Before becoming associated with Key West and his later commercial success, Jimmy Buffett was a struggling singer-songwriter in Nashville. The article recounts how his determination led him to become the first artist booked at Exit/In, a venue that later became an important part of Nashville’s musical history.

In 1971, Buffett spotted the unfinished Exit/In while visiting the nearby Elliston Place Soda Shop and asked owners Brugh Reynolds and Owsley Manier for an audition. They had construction workers pause work while he played several songs on the incomplete stage, and hired him after the carpenters applauded. Buffett later moved to Florida but returned to perform at Exit/In many times, including for his final show there in 2021; artists such as Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and R.E.M. also played the venue.