Featuring special acoustic performance by Shenandoah, tickets on sale to public, limited availability.
Mississippi’s 2026 Gala honoring longtime friends, collaborators and Mississippi natives Mac McAnally and the late Jimmy Buffett with Crossroads of American Music Awards. The Gala will take place at the Museum in Cleveland, MS, on Thursday, October 22, at 6 p.m. A very limited number of tickets remain and are available online or by calling the Mississippi Museum’s Box Office.
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.
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.
“It is a tremendous honor to dedicate our 2026 Gala to celebrating two of Mississippi’s most beloved musicians, Jimmy Buffett and Mac McAnally, whose friendship and creative partnership spanned more than four decades,” said Emily Havens, Executive Director of Grammy Museum Mississippi. “Their story is such a special part of Mississippi’s musical legacy, and we’re excited to celebrate not only their extraordinary contributions to American music, but also the friendship behind so much of the music they made together. Having Marty Raybon and Mike McGuire of Shenandoah join us for a special performance honoring Jimmy and Mac will make the evening even more meaningful, and we can’t wait to share this celebration with our guests.”
The 2026 Gala is made possible by presenting sponsor Quality Steel, with additional support provided by platinum sponsors the Cannon Motor Company, Kirk Auto Group, the Paul Janoush Family and Whole Cellars Package Store. The Red Carpet Guild level sponsors are Cardiovascular Solutions of Central Mississippi, Delta Health Center, McCartys, the Millie and Bennie Wright Family, and the Joyce and Larry Perry Family. Additional sponsors will be announced soon. The 2026 Grammy Museum Mississippi Gala is presented by The Red Carpet Guild, an organization of committed volunteers whose mission is to promote, support and sustain the Mississippi Museum.
Established by the Museum’s Board of Directors, the Crossroads of American Music Award honors artists whose extraordinary contributions to music reflect the creativity and cultural legacy born in the cradle of American music. Previous recipients include Grammy winners Bobby Rush, the late Charley Pride, Jerry Lee Lewis, Keb’ Mo’, Marty Stuart, Rosanne Cash, and Trombone Shorty. The annual Grammy Museum Mississippi Gala is the Museum’s signature fundraising event. Proceeds from this year’s Gala will benefit the Museum’s education programs, which seek to use music as a gateway to learning by inspiring and cultivating creativity, critical thinking, and self-expression.
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