In Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film Almost Famous, we follow the lives, trials, and rise to fame of a fictional band, Stillwater. Many may not know that there was a real band named Stillwater that Cameron Crowe crossed paths with in the 1970s at the famed Capricorn picnic. Like the band in the film, these guys were Almost Famous, with a few breaks causing them to miss stardom narrowly.
As to whether that encounter led to the selection of the name Stillwater for the film, only Crowe can answer, but in a widely syndicated article from 1977, when Stillwater was a band on the rise, Crowe is quoted as referring to the band as the Wet Tucker Brothers, a comparison to three of the hottest bands at the time, Wet Willie, Marshall Tucker, and the Allman Brothers.
Growing up in the 70s, Southern rock played a role in our lives, possibly more so than any other generation. The music of Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers, ARS, and so many more tie into our favorite memories. The void left after the deaths of Duane Allman, Berry Oakley, and the Skynyrd crash felt like the loss of family. The venues where we saw these bands making their way up the ladder were iconic. The anticipation for a new album’s release was agonizing. Camping out for concert tickets was a norm. Simply put, Southern rock was in our DNA. For so many of us, Stillwater was a part of that, but they were so good that they could have, and should have, reached the highest levels.
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I first heard the band when their “Mind Bender” single dropped. Then a friend bought their album on cassette, so I listened to a couple of the tracks and decided to see them live. On St. Patrick’s Day, 1979, they played Atlanta’s Agora Ballroom. As someone who saw almost every band that came to town, I had a good frame of reference. They rocked the crowd, and I knew then and there how special these guys were. I was hooked. Later that year, I saw them at the Agora again. This time, the opening act was the Austin Nichols band, featuring a lead singer that would go on to do huge things in Southern rock, Johnny Van Zant. It was an incredible show.
Beginnings
The seed for what would become Stillwater was planted by a teacher named Ronny Barnes, who produced a variety show for the school and recruited future members Mike Causey, Sebie Lacey, and Rob Walker into the band for the revue. Also in that group was Eddie Stone, a future member of the band Doc Holliday. Barnes also booked bands locally, and future bassist Al Scarborough was a client. Al gigged to pay for a private school because, like the founders of Lynyrd Skynyrd, a refusal to cut his hair ended his public school stay.
Stillwater has its roots in a band called Coldwater Army, which included Bobby Golden and his brother Kenny, Bob Spearman, and Jimmy Hall. That band released an album, “Peace,” in 1971 on an independent label and was preparing to release a second when some of the members decided to make a change, and Sebie and Mike stepped in. Soon the name was changed to Stillwater, and soon after, Al took over bass duties. Third guitarist Rob Walker would join in 1975 when band members came to his college and invited him to join. This completed the lineup that appeared on the first two albums. David Heck would take over drum duties on the recordings intended for a third album.
Over the next few years, future members played in Timepiece, Roundhouse, Blackbird, Prisoners of Time, Prince of Wales, and other bands.
It’s a Long Way to the Top
Stillwater paid its dues as a young band. The nearby military base meant there was a thriving club scene, and the band even played a gig at a women’s prison in Milledgeville and the prison that houses Georgia’s death row in Jackson.
Bobby Golden recalls one of the crew being smitten with an inmate he met at the ladies’ prison. A former playmate, she had asked if she could write him and connect when she got released. His excitement waned when he found she was serving time for murdering her boyfriend. The band received a great deal of fan mail after the appearance.
The band even once lived together, all in a house near Bobby Golden’s parent’s home. Bobby’s dad, Duke, served as the band’s manager. The configuration made practices easily arranged and helped the band get tighter.
Some of the band’s members had met Rodney Mills, one of the top engineers in the music world and the man who designed Studio One. Years before, Rodney played for the Bushmen band, and the Stillwater members-to-be would sneak in to see them.
Later, trying to get a record deal, the band would save money from their club dates and pay for studio time. One of those demo sessions was at Studio One, where they ran into their old friend Rodney behind the board.
Stillwater’s first big break was when they got regular bookings at the pavilion at Lakeside Park in Macon. One memorable experience was in 1975 when Allman Brothers members Dickey Betts and Gregg Allman, along with Bobby Whitlock (Derek and the Dominoes), joined them on stage for a jam session. Charlie Daniels also joined Stillwater on stage there.
Stillwater became a fixture at the famed Macon club Uncle Sam’s. There they crossed paths with legendary producer Tom Dowd (Derek and the Dominos, Eric Clapton, the Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Cream, Allman Brothers), who was in town producing the Dixie Rock album for Wet Willie at Capricorn’s studios. He liked what he heard, and arrangements were made for Stillwater to come into the studio early mornings before Wet Willie’s sessions.
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The band recorded five songs, and those demo tapes were shopped around but initially had no takers. They did, however, introduce the band to Capricorn, who would soon sign the band, not to a record contract just yet, but to a booking arrangement with Paragon, and later to a management contract, also with a Capricorn company.
The band released a self-produced single in 1975. “I Just Can’t Show It” picked up some regional radio play and added to the band’s fan base.
The annual Capricorn picnic in Macon was an epic event attended by celebrities and VIPs from all over, including Andy Warhol, Cher, Jimmy Carter (when Georgia’s Governor), Bette Midler, Martin Mull, boxing promoter Don King and many more. The event would prove to be especially beneficial for Stillwater.
The BBC television show, the Old Grey Whistle Test, was like the European version of a cross between American Bandstand and Don Kirschner’s Rock concert. In 1976, the show traveled to Macon to film some of the acts at the picnic to share the burgeoning Southern rock movement with their viewers at home.
Bonnie Bramlett and the Marshall Tucker Band were filmed, along with Stillwater, tabbed as an up-and-coming band. Their segment was filmed doing a live set at Uncle Sam’s. The episode, entitled “Macon Whoopee,” aired in December 1976. The broadcast was well received and added to Capricorn President Phil Walden’s interest in the band. Tom Dowd and Atlantic Records were also interested in the band, and Capricorn decided to sign them to a record deal before they lost them to a competitor. Jimmy Hall said of choosing Capricorn, “To me, it made the most sense, especially with us being local.”
The First Album
For their first album, the band went into Doraville, GA’s Studio One, where Skynyrd, .38 Special, and many others created epic Southern classics. Tom Dowd was not available, so Buddy Buie was tapped as the producer. He had produced dozens of hits for the Classics IV, the Candymen, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Billy Joe Royal, Joe South, and B.J. Thomas. Buie co-wrote six of the album’s eight tracks.
Jimmy Hall recalls being a bit overwhelmed with recording in Studio One, based on it being the place where many hit songs and albums were recorded. He says, “We were in that setting, with a man {Buddy Buie} that had produced so many hit records and written some of them. That was big to me.”
The album’s single, Mind Bender, had an interesting path to life. Producer Buddy Buie had heard guitarist Rob Walker playing with a talk box and said, “We oughta do something with that talk box, write a song. Rob had a riff he had been toying around with, inspired by blues great Howlin’ Wolf. Buddy put words to it, they worked out the changes, and a top 50 record was born.
The release of Stillwater’s first album seemed to be perfect timing. With the South’s role in rock set in motion in 1969 with the formation of the Allman Brothers and Capricorn Records, along with Alex Cooley’s Atlanta Pop Festival, Southern rock was now being embraced by Americans on a large scale.
The argument could be made that 1977 was the high-water mark for Southern rock. Skynyrd’s live album, recorded in Atlanta’s Fox Theater, had been released the previous fall and was a massive hit. The band was riding high, and anticipation of the next album, Street Survivors, featuring new guitarist Steve Gaines, was strong.
The Atlanta Rhythm Section, which had struggled with five albums that did not sell particularly well, suddenly broke out with “A Rock and Roll Alternative,” driven by the single “So Into You” in 1976. The band that had shared the bill with Stillwater in small arenas was now headlining and selling out large venues.
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In September 1977, ARS would play their largest show to date, the Dog Days Rockfest, in front of 50,000 plus people in Atlanta. The following year, they would play for 60,000 people at the Knebworth Jam in England, 80,000 at the Texas Jam, and 110,000 at the Canada Jam. In September that year, they would headline the hometown Champagne Jam, with an estimated 60,000 in attendance. Southern rock was hot.
Stillwater was set to be the perfect band to meet the demand for new Southern rock. Molly Hatchet wouldn’t burst onto the scene until 1978, and Blackfoot’s mega-selling “Strikes” album was two years away. Paragon sent them on a club circuit tour of the Southeast.
When the band’s first single, “Mind Bender,” started climbing the charts, it looked like the boys from Middle Georgia were on their way to the top. The single was considered a national breakout. Based on their rising popularity, the band that had toiled for so long on the club circuit picked up some big tour spots.
They were about to get a chance to showcase their music in front of huge crowds, with many dates supporting the red-hot Outlaws. The Tampa-based “Guitar Army,” as they were called, had two hot-selling albums under their belts and were touring in support of their third album, Hurry Sundown, which was produced by Bill Szymczyk, who had produced major hits with B.B. King, Joe Walsh, J. Geils, and the Eagles.
Stillwater joined the Outlaws for a show at the famous Armadillo in Austin, TX, then headed for Chicago to open for them again at the Paragon Ballroom on September 9th. After the show, the band had a couple of off days before heading to their next show in Minneapolis. It appeared that they were finally on their way.
Not only the fans but also those in the industry and media took notice of this new band. In 1977, a spokesman for Capricorn said Stillwater was their most popular newly signed artist since Marshall Tucker. A 1977 AJC article said, “They’re going to be stars. Catch them while you can.” Capricorn VP Mike Hyland said, “When I see Stillwater, it reminds me of the early Allman Brothers Band-the energy coming off the stage. And they have this cat that plays guitar almost as good as Duane Allman, Michael Causey. He’s great.”. A Florida music columnist called them “The South’s answer to the rock group Boston.”
A writer for the News Tribune in Washington State said, “This powerful new band from Georgia seems to be able to combine a dose of Southern rawness with some exceptionally clean and almost English-sounding vocals.” A newspaper in Scotland complained that “music lovers in Britain had been denied their excellent music.” An Atlanta Journal music critic called it “The best debut album I have heard in the last year.” A Pittsburgh, PA columnist said of the band and the album, “They’re both winners.”
The stars were finally aligning for Stillwater. Or were they?
The Dark Cloud Rolls In
Just as good fortune was coming their way, disaster struck. And struck again. And again. First, the truck containing their equipment was stolen from the Chicago hotel’s parking lot. The upcoming tour dates were shelved as the band had to return to Macon to regroup. They waited weeks for Capricorn to come up with a truck and equipment. Valuable time was lost to support their record.
Al says of the setback, “It was killing us. We were starting to get airplay everywhere, all at once, and that hardly ever happens. We were getting airplay in crazy places like Seattle and the Northeast.
The band finally got new dates set up and headed back on the road. The bad fortune, however, was not finished with these hard-working rockers. Around that time, Capricorn decided to move their distribution from Warner Brothers to PolyGram, and for a time, albums and cassettes weren’t being produced. Fans looking to purchase Stillwater music were left empty-handed.
Warner Brothers also instructed their team to stop promoting Stillwater, as they had no further financial interest in Capricorn acts. One Warner Brothers promoter reported a phone call where he was instructed to “go cold on Stillwater.” Soon the lack of promotion caused the red-hot single to fade, and the band was back trying to make it on the road.
Another high-profile support gig was lined up with Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush, but Marino was fighting an illness that forced the cancellation of multiple dates. A forklift operator dropped the band’s organ in Florida.
A TV opportunity offered a chance to revive Stillwater’s momentum. They were booked onto the popular NBC late-night music show “Midnight Special.” This show had traditionally provided great exposure for up-and-coming bands. Sadly, misfortune would strike again when the appearance was canceled with no reason given to the band.
A Red-Hot Single in an Album World
Capricorn had built a formula of successful albums backed with heavy touring schedules. They were not as adept at promoting a band with a hit single. Over Capricorn’s history, it produced twenty-six gold and platinum albums but only five gold singles.
Mike Causey recalls the staff from the label being “kind of scattered.” He says, “We could tell that as a band.” Evidence of this can be seen on the 45 rpm record’s label Intending to say Artist: Stillwater. Instead, it was released with a typo, Artie Stillwater.
Phil Walden confirmed as much in a meeting before they began recording the second album. Sebie recalls him referring to the mistakes in promoting the first album, saying, “Boys, I lost that one. It’s my fault.” Being young and highly skilled, the members thought other opportunities would come.
Nevertheless, the band soldiered on. They had shows supporting the Allman Brothers, the Outlaws, Wet Willie, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Foreigner, Elvin Bishop, Delbert McClinton, Blue Oyster Cult, and the Cars. They once had future stars REM open for them in an Athens, GA, club. However, great music and shows weren’t saving them from bad luck.
Life on the road
The reviews of the Stillwater three-guitar attack were very complimentary. Stillwater played the 1978 Rebel Jam in Atlanta’s Fox Theater, broadcast live on local radio station 96 Rock. The bill was shared with the Dixie Dregs, featuring Steve Morse (Kansas, Deep Purple), and Sea Level, featuring Chuck Leavell, a former member of the Allman Brothers Band who has been the keyboardist for the Rolling Stones since 1982. Morse, who joined Stillwater on stage occasionally, called them the best three-guitar band he’d seen.
Another touring high point was opening for the Charlie Daniels Band at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco in 1978 was a touring high point. Rick Danko, formerly of the Band, was also on the bill. Rob Walker recalls playing the 5,000-plus seat facility,” We got to meet Bill Graham, and he seemed to really enjoy us. It was a big boost and a great night. The place was packed.”
Jimmy and Sebie both recalled Mike Causey tearing into the solo in “Universal Fool.” The lighting man shined a spotlight into a disco ball overhead, and the crowd went wild. Sebie said, “Then it was on. They were up in the rafters”. Jimmy says, “You had to be there to see the reaction of the crowd.” The reception was so strong that the band was called back for an encore, a rarity for an opening act.
The band played an inauguration ball for Jimmy Carter with the Capricorn roster of artists. They played a New Year’s Eve show on December 31, 1977, called Super Ball ’78, for 25,000 fans at Georgia’s World Congress Center, along with Wet Wille and the Charlie Daniels Band.
Stillwater was part of what many would consider one of Southern rock’s most solemn moments, Volunteer Jam V in 1979. The Charlie Daniels’ hosted event raised money for worthwhile charities each year, and this particular year’s beneficiaries were the Van Zant/Gaines fund and leukemia research. The artists appearing included such luminaries as Dobie Gray, the Henry Paul Band, members of the Marshall Tucker Band, John Prine, and Carl Perkins.
Stillwater had just finished their set, which was by all accounts sizzling, and walked off the stage. Soon Charlie Daniels strolled to the microphone and surprised the crowd with four words no one there expected to hear, then, or maybe ever again. “Lynyrd Skynyrd is back” This was the first time the band had played together since the horrific October 20, 1977 plane crash.
The crowd went wild as Gary Rossington, Artimus Pyle, Billy Powell, Allen Collins, and Leon Wilkeson took the stage. Their set closed with the anthem, Free Bird. It was played as an instrumental, with a spotlight shining on an empty mic stand where Ronnie Van Zant would have handled vocal duties. Afterward, Artimus Pyle and Gary Rossington returned to acknowledge the crowd’s wild cheers, saying, “We know who the cheers are for” A newspaper article observed, “Not many dry eyes remained.”
