NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Before Margaritaville, there was 'the Rock Block' — it was where Jimmy Buffett called home in his early years.
"He played here through the 70's and then circled back two years ago when the venue was about to turn 50," said principal at AJ Capital Partners, Timothy Ryan.
A young Buffett peaked his head into a new club and asked about an audition. He would later become the first to perform at the Exit/In.
"He was a part of building something special when in the moment he probably didn't realize he was building something special," Ryan said. "Back in 1971 people who got to see him here probably didn't realize they were seeing someone who would become an icon."
As an aspiring musician, Buffett frequented Music Row writing and recording music. When he wasn't on stage or working as a reporter for Billboard magazine, you could find him enjoying fried chicken and a coconut creme pie at the Elliston Place Soda Shop.
Buffett passed away Friday night at 76 after a four-year battle with Merkel cell carcinoma.
"It's about one-sixth as common as a malignant melanoma, but it's about six times more deadly than a malignant melanoma," said Professor of Dermatology and Pathology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Dr. Alan Boyd.
The rare skin cancer is known to metastasize quickly.
"It goes initially to the lymph nodes then it'll start going to other organs like lung, brain, liver," Boyd said.
Now, as parrot heads around the world mourn his loss, Buffett's legacy can be felt not only in the words he sang, but in the places where he left his mark.
"He had a lot of places on the map that were his homes, but Nashville I think was always near and dear to his heart, and he always circled back and that's really special," Ryan said.
