Some places are historic because of an event that happened long ago or because they once served a purpose that’s worth remembering. Exit/In and venues like it are a bit different, in that the history is still being written. Opened by Owsley Manier and Brugh Reynolds in 1971, the Elliston Place club has remained a key player in Nashville’s evolving conglomeration of music scenes, even as the culture of the city and the music business have changed.
Throughout its half-century run, recently celebrated in the book Exit/In: Fifty Years and Counting, the club has been a gathering spot and a sounding board for generations of local musicians as well as a showcase for a dazzling variety of touring acts. Saturday afternoon, a handful of those Nashville-residing folks who played the venue frequently early in their careers will join Peter Cooper for a conversation and brief performance over at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in conjunction with its Outlaws and Armadillos exhibit. Dianne Davidson played Exit/In alongside folks like Jimmy Buffett, Marshall Chapman and John Hiatt after she arrived in Music City in the 1970s, while Webb Wilder and Jason Ringenberg were fixtures in the 1980s.
The program runs from 3 to 4:15 p.m. on March 26 in the CMHOF’s Ford Theater. Museum members will need to reserve a ticket, while nonmembers will need to buy admission to the museum. See the Hall’s website for all the details.
Exit/In, meanwhile, has recently been the focal point of a great deal of concern from music fans. The property sold last year, and while the new owner has filed for historic protections that would prevent some kinds of changes to the building, it’s uncertain whether the club will remain an independent venue in the long run. Exit/In is one of 15 local indie venues that are members of the trade group Music Venue Alliance Nashville; the organization is set to benefit from a massive concert called Nashville Helping Nashville, happening May 28 in East Park.
