Lane owns her own wine label named Swallows and grows her own Pinot noir grapes. [7], In 2012, Trumbull was the special guest at the San Diego Film Festival, which featured a special screening of Almost Famous. By late 1999 Penny thought she was long forgotten in the music industry, but she wasn’t, because Cameron Crowe contacted her about a script that he was writing about his time as a teenage reporter during the 1970’s and he wanted to create a character about her in the movie. In 1973, when he was just 16, he joined the staff of Rolling Stone magazine, where he eventually became an associate editor. Today she happily lives on her Sauvie Island ranch growing grapes and occasionally officiating marriages there since she is also an ordained minister. This isn’t an episode of Portlandia – these are real people who are Making it Happen, each and every day! She and four other girls decided to form a group and begin promoting bands. During the 1970s she formed the group The Flying Garter Girls, which traveled around the country as the promoters for famous rock bands. The storyline could be referring to William Miller, the boy whose coming of age is at the heart of “Almost Famous,” or it could be a page out of the life of the film’s creator Cameron Crowe. She obtained her bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Cal State Northridge, where she was a competitive fencer, and her master's degree (M.B.A. in Marketing) in 1988 from Alliant International University. He wrote music reviews for an underground publication based in San Diego, corresponded with rock journalist Lester Bangs and worked for Ben Fong-Torres at Rolling Stone before turning his attention to screenwriting. Pennie Lane is, and has always been, very careful about that. It is a fascinating story about a woman who never planned to tell it. In the end, she didn’t have to, for someone else did. Like his young protagonist, Crowe had gotten his start as a rock journalist at the age of 15. She believes that her personal life is, well, personal. We seek to recognize some awesome locals who are innovative, creative, and because of their unique flare, bring pride to the Portland community just by doing what they do best! Welcome to the site of the real-life Pennie Lane. Born on July 3rd, 1954, Pennie Ann Trumbull grew up in quiet Portland Oregon but after going to Roosevelt High School and living the life of a typical teenager she fell in love with music and decided to move to Los Angeles at the age of 17 to get involved in the music industry. During the 1970s she formed the group The Flying Garter Girls, which traveled around the country as the promoters for famous rock bands. She never believed in selling her memoirs, although she has been asked. Crowe and Trumbull had met in the 1970s while Crowe was working as a journalist covering rock music for Rolling Stone, and he wanted to create a film about that time period. [8][9], "California Marriage Index, 1960-1985," database, FamilySearch (, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V6GZ-M4Y, "Will the real Pennie Lane please stand up? Her story was brought to life in the 2000 film Almost Famous. [6], Her friend, film director Cameron Crowe, asked for her permission to use her name and likeness in a feature film he was creating. She continues to be involved in the music scene in the Portland area. You might catch her eye in a crowded restaurant, in an art gallery, or more likely, in a small club listening to a hot but unknown band. [3], Trumbull lived in San Diego for many years. She believes in destiny. The other girls in the group were Marvelous Meg, Sexy Sandy, The Real Camille, and Caroline Can-Can. Sometimes life takes some unexpected turns, and opportunities present themselves in the most unusual ways. PORTLAND, Ore. – Pennie Ann (Pennie Lane) Trumbull is one of the most famous people from Portland Oregon because she played an influential role in 1970’s rock music history as a band promoter for some of the most influential rock bands of the 1970’s. It is a fascinating story about a woman who never planned to tell it. Her story … [5], She is a longtime member of the Sauvie Island Grange Association and various other community organizations. She was an only child and attended Roosevelt High School, where she was an award-winning equestrian and tried out for the Olympic team. She changed her name to Penny Lane and along with a friend they decided to dedicate the next 3 years of their lives to the music world and they became the most in-demand promotors for many of the top bands of the day.

In the early ’70s, Pennie Lane Trumbull met Cameron Crowe, a young Rolling Stone reporter, at the Paramount NW in Portland. While still in his teens, the young writer and avid music fan profiled many of the era’s most influential artists. PDX People believes that it is the people who make the city! “Almost Famous” is the film; a coming of age story told through the eyes of William Miller in 1973 San Diego. Pennie Lane is, and has always been, very careful about that. Portrayed by Kate Hudson, Penny Lane was brought to life on the silver screen and she quickly became sought out by film buff’s and rock music fans because they all wanted to know more about her unique story. The fact is, you wouldn’t. What most people don’t know is that by age 20 Penny gave up her life in the music world and returned to Portland to go to college, get her bachelors degree and settle into a successful marketing career.
She never believed in selling her memoirs, although she has been asked. Upon her divorce in the early 1990s, she moved back home to be closer to her parents.

Hudson was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and won the Golden Globe Award for her performance as Penny Lane. Pennie Ann Trumbull (born July 3, 1954), also known as Pennie Lane, is an American socialite, philanthropist, businesswoman, and entrepreneur. How would you know if it was her? You can check out her official site here.” The Uncool.com. Her love of music began at an early age and she started attending concerts at 16.

She just doesn’t kiss and tell! To compensate for a lack of community, he turns to writing and rock and roll landing a plum assignment covering an up and coming band. [4] She owned her own marketing firm for a time. “Penny Lane is based on many groupies or “band aids” that Cameron got to know during the ’70s, but the main inspiration is a Pennie Trumble.

Crowe used her as a consultant on the film.

I was walking through the parking lot of the Memorial Coliseum after the show when he approached me. Crowe’s “Almost Famous” character of Penny Lane was inspired by his early friendship with Trumbull. Pennie Ann Trumbull (born July 3, 1954), also known as Pennie Lane, is an American socialite, philanthropist, businesswoman, and entrepreneur.

She walks among us. Yes, she does exist! She realized even then that she had only been a spectator on the sidelines. She believes that her personal life is, well, personal. Pennie “Lane” Trumbull photographed by Jack Luxon, 1973 “I was discovered by a musician at one of the first concerts I went to, Three Dog Night with Steppenwolf. Trumbull is an ordained minister and officiates weddings at her ranch. Her time as a band promoter was chronicled in the 2000 film Almost Famous, and she was portrayed by actress Kate Hudson.[2]. She had watched, listened and learned a great deal from her rags-to-riches rock star lovers…and also from their managers, record companies, promoters, roadies, travel people and even chauffeurs.
Crowe went on to become an acclaimed film writer and director. She moved to Los Angeles when she was 18 with a touring musician with Steppenwolf who was in a rock band and returned to Portland a few months later. William, a shy 15-year-old, sits on the fringe of teen society. The Almost Famous character of Penny Lane was based on Pennie Lane.

The girls had matchbooks made with The Flying Garter Girls printed on them to promote themselves, and quickly became successful and worked with countless rock bands over a period of three years, after which the girls left the rock music world behind them. She bought property on Sauvie Island, Oregon and built a ranch, which she describes as a "Rock n Roll Ranch". This is her story. In the end, she didn’t have to, for someone else did. She just doesn’t kiss and tell! When Crowe suggested that actress Kate Hudson be cast as Pennie, she was initially reluctant, but later agreed that she was the right choice. PORTLAND, Ore. – Pennie Ann (Pennie Lane) Trumbull is one of the most famous people from Portland Oregon because she played an influential role in 1970’s rock music history as a band promoter for some of the most influential rock bands of the 1970’s. Trumbull was born in Portland, Oregon. Trumbull was hesitant about losing her privacy, but Crowe insisted that the character be named Penny Lane, and agreed to change the spelling from Trumbull to Trumble.

You might pass her on a street, in a store, or while riding your bike. The experience had a profound effect on Crowe, and over the years, as he turned from journalism to film making, he attempted to bring the essence of that story to the screen.

", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pennie_Lane_Trumbull&oldid=975527273, California State University, Northridge alumni, Wikipedia articles with style issues from September 2015, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 29 August 2020, at 01:20. THE REAL PENNIE LANE.

Pennie Lane knew, however, that it would soon be time to go. William ends up on the tour bus to get his story, guided through his adventure by the lovely Penny Lane, a groupie, and leader of the “Band-Aids.” Like the character William, Crowe himself was shy and highly intelligent, finishing high school early at the age of 15 in 1972. In the early 1970s, she became immersed in the rock music scene.

Pennie Ann Trumbull – Business Woman, Entrepreneur, and Socialite, Jamaal Lane, A Portland Business Owner, Refuses To Give Up.

Pennie Lane understands this. They each gave themselves nicknames, and Trumbull chose the name Pennie Lane in part from the song by the Beatles. She continues to make appearances discussing the film and her life in the 1970s.