The Story Behind Jimmy Buffett’s Legendary Opening Night at This Iconic Nashville Venue

Before Jimmy Buffett could make it to Key West and start the career we all love him for today, he was a struggling singer-songwriter stuck in the Nashville scene. Buffett couldn’t seem to break through the noise in Music City, which eventually led him to leave for sunnier shores. But before he packed his bags, he left his mark on one of Nashville’s most beloved institutions: Exit/In. Learn more about how a quick bite became the ticket for Buffett to become the first person to ever play this venue.

The Story Behind Jimmy Buffett Christening the Exit/In

This venue opened its doors in 1971 in Elliston Place. Before they had even finished constructing it, Buffett found himself on the other side of the street having a slice of pie at the equally beloved Elliston Place Soda Shop. Looking out the window, Buffett saw construction workers hauling lumber into what would become Exit/In. Passing by, he learned it would become a listening room.

Sparing no time, Buffett got his guitar and came back to the unfinished building. Majorly jumping the gun, he asked the owners (Brugh Reynolds and Owsley Manier) if they were auditioning acts yet. Looking around at the half-done stage, they replied something along the lines of “No, buddy, the building isn’t even done yet.” Buffett, hungry to make his career happen, didn’t take no for an answer.

As the masses found out in the next couple of years, the owners found Buffett’s voice to be intoxicating. Though he didn’t have his era-defining hits at his disposal just yet, the raw talent was there. So much so that the owners booked him to be the very first act at Exit/In.

“Brugh asked the workers to turn off the saws and drills, and I sat in a chair on the unfinished stage and played four or five songs that I knew had worked in clubs elsewhere,” Buffett once said. “When I finished, the carpenters applauded, and Owsley and Brugh hired me on the spot.”

[RELATED: On the Charts Six Years Ago Today, Jimmy Buffett Was at No. 1 With His Highest-Charting Album in Over a Decade]

“When the venue opened, my world got a big bump from that first show, a bump which seems to have lasted for fifty years — or at least memories of it,” he continued.

Despite that win in Nashville, Buffett decided to make the move to Florida. This would prove to be an apt move. It gave him the breezy, commercial sound he needed to make it big.

He would come back to Nashville to play Exit/In many times throughout his life. He even played his final show there in 2021. Revisit footage from that bookending performance above.

For those outside of Nashville, Exit/In might not be familiar territory. But it played a large role in the careers of many beloved musicians. Everyone from Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson to a fledgling R.E.M. has played shows there. It’s an important stop-off in the history of the talent that has blown through Music City.

(Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)

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