The Roundtable Goes to Margaritaville! John H. Cunningham Takes Us Inside Occupational Hazard: The First Coral Reefers!

Before Margaritaville became an empire, before Parrot Heads became a culture, and before Jimmy Buffett became one of music’s most beloved icons, there was a group of musicians helping create a sound — and a lifestyle — unlike anything else. On this episode of The Roundtable with Robert Bannon, filmmaker John H. Cunningham joins Robert to talk about his new feature documentary, Occupational Hazard: The First Coral Reefers, an intimate, funny, and revealing look at the wild early years of Jimmy Buffett and the original Coral Reefer Band. Set against the colorful backdrop of 1970s and early-'80s Key West, Occupational Hazard digs into the musicians, friendships, studio sessions, touring adventures, and sometimes chaotic lifestyle that helped shape Buffett's unmistakable sound. Through rare and never-before-seen archival footage and candid interviews with the people who were actually there, the film tells the origin story behind the phenomenon that would eventually become Margaritaville. And there are some serious names along for the ride. Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges narrates, while the documentary features voices including Kenny Chesney, Mac McAnally, songwriter Keith Sykes, original Coral Reefers, producers, tour personnel, and others who witnessed those formative years firsthand. Cunningham has a personal connection to this story, too. He first saw Buffett and the Coral Reefers perform in 1977 and moved to Key West the following year. Today, he's a filmmaker and USA TODAY bestselling author of the 12-book Buck Reilly Adventure Series. What began as an effort to capture part of the Coral Reefers' history ultimately grew into a feature documentary preserving stories from an era — and from people — that Cunningham knew couldn't be allowed to disappear. Robert and John talk about discovering the stories behind the songs, the beautiful chaos of those early touring years, Buffett's relationship with the musicians who helped build his sound, the magic of Key West, and why Jimmy Buffett's legacy goes much deeper than margaritas, beaches, and flip-flops. Occupational Hazard: The First Coral Reefers is in its theatrical run now, with a U.S. and Canadian digital release planned for November. As Buffett told his friends near the end of his life: "Keep the party going." Occupational Hazard shows us where that party began. For more info, go to RobertBannon.com and follow Robert on IG @RobertMBannon. #TheRoundtable #RobertBannon #OccupationalHazard #JimmyBuffett #JohnCunningham #CoralReeferBand #CoralReefers #Margaritaville #ParrotHeads #JeffBridges #KennyChesney #MacMcAnally #KeyWest #MusicDocumentary #MusicHistory #JimmyBuffettFans Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices