Canadian rock trio The Stampeders scored their biggest hit with "Sweet City Woman" in 1971, a song shaped by their experiences as newcomers navigating Toronto's music scene. Written by guitarist Rich Dodson, the track stood out on radio thanks to a last-minute decision to swap the guitar riff for a banjo, giving the band a distinctive sound that helped it cross over from Canada into the American charts.

The Calgary-formed group began in 1964 as The Rebounds before renaming themselves a year later, eventually settling into a three-piece lineup of Dodson, Ronnie King and Kim Berly. "Sweet City Woman" featured on their debut album, Against the Grain, and included a "bon, c'est bon" refrain as a nod to Toronto's French speakers; it reached number eight in the United States in 1971, remaining the band's only major US hit despite their sustained success in Canada.