A pair of musical talents have arrived in the rural Driftless Area of Monroe County in southwest Wisconsin. Mollie B was born in Dubuque, Iowa, into the musical family of Jim and Mary Busta. Jim says, “I grew up on a farm in northeast Iowa, and Polka music was played. My father had a button accordion at home, and I used to sneak away and play it. When I was in my early 20s, I purchased my first concertina, and I bought a self-instruction book.”
The family moved to Spring Grove, Minnesota, where Jim Busta was hired as Superintendent of the Spring Grove School System. Spring Grove is big on the Arts with the Giants of the Earth Norwegian Center and Ye Olde Opera House.
Mollie’s big break came at age eleven when a trumpet player was needed for her Dad’s Jim Busta Polka Band. She also played keyboard. After High School, it was off to Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, where Mollie majored in Music with a minor in Business Management.
Mollie taught music at West Salem Elementary and Middle School for a year and five years at Lanesboro, Minnesota. Mollie B says, “A highlight of that time in my life was playing Maria in the Sound of Music at age 23 at the Ye Olde Opera House.
Now About Ted
A big boost to the Mollie B and Ted Lange careers came in 2011 when they arrived in Branson, Missouri, with Christmas Shows at the RFD-TV Theatre and the Jim Stafford Theatre. Since 2017, Mollie moved her Christmas Show to the CAL Center at Reedsburg High School.
The three sellout performances on December 2-3, 2023, featured 38 cast members who played, sang, and danced to the delighted crowds, highlighting Christmas from around the world.
Her tour de force was playing the Twelve Days of Christmas medley. Yes, Mollie played12 instruments, including the alphorn, with bits of 12 Christmas carols. It’s an amazing feat. Mollie B plays 17 different musical instruments. Mollie revealed, “The grand piano is my favorite, followed by the trumpet and the saxophone.” Mollie B and Ted Lange were married in October 2011. They perform approximately 130 shows per year, which translates to 300 days on the road.
Mollie and Ted were featured in the Clint Eastwood movie The Mule, filmed in 2018 at Jonesboro, Georgia. When asked what it was like to be in the same film with a famed movie star, Mollie B said, “Oh, he was just a regular guy, easy to talk to, and very kind. Eastwood is a big polka music fan and watches our show on the RFD Channel on Saturday night.” In the two-minute segment, Mollie sings, plays trumpet, keyboard, and saxophone, and then greets and dances with Eastwood. Ted Lange sings and plays accordion. Mollie and Ted co-wrote the song they performed, which was pre-approved by Clint Eastwood. Mollie wrote the instrumental part and the chorus, and Ted wrote the lyrics and music of the verse.
Mollie B’s awards are many, including being named the 2013 Polka Performer of the Year. But arguably the most prestigious honor came in 2018 when Mollie B became the youngest performer inducted into the International Polka Association Hall of Fame.
Ted Lange is a famed accordion player, two-time Grammy nominee, member of the International Polka Association Hall of Fame, and the 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 IPA Best International Male Vocalist. He co-manages the SqueezeBox Band with Mollie B, and has worn the hats of award-winning musician, D.J., promoter, engineer, song writer, arranger, and producer.
Buying a farm
How did a pair of famed stage performers end up on a small farm in Wisconsin? Mollie B answered, “We wanted to be close to my parents, who live in Onalaska. We wanted a somewhat isolated place, small acreage, good neighbors, and beautiful vistas. We love this land, this quiet place, so we bought it in May 2021. We have our two-year-old dog, Tom-Tom, and four goats. And we have converted an out-building to Ted’s office/studio.”
Future
The Jimmy Sturr-Mollie B Caribbean Polka Cruise sets sail out of Ft. Lauderdale from January 13-20, 2024. My wife, Ann, and I took the Cruise in January 2023, and it was fantastic. Mollie B. has been to 15 European countries, and she is going back. It’s a land tour from June 24-July 7, 2024, called the Mollie B and Ted Lange European tour visiting Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Germany. Mollie B emphasized, “We have one slot left, two tour buses with a total of 90 travelers, hosted with a family decades-old touring company.”
Where to find Mollie B?
The Mollie B Polka Party is on the RFD Channel on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday at 9 p.m., recorded from 2011 to 2016. Covid hit in March 2020 and live shows were shut down. Ted and Mollie moved their focus to their YouTube Channel. Mollie B can be found on YouTube.com/Mollie B, that has 26,000 subscribers showing 199 videos, free to anyone to watch.
When asked about the future, Mollie B replied, “I love what I do. God has blessed me with some talents, and I want to share them with others.”
To learn more about Mollie B, visit MollieB.com.
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