The band formed in Calgary, Alberta in 1964 as The Rebounds. The Rebounds had five members: Rich Dodson, Len Roemer, Brendan Lyttle, Kim Berly, and Race Holiday. They renamed themselves The Stampeders in 1965 and Len Roemer was replaced with Ronnie King and Van Louis. In 1966 they relocated to Toronto, Ontario, and became a trio in 1968 when Lyttle, Louis, and Holiday left.

In 1971 the Stampeders had a hit with “Sweet City Woman,” which won Best Single at the Juno Awards, reached #1 on the RPM magazine charts, and #8 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. 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. The Stampeders also won Juno Awards for Best Group, Best Producer (Mel Shaw), and Best Composer (Dodson) that year. The band signed with Polydor Records for US distribution.

By 1975 the band had toured extensively in the United States and appeared on television shows. In 1976 they had another Canadian hit with “Hit The Road Jack”, featuring Wolfman Jack. In Canada they produced seven more hits.

Dodson left the group in 1977. Berly and King recruited new members for the LP Platinum (1977). Berly then departed, leaving King to bring in three new members for the LP Ballsy (1979), and the band broke up shortly thereafter. The hitmaking trio reunited at the Calgary Stampede in 1992. They released a new album in 1998 titled Sure Beats Working.

On November 21, 2011, The Stampeders received the Lifetime Achievement Award from SOCAN at the 2011 SOCAN Awards in Toronto. In 2015 the band received SOCAN Classic Awards for their songs “Monday Morning” and “Wild Eyes.”

They continue to tour Canada doing fairs, festivals, casinos, and theatres.