conscientious about making a set that pleased as many people as he could please. I’ve never seen anybody go to the detail that he did about that.” He also had a way of making sure a crowd felt like they were getting a show custom made for them—a trait more bands should perhaps follow these days. “He constantly was working in local references and news and such,” McAnally remembers. “He would rewrite the second verse of ‘Volcano’ because of some sign that some lady held up in the fourth row. He just was always ‘on’ in that regard. [ Pause. ] I’m not good enough to do that, but I am good enough to have learned a little bit from the guy along the way.” And as tends to happen a lot these days, the sadness creeps in once again. “No one would ever attempt to replace Jimmy,” McAnally says. “We just want to honor him. If you come to the show at Ravinia, his microphone is going to be in the middle of the stage like always, and there won’t be any- body there. We leave his space for him because I feel like he’s with us all the time.” McAnally’s voice grows ever softer, as the pain over the loss of his friend is still fresh in many ways—especially when he finds himself standing on that vast stage. “We’re just attempting to honor a legacy that we were lucky enough and blessed enough to be part of,” he says. Because while the years continue to pass since Buffett breathed his last breath, the memories of those last days stay so very clear in McAnally’s mind. “All through that summer of ’23, he would literally just call me and say, “Can you come to my house and play?” McAnally remembers. “He wasn’t really strong enough to go out on a full trav- eling tour, but he wanted to play music so much that myself and a couple of the guys from the band would just go up to the Hamptons and play music at his house.” Soon after Buffett’s death, McAnally had to move forward with a solo tour that he had already committed to. And it was during those shows that he often found himself grieving and healing right there on the stage, for all to see. “It was certainly not closure, but it was at least a band-aid on a wound for all of his fans who didn’t know what to do because he had toured every year for 45 years,” says McAnally, whose magical hands and meticulous mind has touched everything from Keith Whitley’s “I’m No Stranger to the Rain” to Shenandoah’s “Two Dozen Roses” to George Strait’s “Give It Away.” “And so, my solo show sort of became a little bit of an emotion- al support group.” It still hits him when the Coral Reefer Band begins to play a song that McAnally used to sing harmony to— songs that he now takes the lead on. “He left us all this happy music at a time that by nature is sad,” McAnally says. “I’ve said it a lot. Anytime some- thing hits you in the gut, it’s because you had something really good. The last thing he ever wanted to do was to con- tribute to someone’s sadness. All he was about was making people happy.” So, the Coral Reefer Band lives on, continuing to provide the summer soundtrack to all who still need to hear it, feel it, and experience it. “The Coral Reefer Band is never go- ing to be the same as we were when Jim- my was standing in the middle, where that empty microphone now stands, singing full out, but we know what he wanted,” McAnally says. “We know how much joy there is in that music, and we know he’s got a bunch of folks that rely on us because it’s a family tradition. It is like a family reunion with the audience and the band every time we play.” And McAnally admits, he can’t wait to play Ravinia. “I’ve actually been there as an au- dience member, but I’ve never played Ravinia,” the 10-time CMA Musician of the Year concludes. “So, I’m looking very much forward to bring in what he did and what we do in his honor.” Tricia Despres is a Chicago-area freelance entertainment writer whose work has appeared in the Chicago Sun- Times , Taste of Country , People , and numerous local, regional, and national publications. X: @CHIWriter RAVINIAMAGAZINE • JULY 20 – AUGUST 2 , 2026 16 PREVIOUSSPREAD:@HURLEYHURLEY THISPAGE:CHRISALMEIDA