[7][9] Bacolas has stated that his love for music was sparked when his father George brought home various vinyl records that he rotated from the jukeboxes at his restaurants once they ran their course in the Top 40, citing Elton John, Barry Manilow, and old Motown as some of his earliest influences.

[11][12][13] Bacolas has cited a myriad of musical styles (particularly from the 1970s) and artists, such as Black Sabbath, Pet Shop Boys, and Gipsy Kings, as some of his other influences.

[14] In 1984, Bacolas started a garage band called Sleze along with James Bergstrom and two other Shorewood High students, Zoli Semanate and Byron Hansen.

[4][15]"We were just blown away by him," remembered lead guitarist Johnny Bacolas in Greg Prato's 2009 chronicle Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music.

In a 1985 airing of the television program, Town Meeting, featured on KOMO 4 Seattle, Staley and Bacolas appear on the show to protest censorship from the PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center).

[22] The band, along with special guest, Layne Staley, performed at its CD release party for L.O.V.Evil on September 9, 1994, at The Fenix Underground in Seattle, Washington.

[21] During this time, Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready was forming the group Mad Season, and would regularly contact Bacolas to ask if he could come over to their home to talk to Staley about singing on the band's upcoming album.

[24] Staley arranged for Bacolas' band, Second Coming, to open for Mad Season at Seattle nightclub RKCNDY on New Year's Eve of 1995.

[25] Bacolas says of Staley in Greg Prato's Book, Grunge is Dead, "The guy was one of the nicest, most humble, sincere people that you'll ever meet.

During this time, in 2006, Bacolas helped start another band called The Crying Spell, which played "Man in the Box" with Live vocalist Ed Kowalczyk at the 2009 Layne Staley Tribute Concert.

Also in 2008, Bacolas is credited for co-producing a track titled, "The Great Big Sleep" for Clive Barker's 2008 horror film, The Midnight Meat Train.

[31] The song was originally recorded in the late sixties by Greek singer Giannis Poulopoulos and written by the highly respected songwriters, Lefteris Papadopoulos & Mimis Plessas.

To film the shots of vocalist, Giorgos Sarris in Athens, Bacolas partnered-up with Greek director Sherif francis.

[35] In June 2015, Bacolas formed the Latin & Mediterranean inspired group, The Rumba Kings, with Romany-Gypsy guitarist/songwriter, George Stevens.

[41] During the pandemic of 2020, The Rumba Kings stayed busy re-crafting their entire live show, writing, recording and releasing new music, and publishing several videos, which they titled, "The quarantine sessions.

"[42] The Rumba Kings began performing live in the greater Seattle area beginning in April 2016 to present day.