TORONTO - The Stampeders still remember exactly where they were the first time they heard their free-wheeling pop tune "Sweet City Woman" spill out from the speakers of their car radio.
As they recalled at the annual gala put on by the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada on Monday -- where the Stampeders were receiving the lifetime achievement award -- that memorable moment happened 40 years ago, and the group was on the road in southern Ontario with the dial fixed to a fuzzy broadcast from New York.
Their single had just been released stateside, so they had tuned in specifically to hear it. It took 20 songs or so before they heard their song's swaying banjo intro start to strain through the radio.
"We stopped the car, and we got out, and ran around -- it was literally that insane," recalled drummer Kim Berly.
"I jumped on the car," added guitarist Rich Dodson.
While the Calgary-reared country-pop group was honoured Monday for the entire long career that they've carved out since they began nearly 50 years ago, the Stampeders realize many Canadians know them solely for their only No. 1 hit.
And that's fine with them.
"It's great to have something stick to that degree, it's fantastic," said guitarist Ronnie King.
"If they didn't remember it, they wouldn't come to see us, and we wouldn't be here tonight," Berly agreed.
Of course, it wasn't the only enduring tune celebrated at Monday's bash, hosted by Steven Page, Michelle Wright and Abdominal.
Other honours handed out at the society's 22nd annual awards gala included the international achievement award, which went to globe-trotting Toronto hip-hop star K'naan, and the national achievement award, which was scooped up by the Ontario-based country outfit Prairie Oyster.
Famed Toronto producer Bob Ezrin, who has worked with Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd and Kiss, took the special achievement award while Michael Buble's swinging hit "Haven't Met You Yet" took the prize for international song.
Other winners of awards for frequent Canadian radio play included Nickelback for "This Afternoon," Deric Ruttan for "Up All Night," Steven Lee Olsen for "Make Hay While the Sun Shines," George Canyon for "I Believe in Angels" and Dragonette for "Pick Up the Phone."
Kardinal Offishall won the urban music award for his club hit "Body Bounce," and he admitted that the very first time he listened to the tune -- a collaboration with U.S. crooner Akon -- he had a funny feeling it was going to be big.
"From the first time I heard it, it was just one of those ones that just sounded crazy," the Toronto rapper said prior to the gala. "The funny thing about 'Body Bounce' is that we never actually did any promotions for that song -- you'll notice there's no video, we never really did anything, we kind of just put it out.
"And I mean, the record went gold in Canada and did all kinds of stuff all over the place but it was actually just one of those songs that was just an organic song that people just loved. To me, that's an accomplishment."
Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard had a similarly special feeling about his band's yearning hit "Perfect," which also won an award for being one of the most-played songs on domestic radio last year.
"I had my eye on it. It was a special song," Hoggard said, noting that he penned the track a full year before it was released.
"As soon as I wrote it, I got on the phone -- sometimes you write a song and you do not get on the phone, but as soon as I wrote it, I got on the phone. That's a pretty good first early sign."
