Did the real Stillwater ever have a problem with Almost Famous using their name?
In the movie Almost Famous (2000), the band Stillwater was supposedly an amalgamation of Poco, The Eagles, Led Zeppelin and a few other bands that Cameron Crowe had actually written articles about early in his career with Rolling Stone. However, there was a real band named Stillwater that was actually active during the years the movie supposedly took place.
I searched pretty extensively on Google but can't come up with any info; did the real Stillwater ever have any objection to their name being used in the movie?
Best Answer
From a 2003 interview with Bobby Golden, one of the founders of the band, that can be found here
Luc Brunot: One last question. You certainly know that Cameron Crowe, in his movie "Almost Famous" gave the name of Stillwater to the rock band which is the center of the film. Did he contact you and sign an agreement and are there facts referring to the real Stillwater's life style? The director is a fan of Southern rock and did he made many allusions to the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd, all through all the movie.
Bobby Golden: I lived and worked in Italy when I received a part of the rights paid by Dreamworks to Stillwater to have used the name of Stillwater in the film "Almost Famous". After having called at house to know why I touched these rights, I discovered that the company of Steven Spielberg, Dreamworks, had contacted Sebie Lacey, our singer to establish a deal concerning the use of the name. The young Cameron had seen us in the seventies, in Macon, Georgia, at the time of a concert organized by Capricorn Records, whereas he wrote in Rolling Stones. Even if the film is not devoted to us, it remember me some good memories of our ten years of tours and recordings when we were. almost famous.
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Who was Stillwater supposed to be in Almost Famous?
Stillwater is a composite of bands and musicians who Cameron Crowe met whilst working at Rolling Stone. It is said to be likely that guitarist Russell Hammond is based on Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers, who Crowe went on tour with in 1973.What band did Stillwater represent in Almost Famous?
Stillwater was essentially a composite of five bands that Crowe toured with as a journalist for Rolling Stone: Poco, The Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin, Eagles, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. There was an actual band from the 1970s named Stillwater, too, and they agreed to allow Crowe to use their name.Was Stillwater on the cover of the Rolling Stone?
The real Stillwater didn't travel on a private plane and never made the cover of Rolling Stone, as Crowe's faux road dogs did. But during the Seventies, they managed a minor chart hit and released two albums on the same label as fellow Southern rockers like the Allman Brothers Band and the Marshall Tucker Band.Quasi Famosi (Almost Famous) - Trailer Ufficiale Cinematografico
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