The Classics were a Norfolk band, formed in 1959-60 by lead
guitarist Davie Lee Uecker. Uecker had been a member of The
Broughams, and played with Don Sohl and the Roadrunners as well.
Original members of The Classics were Mike Sund on
rhythm guitar and vocals, Jim Nordhues on drums and vocals, Jerry
Nordeen on bass and vocals, and Mike DeVoss on sax. Uecker and Nordhues
booked the band through C & M Enterprises out of Sioux City, playing the
majority of their dances in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Minnesota.
The Classics relied heavily on R & B for their sax driven rock.
Songs by artists such as Jimmy Reed, B.B. King, Bobby Bland and others,
exposed young Midwest fans to a music that was new to them. In late 1961,
Uecker and Nordeen left the band and were replaced by Jim Casey on rhythm
guitar and Terry Witkowski on bass. A later incarnation of the band
featured John Hartin on lead guitar and Merlin "Doc" Rauss on vocals
and rhythm guitar. The band continued into 1964, playing their last gig in
Denver, Co.
The Classics were a direct link between the veteran Norfolk Rockers and a new
school of young musicians, who would later carry the Northeast Nebraska
music to national prominence.
