Stillwater

Cameron Crowe's 2000 film Almost Famous sparked debate over whether Stillwater had ever existed as an actual group. The version shown on screen was fictional, modeled after several acts Crowe had profiled for Rolling Stone in the early 1970s, among them the Eagles and Led Zeppelin. An authentic Stillwater did exist, however—an obscure Southern rock outfit formed in Georgia in 1973 that carried a three-guitar front line of Mike Causey, Bobby Golden on vocals, and Rob Walker, plus Jimmy Hall on vocals and percussion, Allison Scarborough on bass and vocals, Bob Spearman on keyboards and vocals, and Sebie Lacey on drums. The band released two albums in the late 1970s, the self-titled debut in 1977 and I Reserve the Right! in 1979, and came within reach of the Top 40 with the single “Mind Bender.” Regular opening slots for the Atlanta Rhythm Section and the Charlie Daniels Band, then riding the massive crossover success of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” suggested that a breakthrough might be imminent. When Capricorn Records encountered financial trouble, Stillwater lost its contract and disbanded shortly afterward. Several live recordings from 1978 later surfaced on the 1997 multi-artist set Alive Down South, triggering a reunion that same year. The group issued a new album, Running Free, twelve months later and returned to the stage. Before cameras rolled on Almost Famous, Crowe contacted the band to secure permission for the name, which the members granted after reading the script.