Rich Dodson

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Rich Dodson
Rich Dodson (cropped).png
Dodson in 1971
Background information
Born
Richard Dodson

(1947-07-01) July 1, 1947 (age 78) [1]
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Origin Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Genres Rock
OccupationsMusician, songwriter
InstrumentsGuitar, vocals
Years active1964–present
LabelsMarigold Productions
Website thestampeders.com

Rich Dodson (born July 1, 1947) is a Canadian musician and songwriter who is the guitarist, vocalist and a founding member of the rock trio The Stampeders. On stage, he is known for playing his self-designed Fender double neck guitar.

Contents

Early life

Dodson was born in Greater Sudbury, Ontario and spent the first year of his life there before his family moved to Alberta, British Columbia. [2] [3] His father worked as a boiler operator. [3]

Career

Dodson formed The Stampeders in 1964 with Kim Berly. Originally a six-piece band, by 1968 the band had been reduced to a trio consisting of Dodson, Berly and bassist Ronnie King. He is best known for penning the group's biggest hit, "Sweet City Woman", which hit number 1 in Canada and number 8 on the US Billboard in 1971. He also wrote other notable hits for the band such as "Wild Eyes" (1972), "Devil You" (1971), "Johnny Lightning" (1974) and "Carry Me" (1971). [4]

Dodson left the Stampeders in 1978 to pursue his interests in music production and built his own 24-track recording studio called Marigold Studios: "I wanted the freedom, so when we bought the house, I built a 24-track studio [Marigold Studios] so that I was self-contained and independent." [5]

There he produced his own solo material as well as producing and engineering "Fate Stay with Me" (1987) for Alanis Morissette. [6] In that same year, he began his nationally distributed independent record label called Marigold Productions. [7] Dodson went on to have a successful solo career with three top-ten hits in Canada including "Lookin' Back" (1981), "She's Comin' Back/Your Own Kind of Music" (1985), and "Cruel Emotion" (1986). Other artists he produced for include Buffy Sainte-Marie and Handsome Ned. [5]

In 1992, Dodson re-united with his Stampeders bandmates after they filmed a "Where are they now?" show on television. The band continue to tour Canada doing fairs, festivals, casinos and theatres, and as of 2024 the band, still a trio, consists of Dodson, Berly and Dave Chabot who replaced the late Ronnie King. In 1994, Dodson released his solo songs on an album called Secret Hits on Aquarius Records.

Personal life

Dodson lives with his wife, Mary-Lynn. [5] His daughter, Holly Dodson, and son Nick Dodson are a singer-songwriter, and drummer respectively, and key members in the Canadian synth-pop trio Parallels (Nick is no longer a member of the group). Holly directed a new music video of "Sweet City Woman" for the Stampeders in 2016. [8]

Influences and recognition

Dodson has stated that his influences come from instrumental bands of the 1960s such as The Ventures and The Shadows, as well as Lovin' Spoonful and The Zombies. [9]

In 1994, Dodson was inducted into the SOCAN Hall of Fame for composing "Sweet City Woman" and "Carry Me". In February 2006, Dodson was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame with "Sweet City Woman". [10]

Discography

Singles

YearSingleChart Positions
CANCAN ACCAN Country
1972"Julia Get Up"11——
1979"Give You That Love"7923—
1980"Natalie"—16—
1981"Lookin' Back"—6—
1982"Hollywood"—20—
1983"That's What I Say"—22—
1984"If You Got a Heart"—17—
"Givin' It Up for Love"—16—
1985"No Time to Say Goodbye"—11—
"She's Comin' Back /
Your Own Kind of Music"		—8—
1986"Cruel Emotion"—1040
"Lonely Lovers" (with Debbie Johnson)—16—
1988"Holiday"—17—
1990"Cruel Emotion"—26—
1991"Love City"—19—

Stampeders songs written by Dodson

YearTitle
1967"Morning Magic"
1968"Be a Woman"
1969"Crosswalk"
1971"Carry Me"
"Sweet City Woman"
"Devil You"
1972"Monday Morning Choo Choo"
"Wild Eyes"
1973"Johnny Lightning"
1974"Running Wild"
"Ramona"
1976"San Diego"
1984"Baby with You"
1996"Oh Belinda"
1997"Hometown Boy"

References

  1. ↑ "Rich Dodson – Ancestry.com". Search.ancestry.com. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  2. ↑ "Rich Dodson – CanadianBands.com". 11 April 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  3. 1 2 Email, Share by; SPACES, Share on; Facebook, Share on; X, Share on; LinkedIn, Share on; Message, Share via Text (11 November 2016). "Sudbury can claim The Stampeders guitarist Rich Dodson as its own". Sudbury.com. Retrieved 9 January 2026.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  4. ↑ "The Stampeders". Encyclopedia of Music in Canada . Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 "The Dodson family does it all themselves". SOCAN Words and Music. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  6. ↑ "Alanis Morissette". The Canadian Encyclopedia . Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  7. ↑ Archived 4 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ "Stampeders release new music video for 'Sweet City Woman'". Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. 18 February 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  9. ↑ "Interview With Rich Dodson". Classicbands.com. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  10. ↑ "CANOE – JAM! Stampeders, The: 'Sweet City Woman' hits Hall of Fame". Jam.canoe.ca. 4 March 2006. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
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