Jimmy Buffett made the most of his latest trip home to the Gulf Coast. Before taking the stage at The Wharf in Orange Beach before a sold-out crowd, the Mobile-born singer spent a day on the water touring the Mobile-Tensaw Delta with longtime local guide Jimbo Meador.
Buffett shared the outing with his followers on Instagram, praising Meador in warm terms. “No better guide in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta than Jimbo Meador,” Buffett wrote, describing him as a master naturalist, legendary waterman and storyteller and a friend of more than 40 years. “Today was a great day.” The post included photos from their trip on the water.
Meador is a well-known figure around the Eastern Shore and the delta, and his friendship with Buffett goes back decades. The two grew up along the same coastal waters that have supplied Buffett with song material for his entire career.
The Orange Beach stop continued Buffett’s long tradition of playing the area’s outdoor amphitheater, where fans packed the venue for a weeknight show built on the laid-back Gulf Coast ethos that made him famous.
A Grand Bay singer keeps climbing
In related local music news, Grand Bay resident and Moss Point native Rod Stokes kept his run alive on NBC’s “The Voice” that same week. Stokes, who began the season on Blake Shelton’s team before being stolen by Adam Levine, performed “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” against Maelyn Jarmon during the show’s cross battles. Jarmon won the viewer vote, but Stokes was stolen again — this time by Kelly Clarkson, who told him she thought he was enormously talented. The advance put him in the Top 24, with his next appearance set for April 29.