RICK STEVES The Biography

Richard John Steves Jr., better known as Rick Steves, was born on May 10, 1955, in Barstow, California. His early life was marked by a passion for music and travel, which would later shape his remarkable career. The son of Richard John Steves Sr., a high school band director, and June Erna Steves, a piano technician, Rick grew up in a household deeply connected to music and the arts. His mother, of Norwegian descent, instilled in him a love for his heritage, and it was through his family’s piano business, "Steves Sound of Music," that his first significant exposure to European culture began. The Steves family, which also included Rick's two sisters, Jan and Linda, moved to Edmonds, Washington, in 1967, marking the start of Rick's lifelong connection to the Pacific Northwest.