Since 2015, Latin and Mediterranean-inspired Seattle group The Rumba Kings have shared lively sounds and ebullient dancing with audiences. During a 2025 KNKX studio session, band founders Johnny Bacolas and George Stevens spoke about the history of their unique musical collaboration.
Before he met Bacolas, lead guitarist Stevens' musical education began by playing folk music for his large Serbian family at frequent house parties. Back then, he'd spend hours playing dreamy fanfares and upbeat dances, developing his rhythm guitar chops, and eventually gravitating toward a flamenco rumba style.
"I would play the rhythm guitar for, I mean, there was 10 rhythm guitar players at our house parties, and it was a bunch of singers, and everybody would take turns singing, and then I would sing along. So I would be there for hours sitting behind the table with my guitar just, you know, playing while they were singing. And it was extremely enjoyable," Stevens said.
Meanwhile, Bacolas, a bassist, was looking for bandmates for a new project. Out of the blue, he got a call from an Edmonds restaurant owner who convinced him to come down and hear the new guitar player they'd hired: Stevens.
"I got a phone call from this restaurant owner that said, 'You're not going to believe this guitar player that came in last night,'" Bacolas recounted. "And he said, 'The guy doesn't want to get paid. He brings his guitar in. He just sits in the bar, and he brought a couple of his friends, and they play all these songs, and the place went crazy,' and he goes, 'Johnny, you got to see him play.'"
Bacolas, intrigued, came down to find Stevens on stage, giving an enticing performance. Almost instantly, Bacolas knew he wanted to approach Stevens about collaborating.
"Within I'd say, 30 seconds, I knew that there he is. That's the guy," Bacolas said. "And so I thought, 'Well, the thing is, can he write music? I know he can play and he looks the part, but can he write?"
When Stevens took a break, Bacolas introduced himself and asked if he could write. Stevens said yes.
"He pulled out his phone, played me a song he wrote. And I went, 'Wow, fantastic."
Bacolas invited Stevens to his studio in Kirkland the very next day. The pair got together, wrote enough tunes for a double album—2017's The Instrumental and Vocal Sessions, Vol I—and set out to recruit their favorite musicians for a live band.
Today, the Rumba Kings present a multifaceted live show that includes not only a diverse array of musicians and musical genres but multicultural dance as well. Bacolas shared that their performances often provoke an emotional response in their audiences.
"People, all the time after the show come up to us and say, 'Thank you so much for letting me forget about everything going on in the world and all my problems, and this was just magic,'" Bacolas said.
The Rumba Kings continue to perform their live shows around the Seattle area. Their newest record, 2024's Whispers of Passion, is now available.
