Early Beginnings

The Kream of the Krop, a Swing Big Band, was founded in 1983 by former band musicians who were members of the Greeley Kiwanis Club. The purpose was simply to play for enjoyment and the occasional benefit performance. Although only a few of the current members of the band are now in Kiwanis, the band is still sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Greeley for its benefit shows.

The band has had an interesting history. For two summers in the mid 90s, the band entered the Glenn Miller Festival contest for Swing bands and won the first place trophy both times. Since this is perhaps the only national Glenn Miller Festival, the band has claimed that they are “back-to-back national champions.”

Their large public performances include: concerts on the University of Northern Colorado campus, the Rialto Theater in Loveland, Greeley Arts Picnic, the Union Colony Civic Center Holiday Festival, High Plains Chautauqua, Jive Cats dances at Colorado State University, KLZ and Pirate radio (104.7) (through their CDs), the Colorado Music Educators Annual Convention, a national convention for dentistry, and many others.

In April 2008, they shared a joint concert with the world-traveling Greeley Chorale. And, in June 2009, they played for the Glenn Miller Festival dance in Fort Morgan as part of the re-created Glenn Miller Festival. In the summer of 2013, they continued their tradition of presenting free concerts at the amphitheater and band shell at St. Michael’s Center.