B I O G R A P H Y
Ted Lange, a 2 time GRAMMY nominee and inductee to the International Polka Hall Of Fame, has had an accomplished career as an award winning musician, producer, writer, arranger, recording engineer and tour operator. From humble beginnings in a local family band to performing all over the U.S., Canada and Europe, he has consistently been recognized for his unique talents in the entertainment field. He has appeared in movies, television and radio and continues to perform and entertain all over the world.
Ted got his start in Polka Music at a very early age with his parents’ band, "The Buckeye Polka Band", a Polka/Variety Band in Northwest Ohio, and at age 5, started playing drums with them. As he grew older and more experienced, he began filling in on accordion, keyboard and drums with many of the local Northwest Ohio Polka bands.
While in High School, Ted organized an Accapella contemporary Christian group named “The Unknown” and performed for school concerts, athletic events, corporate parties, youth camps and at many churches across Northwest Ohio. While in the high school marching band, Ted even played a halftime show featuring polka music, with Ted playing accordion accompanied by the marching band with members of the band polka dancing on the field.
He joined Marv Herzog and the Bavarian Polka Band from Frankenmuth, MI from 1994-1995. While a member of the Marv Herzog Band, Ted took over the bandleader responsibilities and filled in for Marv while Marv took some time off due to illness, and continued performing at all the band’s commitments, keeping that “Herzog Sound” alive with his interpretation of Marv’s unique Cordovox playing and German vocals.
During that time, Ted also started hosting his own radio show on 1280AM, WONW, based in Defiance, OH. For two years, Ted broadcasted polkas every Sunday morning from 11am-1pm, often needing to pre-record the show due to his scheduled performances. Ultimately, the station changed management and was bought out by Clear Channel and the ethnic programming ceased on that station, but that would not be Ted's last broadcast.
After performing with Herzog, Ted joined the Grammy Nominated "Toledo PolkaMotion" from 1995-2001, and recorded 6 albums with TPM. While a member of TPM, Ted appeared in the Warner Brothers movie entitled "Welcome to Collinwood", (2000), and appears on the movie soundtrack. He was also a recipient of the Great Lakes People's Choice Awards with TPM 4 times for Ethnic Musical Group of the Year.
Following TPM, Ted performed 2 years with previous Grammy Award Winner Eddie Blazonczyk's Versatones, (Chicago, IL), and the following year joined another Grammy Nominated Polka Band, "John Gora and Gorale' " (Burlington Ontario, Canada). While a member of John Gora and Gorale', he was nominated for a Grammy award for his work on “Pangora’s Box” released by the band in 2004. Ted received his second Grammy nomination also with John Gora for his work on “Bulletproof Polkas” in 2007. In addition to performing with John Gora, Ted also performed with a Toledo based "Polish Style" band named "Change Of Pace from 2004 through 2006 and recorded 2 CD's with them.
Ted's reputation for being able to step in as a side musician due to his keen musical ear, in addition to his vast polka music knowlege and ability have made him one of the "first calls" for any band seeking a quality fill-in on piano, accordion, concertina or drums. He has performed with a wide variety of bands including: The Polka Family Band, The Alex Meixner Band, Brave Combo, Karl & The Country Dutchmen, Polka Country Musicians, Fred Ziwich and the ISM, The Jim Busta Band, Lenny Gomulka & Chicago Push, Gary's Ridgeland Dutchmen, The Dynatones, Frankie Liszka & The Brass Connection, Gerry Kaminski's Merrymakers, Mark Janson and the Brass Express, Ed Guca & The Polish Canadians, Henny & The Versa J's, The Polka Nuts, and Eddie Biegaj & Crusade in addition to many more.
In the late 1990's, Ted formed the band "The Bratwurst Boys" with other members of Toledo Polkamotion, which later became the band now known as "Squeezebox". Since 2005, the talented duo of Ted Lange and Mollie B elevated Squeezebox from 8 local engagements a year, to as many as 100+ performances a year all over the United States with thousands of fans and supporters reaching every corner of the U.S. and beyond.
In addition to performing, Ted has been an avid promoter through the years with involvement in several different festivals in different capacities. For 6 years, Ted promoted and booked all the entertainment for the Hamler Summerfest in Hamler, OH. He is also a past president of the Ohio Polka Boosters, and organized dances and special events for the membership and the general public. He has remained a member of the United States Polka Association and the International Polka Association, in addition to countless other polka related organizations and publications. He has served on the board of the "Polka America Corporation" and has been a valued resource for other promoters, organizations, fans and musicians.
In March of 2011, Ted joined Mollie B as a co-producer of the all new "Mollie B Polka Party" on RFD-TV. The show had its first taping in June of 2011 and the show aired for the first time on July 2, 2011 showcasing a variety of polka bands from all over the United States. One of the highest rated shows on RFD-TV, the "Mollie B Polka Party was broadcast into over 60 million households via DISH Network, DirecTV, and over 600 independent cable systems.
In 2013, an opportunity to create a polka show on Sirius/XM radio was presented, and Ted co-hosted and co-produced the "Mollie B Polka Party Radio Show" on Rural Radio, Channel 80 on Sirius/XM Satellite radio.
Ted also co-produced the “Mollie B Christmas Special” at RFD-TV the Theatre in Branson, Missouri beginning in November 2011. In addition to performing, Ted also has arranged several of the pieces on the Christmas show each year. Following the stage show, you'll find Ted in the studio doing touch-up work for many of the musicians, as well as contributing to the final mixed audio from the show. These shows became fan favorites that would air every year during the Christmas season on RFD-TV, and was also released on DVD and CD. Following a Christmas show in Branson in 2016, the show was moved to Reedsburg, WI where it continued until 2023.
In 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, performing in public as "Squeezebox with Mollie B and Ted Lange" came to a screeching halt. To continue spending music and joy to others, Ted and Mollie started doing daily videos and posting them to social media and www.youtube.com/mollieb, which had previously not been utilized. The popularity of these daily videos, recorded and edited by Ted transformed into a weekly hour and a half long LIVE variety show that was streamed every Tuesday night from Ted's studio in Ohio. For 16 months, with only 2 exceptions, Ted and Mollie performed for audiences around the world on YouTube and social media every Tuesday evening, amassing over 30,000 subscribers on www.youtube.com/mollieb and thousands of followers on social media. In that timeframe, they performed over 900 different songs on those shows, and as of the date of this writing, the www.youtube.com/mollieb has experienced over 11 million views!
Now residing in Tennessee, Ted has continued his life long passion of performing, recording and promoting in addition to organizing and leading European tours. He currently performs with country music's Pete Schlegel, integrating his accordion and bass playing skills into a genre that doesn't see many accordions anymore, performing classic country music and party favorites. You'll also find him performing for a limited number of dates with his band "Squeezebox" in addition to filling in with bands of multiple genres, covering all areas of the U.S., Canada and Europe.
In addition to his performing, Ted also has extensive experience in audio production. In addition to working as a sound man, Ted founded his own recording studio named "Powerbox Studio." He has engineered and produced a variety of award-winning recordings, with some even being recorded "on the road" at various locations throughout the US. His ability to guide musicians and creatively contribute musically during recording sessions is one of the unique God-given talents he has been blessed with and enjoys sharing to enhance the final product.
Ted is a father to Alli, father-in-law to Gage Dean, grandfather to Leo, and a "dog-dad" to Tom Tom.
D I S C O G R A P H Y
2024 - "Hits from Home" CD - SqueezeBox - Ted engineered this recording.
2023 - "2023 Mollie B Christmas Show" DVD and USB drive - Ted mixed, mastered and did video editing
2023 - "2022 Mollie B Christmas Show" USB drive - Ted mixed, master and did video editing.
2022 - "2021 Mollie B Christmas Show" DVD - Ted mixed, mastered and did video editing.
2021 - "Angel Band" CD - Steve Harris & Friends
2020 - "No Snow at Christmas" digital download - Girl Named Tom with Ted Lange & Mollie B - Ted engineered, mixed and recorded this single.
2020 - Mollie B "Country" - Ted played accordion and mixed this recording.
2020 - "We Belong Together" - Single - Alex Vinecki & Ted Lange, produced, engineered, mixed and co-wrote this single.
2019 - My Polish Roots - John Gora & Gorale' - Ted also recorded and edited this recording.
2018 - "The Mule" - Movie - Warner Brothers - Starring Clint Eastwood- Squeezebox
2018 - "A Day To Say Thank-you" from the Warner Brothers Movie "The Mule" - Squeezebox - Ted and Mollie co-wrote this song, and Ted also recorded, edited and mixed this song.
2017 - "Getting Better with Age - 20th Anniversary" - Czech and Then Some - Guest musician on this recording in addition to co-engineering and co-mixing this recording.
2016 - Mollie B Christmas Concert - Ted also recorded, edited and mixed this recording
2016 - The Little Fishermen Orchestra featuring Mollie B - Gordy Prochaska's Little Fishermen - Ted played the drums, piano and keyboard in addition to recording, editing, and mixing this recording.
2016 - SqueezeBox by Request – SqueezeBox - Ted also recorded, edited and assisted with mixing this recording
2016 - And The Road Begins - The Dynabrass - Guest musician and recorded and mixed this recording.
2013 - Butterfly - John Gora & Gorale - Ted Co-Engineered this recording in addition to performing on it.
2013 - Mollie B Christmas Special – Mollie B All-Star Band
2012 - Mollie B Christmas Special – Mollie B All-Star Band
2012 - Button Box Menagerie Volume 1 - With Fred Ziwich and Friends
2012 - Button Box Menagerie Volume 2 - With Fred Ziwich and Friends
2011 - Mollie B Christmas Special – Mollie B All-Star Band
2011 - "We're Gonna Have A Polka Party" - Mollie B Polka Party Theme Song - Ted wrote, recorded, and played every instrument on this theme song for the "Mollie B Polka Party" on RFD-TV.
2009 - Freshly Squeezed ~ Squeezebox
2009 - Polka Playin' Fool ~ John Gora & Gorale
2007 - SQUEEZE ME ~ Squeezebox
2007 - Bulletproof Polkas ~ John Gora & Gorale **Grammy Nominated**
2006 - Raising The Bar ~ Change Of Pace
2004 - You'll Be Back ~ Change of Pace
2004 - Pangora's Box ~ John Gora & Gorale' **Grammy nominated**
2003 - Peggy's Pie Parlor ~ Ralph's World, Ralph Covert ~ Guest Artist on Accordion
2003 - I've Just Seen A Face ~ Ted Lange & Power Supply
2003 - All Night Long ~ Toledo Polkamotion Compilation CD
2002 - The Beat Goes On ~ Toledo Polkamotion
2001 - Timeless ~ Toledo Polkamotion
2001 - The Bratwurst Boys - Self titled Recording, Limited Release
2000 - Just Playin’ Around ~ Jim Busta Band ~ Guest Artist on Accordion
2000 - Welcome To Collinwood ~ Movie ~ Warner Brothers ~ Toledo Polkamotion
2000 - No Illusion ~ Toledo Polkamotion
1997 - Holy Toledo Live ~ Toledo Polkamotion
1996 - Blackjack ~ Toledo Polkamotion
1995 - Lustige Musikanten in Frankenmuth, U.S.A. ~ (VHS) ~ Marv Herzog