Still Cruisin’: Wyoming’s Good-Time Rock & Roll Band Heads to Story Days

After nearly four decades of performances, friendships and unforgettable moments, Cruisin’ continues to bring family-friendly rock and roll to communities across northern Wyoming.

When Cruisin’ takes the outdoor stage at the Lodore during Story Days, the audience can expect more than a collection of familiar songs. They can expect the kind of performance the band has delivered since 1989: upbeat music, strong harmonies, plenty of personality and an invitation for every generation to have a good time.

Cruisin’ will perform at 3 p.m. on Saturday, August 29, outside on the stage at the Lodore.

The band proudly calls itself “Wyoming’s Good-Time Rock & Roll Band,” a description that reflects both its music and its longstanding relationship with communities throughout the region.

“We play music that puts a smile on your face and a tap in your toe,” founding member Glenn Logan said.

From a Ranchester Basement to Wyoming Stages

Cruisin’ began in 1989 when five musicians came together around a shared vision for performing the music they had grown up hearing on AM radio.

Glenn Logan and Nancy Phillips are two of the original members still performing with the band. Glenn credits the late Rob Dempsey as the driving force behind Cruisin’s formation.

The group’s first rehearsal took place in the basement of a home near Ranchester. Glenn remembers walking down the stairs behind Nancy, despite having never met most of the people gathered there.

“Nancy was probably thinking, ‘What am I getting myself into?’” Glenn recalled.

“And I was behind her thinking, ‘I hope these people know what they’re getting themselves into.’”

Glenn and Dempsey shared a vision for a band centered on the music of the 1950s and 1960s, the era of 45-rpm records, stacked turntables, doo-wop harmonies and songs that could fill a dance floor.

Cruisin’ quickly developed a following. One of its most popular early venues was the Little Big Man, a Sheridan pizza and pool hall that added a stage and dance floor.

The band sometimes played Friday and Saturday nights for weeks at a time.

“I remember when we first started out, we played about 13 weeks in a row,” Glenn said. “We were younger then. That wouldn’t happen anymore.”

Those performances often meant four hours of music each night, but they also helped establish Cruisin’ as a fixture in Sheridan’s live-music scene.

From Heavy Metal to a Toga

Rollie Hruza joined Cruisin’ in 1993 after playing in a heavy-metal band called Fatal Attraction.

According to Rollie, one reason he left the metal band was because the members wanted him to wear spandex. He believed joining Cruisin’ would bring an end to the unusual stage costumes.

He quickly learned otherwise.

Rollie’s first performance with Cruisin’ was an opening appearance for Wolfman Jack. Because he had joined the band only days earlier and knew just a couple of songs, he turned down the volume on his guitar and pretended to play through much of the show.

It did not take him long to learn the music. However, during one of his next performances with Cruisin’ in Casper, Glenn informed him that he would be wearing a toga, carrying a torch onto the stage and lighting two additional torches while Gregorian chant music played.

The band would then launch into “Louie Louie.”

“I went from spandex to a toga,” Rollie said. “I’m not sure which was worse.”

The production introduced Rollie to another important part of Cruisin’s identity. It was not merely a band, it was a show band.

Over the years, Cruisin’ has performed hundreds of shows, appeared at historic venues and twice opened for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The band has used costumes, props, video presentations and themed performances to turn familiar songs into memorable experiences.

Music Built Around Harmony

Cruisin’s repertoire is grounded in the rock and roll, pop and doo-wop music of the 1950s and 1960s. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and other early rock-and-roll performers have all influenced the band’s sound.

Glenn believes one of Cruisin’s defining strengths has been the presence of female vocalists and the harmonies they make possible.

“It’s not just another guy band,” he said.

That vocal range allows Cruisin’ to perform music made famous by groups such as the Supremes, the Chiffons and the Shirelles, along with songs by Dion and the Belmonts and many other artists from rock and roll’s early years.

Cruisin’ has also performed a theatrical tribute called “The Day the Music Died,” remembering Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson. The production has included costumes, music and a visual presentation accompanying Don McLean’s “American Pie.”

Although many of the songs Cruisin’ performs were released decades ago, Rollie said the band’s audience is not limited to those who grew up hearing them on the radio.

Streaming platforms have given younger listeners access to music from every generation, allowing them to explore far beyond the small group of current hits that are repeatedly promoted. As a result, children and teenagers are discovering classic rock and roll for themselves and often recognize more of Cruisin’s music than people might expect.

“The music Cruisin’ plays is wholesome, feel-good music,” Rollie said. “It gives people a chance to remember some things.”

The Secret to Nearly Four Decades Together

Bands are not always known for their longevity, but Cruisin’ has continued in one form or another since 1989.

Members have moved, careers have changed and the lineup has evolved, but the band has remained part of the regional music scene.

Rollie attributes that longevity to communication, commitment and mutual respect.

“You have to accept things the way they are with people,” he said. “It’s never perfect, but we have such a good time when we play the music.”

That commitment remains substantial. The musicians continue to rehearse several times a month, and Glenn travels from Colstrip, Montana, to practice and perform with the group.

Glenn believes the band’s family-oriented culture has also protected its relationships.

“Everything we’ve done has been family-oriented,” he said. “We played for families. We played for our kids. We had family values in the band.”

The members’ children, parents, spouses and extended families have been part of Cruisin’s journey. Rollie’s wife, Patti, first performed with the group in 2006 and has now been with the band for approximately 20 years.

Cruisin' Anniversary Bash in 2020 at the WYO Theater

Playing for a Greater Reason

Cruisin’s contribution to northern Wyoming extends beyond entertainment.

The band regularly donates performances to fundraisers and community organizations. One of the events closest to Rollie’s heart is the Dayton Benefit Club’s annual chili feed. Cruisin’ performs without charging the organization, helping raise money for scholarships awarded to graduating Tongue River High School students.

Rollie grew up in Dayton, and his connection to the community hall where the event is held is especially personal. His father Bob Hruza, a stonemason, built and donated the hall’s stone fireplace in 1976. Rollie and Patty also held their wedding reception in the building.

Cruisin’ also helped organize a benefit during the Elk Fire. Rollie worked with musician Tris Munsick and a volunteer production crew to stage the fundraiser. Cruisin’ opened the evening, Munsick performed afterward and the event raised approximately $10,000.

“There’s a value you provide to a community when you play music people like,” Rollie said.

He believes that value has become even clearer as the members have grown older. A performance gives people an opportunity to step away from difficult circumstances, reconnect with memories and enjoy a few hours together.

A Wild Moment on Stage

After hundreds of performances, Cruisin’ has accumulated its share of stories.

One of the most memorable happened while the band was opening for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band at the Sheridan County Fairgrounds.

Cruisin’ had created an elaborate production around the song “Wild Thing.” Glenn would disappear behind the stage and return wearing colorful sunglasses, wild hair, grass anklets and a grass skirt.

As the musical introduction began, the crew behind the stage hurried to finish dressing him. When his cue arrived, Glenn charged onto the stage but his grass skirt had not been properly fastened.

As he began making his “Wild Thing” movements, the skirt started falling around his legs.

Members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band came out to watch, laughing as Glenn struggled to maintain his balance in front of thousands of people.

Rollie remembers Glenn nearly tumbling into the musicians waiting near the side of the stage.

“He got his balance at the last second,” Rollie said. “He just about took out the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.”

Decades later, both men still tell the story.

Leaving People Smiling

When asked what he hopes people will eventually remember about Cruisin’, Glenn returned to the band’s simple promise.

“That everybody had a good time,” he said. “We don’t play crying-in-your-beer music. We don’t play divorce music or cheating music. We play music that puts a smile on your face and a tap in your toe.”

Rollie expressed a similar hope.

“I would want people to feel that we took the weight off,” he said. “At the end of it all, we made you smile, at least once or twice over the years.”

Perhaps, he added, the band has even managed to “put a little dent in fear.”

Cruisin’ will bring that good-time spirit to Story Days on Saturday, August 29, at 3 p.m. The performance will take place outside on the stage at the Lodore.

Story Days attendees are encouraged to bring their families, find a place near the stage and enjoy an afternoon of classic rock and roll from one of Wyoming’s longest-running live bands.