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). 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." There he produced his own solo material as well as producing and engineering "Fate Stay with Me" (1987) for
Alanis Morissette. In that same year, he began his nationally distributed independent record label called Marigold Productions. 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. 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 ==