At first thought, a group of aging cowboys doesn’t sound all that exciting.

But when you learn that these cowboys have won two Grammys, performed at the Hollywood Bowl, and have had songs in both Disney’s Monsters Inc. and Toy Story, you kind of want to be their new best friends. After all, who doesn’t love Toy Story?

Riders in the Sky, a country-western band from Nashville, Tenn., will play the Englert Theatre, 221 E. Washington St., today at 7 p.m.

When asked if he’d ever performed in Iowa, guitarist and lead singer Ranger Doug chuckled.

“We’ve been everywhere,” he said. (For the record, Riders in the Sky played at the Mill, 120 E. Burlington St., in the ’80s.)

And he’s not kidding. The Riders has traveled 3.6 million miles, been to all 50 states, and visited 11 countries. The band has recorded 35 albums and made three appearances at the White House. The band has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry — whose roster reads like a who’s who in the country-music world — for 27 years. The group is the only exclusively Western artist to win a Grammy, and it has been the Western Music Association’s “Entertainers of the Year” six times.

“We are also the only Western band to ever record a monster-theme album, after our song in Monsters Inc.,” Ranger Doug said proudly.

Somehow, this quirky accomplishment doesn’t come as a huge surprise.

After 32 years, Riders in the Sky isn’t yet ready to hang up the cowboy hats. The members have just recorded a brand-new album, Lassoed Live at the Schermerhorn!, in collaboration with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, and they are currently on tour.

It is the Riders’ tradition to only be called by their stage names. There’s Ranger Doug, “Governor of the Great State of Rhythm,” Joey the “Cow Polka King,” Woody Paul, “King of the Cowboy Fiddlers,” and Too Slim, “the sharpest wit in the West.” Together, they are, quite literally, a bunch of characters.

If classic Western music doesn’t seem like your thing, Ranger Doug may change your mind with his surprising description.

“Our shows are like Monty Python meets Roy Rogers, “ he said.

At a Riders show, expect a mixture of traditional Western music, original tunes, and family-oriented comedy.

“There are a whole lot of laughs,” Ranger Doug said. “It’s a family show, but there are jokes that only mom and dad will get, too.”

Too Slim, the main jokester in the bunch, is an instantly lovable entertainer. He remembers performing in Iowa City a long time ago and hopes he has come up with a new joke or two since then.

“I’m the funniest and the cutest, but not the tallest,” he joked.

Among all the impressive places the Riders has played, Ranger Doug and Too Slim have only the best things to say about Iowa. Because Too Slim’s mother is from Fort Dodge, Iowa, coming here will be like coming home.

“Iowa has a huge grass-roots following of acoustic music and all things that are offbeat, so we fit right in,” Ranger Doug said.

And today, Riders in the Sky hopes Iowa City will embrace it with offbeat, open arms.