Jimmy Buffett Coral Reefers Band Documentary Coming

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band (Photo courtesy Greene Street Entertainment/Confluence Productions, used with permission)

Occupational Hazard: The First Coral Reefers, a feature documentary that tells the origin story of Jimmy Buffett’s original Coral Reefer Band in the 1970s and early 1980s, will be released theatrically in major cities in early September. The opening is timed to Jimmy Buffett Day (September 4, 2026) with a national digital release to follow in November in the U.S. and Canada.

Set against the creative backdrop of Key West, Florida, the feature-length film explores the musicians, friendships, touring years and studio sessions that helped shape Buffett’s sound.

Jimmy Buffett (Photo by Chris Lauber, used with permission)

Through rare, never-before-seen archival footage and deeply personal interviews with founding members, tour managers, producers and music legends, says an announcement, Occupational Hazard “captures the camaraderie, chaos and magic of an era that thrived on freedom and lived without a rulebook.”

Narrated by Academy-award winner Jeff Bridges, Occupational Hazard offers fans a deeper look at the people behind the music and the era that helped define Buffett’s legacy. This film, notes the press release, “is a tribute to Buffett and the original Coral Reefers, the places and people that shaped them, the volatile beauty of a musical moment that couldn’t last but changed everything and their candid sentiment toward Buffett. It’s the origin story upon which the Parrot Head empire was built upon, by the people who helped lay the foundation.”

The film, directed by John H. Cunningham, premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2026. It features Kenny Chesney, Mac McAnally, songwriter Keith Sykes and the Coral Reefer Band. The film is produced by Cunningham and Ted E. Haynes.

Related: Watch Paul McCartney, Jackson Browne and members of the Eagles perform at a Buffett tribute concert

In a statement, Cunningham said, in part, “Jimmy Buffett was one of the most prolific and successful performers of our time. We created Occupational Hazard to document the untold story of his formative years and the creation of the original Coral Reefer Band through the firsthand accounts of the musicians, producer, tour manager and friends who were there. Capturing these stories was especially important because, like Jimmy himself, many of the original players are no longer with us.”