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Jimmy Buffett Reminisces About Being the First Act at the Exit/In

November 19th, 2021


In the forward of the upcoming book ‘Exit/In: 50 Years’, Jimmy Buffett writes about how he came to be the first act to perform at the Exit/In in Nashville:

From Billboard:

Somehow, back in 1971, I wound up playing the opening of the Exit/In. That’s why, when the shocking fact that it was fifty years ago started showing up online from people who share my love of the place, it took me back to the twenty-four-year-old me living in Nashville and the thrill of getting that job. And so, I want to take you on a quick trip down the song line that brought me to the entrance of the Exit/In that day.

Quickly paying my tab, I walked over to take a look. The front door was open and workers were going in and out. One of them told me they were renovating the building to be some kind of a bar. I asked him what kind of bar. Squinting, he said, “A quiet joint with music, doesn’t sound like much fun to me.” “You mean a listening room?” I asked. “Yeah, that’s it,” he said. Then he told me the owners were inside, and I should talk to them about it. As he walked away and got in his truck, I took a peek inside the door. More workers were busy hammering away on a small stage in the back, and others were unloading tables and chairs.

I ran to get my guitar and hurriedly re-appeared in the doorway. The two guys sitting at a table, looking more like hippies than construction workers, had to be the owners. I walked right up to them and introduced myself to Brugh Reynolds and Owsley Manier and asked if they were the owners, to which they said yes. I asked if they were auditioning performers yet. “Not really,” they said. Determined and hopeful, I continued, “It won’t take long.” “Sure, go ahead,” Owsley replied. 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. When I finished, the carpenters applauded, and Owsley and Brugh hired me on the spot.

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. The Exit/In was also the spark that ignited the spread of listening rooms in Nashville. All you have to do is look at the sign out front with the names of stars and wannabes who became stars to know what this place means to the musical history of Nashville. In these pandemic days, when so many performers and technicians are struggling to stay afloat until we can all work again, I am going to do whatever I can to help keep the door of the Exit/In open, and I hope this story will help the cause.

Continue reading at Billboard.com


Tagged in Books

Billboard Interviews Buffett on Returning to Live Shows

May 12th, 2021


On the eve of the first live shows in 14 months for Jimmy Buffett, Billboard has an interview with him where he discusses returning to performing and his approaching 75 years of age: “Jimmy Buffett On Getting Back to Playing Live: A Pirate Looks at 75”

Jimmy also reveals that he’s working on a “rock ‘n roll” book and has written five songs so far for his next album:

It’s based on when we went to Montserrat and did the [1979] Volcano album. I’m making it fictitious, but it’s based on that whole episode, which you can’t believe the s–t that happened. I still can’t. There are so many stories and I file them away. It’s a funny book, but it’s a real rock ‘n roll book. It’s not a miserable experience, let’s just say.

I kept writing some songs, and so instead of some 75th anniversary thing — I don’t want to do that — I’d rather put another album out. I’ve got five songs now. I like what I’m doing. It’s a little more kind of down island — authentic Creole and Trinidadian and Calypso kind of influences are in it.

Read the full interview at Billboard.com.


Tagged in Albums, Books, Interviews, Touring

New Biography of Jimmy Buffett

May 10th, 2017


A new, detailed biography of Jimmy Buffett is on book shelves now: Jimmy Buffett: A Good Life All The Way

In Jimmy Buffett: A Good Life All the Way, acclaimed music critic Ryan White has crafted the first definitive account of Buffett’s rise from singing songs for beer to his emergence as a tropical icon and CEO behind the Margaritaville industrial complex, a vast network of merchandise, chain restaurants, resorts, and lifestyle products all inspired by his sunny but disillusioned hit “Margaritaville.”

Filled with interviews from friends, musicians, Coral Reefer Band members past and present, and business partners who were there, this book is a top-down joyride with plenty of side trips and meanderings from Mobile and Pascagoula to New Orleans, Key West, down into the islands aboard the Euphoria and the Euphoria II, and into the studios and onto the stages where the foundation of Buffett’s reputation was laid.

Pick up a copy of Jimmy Buffett: A Good Life All The Way at Amazon.com


Tagged in Books

Free Fall to Black, a New Book by John Cunningham

April 20th, 2017


Everyone loves a champion and yet somehow, we also like to see them fall. In FREE FALL TO BLACK, John H. Cunningham’s prequel to the page-turning Buck Reilly Adventure Series, we see how protagonist Buck achieves international fame, wealth and wins the trophy wife, only to lose it all, and ultimately reinvent himself in Key West.

Readers will travel back to 2006 and the peak moment of Buck’s success when he discovers the crypt of the Mayan Serpent King and royal treasury in Guatemala. Proclaimed “King Buck” by the media, he’s on top of the world—investors are pleased, his parents are proud and his bank account is flush. Then, he marries the world’s biggest supermodel. Life is too good to be true…

By 2008, with the world economy on the brink of collapse, Buck’s company with his childhood best friend Jack Dodson is under siege due to fraud, backstabbing and greed that turns their friends and family alike into adversaries. Hubris and hasty decisions lead to irreversible consequences, and when a business partner turns up dead, business as usual isn’t business any more.

For fans of the Buck Reilly series, buckle up for the turbulent ride that led him to Last Resort Charter and Salvage in Key West, and for new readers, this prequel will launch you into the six book series with your eyes wide open, and Buck’s scars still fresh.

John will host a signing for FREE FALL TO BLACK at Key West Island Books (513 Fleming St, Key West) on Friday, May 12 from 5-7 PM.


Tagged in Books

Buck Reilly Returns in John H. Cunningham’s Tropical Mystery ‘Second Chance Gold’

October 19th, 2014


news_cunninghambookReady for some action packed adventure in exotic St. Barths?

John H. Cunningham’s Buck Reilly, the lovable and quirky adventurer à la Indiana Jones, Travis McGee and John McClane, returns in the much anticipated Buck Reilly Adventure series novel, SECOND CHANCE GOLD ($3.99; October 18, 2014; Green Street, LLC).

Cunningham takes Buck to St. Barths, the most elegant and exclusive island for the fabulously wealthy in the Caribbean. Hired by a billionaire and former presidential candidate, Buck is seeking answers to the mysterious cause of death of the billionaire’s nephew. Buck finds himself entangled in a number of skull-splitting complications including a race for hidden gold, the seductive and beautiful granddaughter of St. Barths’ most famous swashbuckler, ruthless and corrupt treasure hunters, a temptress maritime historian, and many demons haunting him from his past.

SECOND CHANCE GOLD is Cunningham’s fourth novel in the Buck Reilly series, based in Key West and various Caribbean islands including Anguilla and St. Barths. Bankie Banx, known as the Anguillan Bob Dylan, makes a special guest appearance—a treat for reggae aficionados! Additionally, Buck Reilly readers will love recording artist Matt Hoggat’s new song “The Ballad of Buck Reilly” from his new album Workaholic in Recovery.

If you love adventure, travel and thrillers mixed in with treasure hunting, seaplanes and exotic island locales, you’ll definitely want to book a flight with Buck and SECOND CHANCE GOLD.


Tagged in Books