Kenny Chesney Reflects On Impactful Moment With Late Legend Jimmy Buffett

Kenny Chesney remembered an moment with late legend Jimmy Buffett, who died in September 2023. He was 76.

Chesney, who was recently inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, said Buffet made a powerful impact in this moment. He said during an interview on the TODAY Show on Tuesday morning (November 4) that “Jimmy came on stage and that was the first time that I saw a recording act spread love and give positive energy. And it was raining. It was pouring down the rain.

The East Tennessee-born country star said he “learned a lesson that night.” Chesney learned, “the worse it is, the more love you give them [the fans]. And Jimmy showed me that.”

Chesney said that moment inspired the title of one of the chapters in his newly-published book, Heart Life Music. The chapter is titled, “What Did I Just See?” Chesney explained on the TODAY Show, “that was the question I asked myself that night, because it was the first time that I saw a real — that kind of connection with an artist and the audience, and the artist didn’t have some sort of wall in between you. Right. And I learned that from Jimmy.”

Chesney also spoke about Heart Life Music (plus his “surreal” Hall of Fame induction, his 2026 residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas, and more) on TODAY with Jenna & Friends. TODAY’s Jenna Bush Hager chatted with Chesney about his childhood in East Tennessee, why he had to uninvited a rising Taylor Swift from his tour (and how he continued to encourage her afterward), and more. Watch the interview clips below.