History
Formed in Calgary, Alberta, in 1964 as the Rebounds, [4] the band had five members: Rich Dodson (vocals, guitar, banjo), Len Roemer (guitar), Brendan Lyttle (bass), Kim Berly (real name Kim Meyer, on drums) and Kim's brother Race Holiday (real name Al Meyer, on vocals). They renamed themselves The Stampeders in 1965 and Len Roemer was replaced with Ronnie King (real name Cornelius Van Sprang, on guitar) and Ronnie's brother Van Louis (real name Emile Van Sprang, guitar). In 1966 they relocated to Toronto and became a trio in 1968 when Lyttle, Louis and Holiday left and King switched to bass.
The Stampeders scored a hit in 1971 with "Sweet City Woman", which won Best Single at the Juno Awards, reached No.1 on the RPM magazine charts, and No.8 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. [5] Written by Dodson, the track stayed in the Billboard chart for 16 weeks and the disc sold a million by September 1971, and the R.I.A.A. granted gold disc status. [4] The Stampeders also won Juno Awards for Best Group, Best Producer (Mel Shaw), and Best Composer (Dodson) that year. [6] The band signed with Polydor Records for US distribution. [7]
By 1975, the band had toured extensively in the United States and appeared on television shows. [8] In 1976 they had another Canadian hit with "Hit The Road Jack", featuring Wolfman Jack, which also reached #40 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. In Canada they produced seven top 10 hits.
Dodson left the group in 1977 and Berly and King recruited new members: Gibby Lacasse (drums, percussion), Ian Kojima (sax, flute), David Norris-Elye (saxes), Doug Macaskill (guitar) and Gary Scrutton (guitar, vocals) for the LP Platinum (1977). [9] But Berly then departed, leaving King to continue with yet another new line-up that included Ronnie's youngest brother, Roy Van Sprang (drums), Bob Allwood (guitar, vocals) and Gary Storin (guitar, vocals) for the LP Ballsy (1979). The band broke up shortly thereafter, in 1980. [9]
The classic three-piece group, composed of Dodson, Berly and King, officially reunited at a special concert at the Olympic Saddledome in Calgary during The Calgary Stampede in July 1992 and the following year saw them working on the first new Stampeders album in nearly twenty years. Reminiscent of their Country hybrid roots, the album contained the regional hit, "Hometown Boy", as well as updated versions of "Sweet City Woman" and "Oh My Lady" and they finally released the album in 1998 under the title Sure Beats Working. [9]
On November 21, 2011, The Stampeders received the Lifetime Achievement Award from SOCAN at the SOCAN Awards in Toronto. [10]
In 2015, the band received SOCAN Classic Awards for their songs "Monday Morning" and "Wild Eyes." [11] They then continued to tour Canada playing fairs, festivals, casinos, and theatres. [12]
On March 4, 2024, original member and bassist Ronnie King died at the age of 76. [13] [14] But the group recruited Berly's friend, bassist Dave Chabot, and have continued to make concert appearances. [15]
