Eric & The Norsemen

Known as the "Wildest Show in the Midwest", Eric & The Norsemen played to large and enthusiastic crowds in a nine-state area from 1965 to 1968. In the Fall of 1964, the original members of Eric and the Norsemen - Roger Johnson (14), Mike Willman, Kenny Kramer and Jimmy Kocher - were students at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. Roger and Mike were college roommates at the Lambda Chi fraternity. Eric and the Norsemen played their first show on February 5, 1965 in Liberty, Missouri. Throughout that Spring, they played on weekends in the college towns of Lawrence and Manhattan and in small towns around Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. Roger and Mike shared the vocals, Mike played lead guitar, and Roger played rhythm guitar. Kenny and Jimmy supplied the bass and drums. Although there was no "Eric" when the band started, audiences kept asking who he was. Roger assumed the role. A natural showman, he never stopped moving. In the fall of 1965, the Norsemen returned to KU and continued to play in Lawrence or on the road every weekend. They started to build an enthusiastic following among college crowds in Lawrence and Manhattan, and played in clubs, armories, and auditoriums in several states. In December, 1965, Kenny left the band and was replaced by Forrest "Tree" Cloud (another Lambda Chi) on bass guitar. With the addition of Tree, the band had three strong vocalists. With Tree in the line-up, the Norsemen developed the high-energy fun and excitement for which they became known. The music was loud ... and fast ... and great for dancing. The band started running radio ads on KOMA in Oklahoma City which broadcast its signal throughout the Midwest and western U.S. During the summers of 1966 and 1967, kids would drive for hours to hear the Norsemen play. In 1967, Roger, Mike, Jimmy and Tree recorded and released their 45 rpm single of "Get It On" and "Scotch and Soda". In another recording session, the band recorded a live studio album, which was never released, but which survived through the years and served as the soundtrack for the rare 2003 videotape of the band's home movies. At the end of 1967, the Norsemen took a break while Roger and Jimmy left for military training. When they returned in December 1967, two new band members, Frank Berrier and Mitch Bible, joined the Norsemen, replacing Tree, who was finishing college and heading for the Navy. Frank played bass and guitar, Mitch played the Hammond organ and guitar, and both Frank and Mitch were great singers. The band played to great crowds in the Spring and Summer of 1968. But at the end of the summer, the members of the band decided to go in different directions as their college years came to an end. The last public performance by Eric and the Norsemen was in August 1968. In December, 2005, the Kansas Music Hall of Fame announced that Eric and the Norsemen had been chosen for induction to the Hall. Eric and the Norsemen reunited for one final show on March 18 at Liberty Hall in Lawrence, Kansas for the 2006 Induction Ceremony of the Kansas Music Hall of Fame.