An early pioneer in out-state Nebraska rock music, Mike formed Fremont’s first rock band (The Nomads) in 1962. They changed their name to J. Harrison B. & Bumbles in 1965, while attending the University of 
Nebraska and quickly became one of the Midwest’s finest bands, evolving into an 8-piece Rhythm & Blues band with Liz Williams on vocals. Semrad joined Norfolk, Nebraska’s 9-piece Rhythm & Blues band – The Smoke Ring in 1968, and they recorded at the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis, TN releasing several 45’s on Mala Records and later on New York’s Buddah Records. Their Buddah recordings (now on BMG/RCA Records) found their way to compilation LP’s, 45’s and CD released in The United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Canada, and Thailand.
They toured and backed Rufus Thomas, The Shangri-La’s, The Every Brothers, Dickey Lee and Tommy Roe. Their 1969 recording of “No Not Much” hit the Top-20 in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles and went to #17 nationally on the Billboard Magazine Easy Listening Charts. The Memphis Horns, of Stax Records fame, provided the horn arrangements on the Smoke Ring Memphis recordings.
They appeared on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand in LA in May 1969. The Smoke Ring broke up in 1972, but Semrad has continued to perform in R&B and Blues Bands since that time, including a 12 year stint with the Omaha’s late Ronnie Tuccitto in The Mob.
Now in his 45th year of performing, Semrad continues to play in The Smoke Ring, which reunited in 1994. They have appeared with .38 Special, Grand Funk Railroad & Lynyrd Skynrd among others and Semrad has performed personally with The Muddy Waters Blues Band (Willie “Big Eyes” Smith and Pinetop Perkins), Paul Butterfield’s Danny Draher & Bugsy Maugh, Chi-Lites drummer Tony Dale, & The Fabulous Flippers.
Semrad is past president of the Nebraska Music Hall of Fame Foundation and had the honor of inducting Omaha natives Buddy Miles, Dave Stryker & Bourbon Street, Herbie Rich, Billy Rich, Billy Rogers, John Maller, Preston Love, Wynonie Harris, Roger Williams, and Bugsy Maugh to the Hall Fame. He’s a 2-time inductee to the Nebraska Music Hall of Fame (The Smoke Ring & J. Harrison B. & Bumbles), an upcoming inductee to the Iowa Rock & Roll Music Association Hall of Fame (The Smoke Ring), an inductee in the National Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame in Nashville and the recipient of the Iowa Rock Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award. He continues to perform with The Smoke Ring and is President of the newly formed Midwest Music Masters (Non-Profit) who will recognize Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas musicians and to provide instruments, lessons, and classroom instructions to needy children. He is a Nebraska record collector and historian on Nebraska based music, particularly the music of Omaha, NE and has assisted The Black Omaha Music Hall of Fame to provide biographies, discographies and other info on the Omaha music scene. Semrad lives in Fremont where he is a banker along with his wife Judy and 6 sons.
