Mollie B, the multi-instrumentalist, award-winning vocalist, and host of the Mollie B Polka Party TV show, has been performing music all her life. Mollie started her career performing with the Jim Busta Band when she was only a child. Through hard work and dedication, Mollie now performs nation-wide to live audiences, as well as TV productions and the movie screen. She is most often seen performing with the band, SqueezeBox, but does on occasion serve as a guest artist with other bands. Mollie not only has performed on over 40 recordings, she has shared her many God-given talents with fans in over 30 states and eleven countries and continues to inspire young musicians with her love for music.
Between the Jim Busta Band’s practices and recording sessions, music always filled the Busta household in small-town Minnesota while Mollie was growing up. She started singing in the band at age three and joined on piano when she was eight-years-old. For years to follow, Mollie played several instruments both in the school bands and choirs, as well as in her father’s band.
Growing up, music always filled the Busta household in small-town Minnesota; between the Jim Busta Band’s practices and records being spun. , Mollie arranged songs for the school’s band and choir programs, the Jim Busta Band, and even found time to create her own original compositions. Mollie also served as the student-director for her high school band rehearsals and concerts.
Mollie went on to continue to develop her love of music and received a Bachelor of Arts in Music (trumpet and voice) from Luther College (Decorah, IA). Mollie’s senior paper was on polka music which gave her a chance to educate her classical music professors and colleagues about the music dear to her heart. Mollie also received a Master of Arts in Instruction from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota (Winona, MN). In 2005, Mollie joined Ted Lange’s Bratwurst Boys, based out of Ridgeville Corners, Ohio. In 2007, 2-time Grammy-nominee Ted and Mollie changed the name to SqueezeBox. SqueezeBox showcases Mollie’s versatility on several instruments, as well as her talented vocals.
In July of 2011, the first Mollie B Polka Party aired on RFD-TV. Mollie was a creative director and co-producer of these shows. The Mollie B Polka Party currently airs in over 55 million homes on RFD-TV on Wednesday at 6:30pm and Saturday at 10:00pm ET.
In 2017, Wisconsin Public Television released the documentary called “POLKA!” Mollie is the host of this 90-minute long documentary about celebrating life with polka music in the state of Wisconsin.
In 2018, Mollie B & SqueezeBox appeared as “Mollie B & her band” in a scene of the Warner Brothers movie, “The Mule,” directed and starring Clint Eastwood. In this scene Mollie plays piano, trumpet, sings, has one line, and dances with Clint Eastwood. Additionally Mollie & Ted Lange co-wrote the song they performed, which was pre-approved by Clint Eastwood. Mollie wrote the instrumental part and the chorus & Ted wrote the verse.
Also in 2018, Mollie was the youngest person to be inducted into the International Polka Hall of Fame and she had a US Flag flown in her honor by the US Air Force in a mission in the Middle East.
In 2020, like many, Mollie and Ted had to pivot due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mollie and Ted began their YouTube channel, with weekly Tuesday night performances, and gained over 20,000 subscribers and over six million views.
In fall of 2021, Mollie received the Sperati Award from Luther College. An award presented to one alumni musician receives this award each year for their excellence in instrumental music. And in 2022, Mollie was inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame.
Mollie’s talents have also been showcased in front of a live audience during The Mollie B Christmas Shows both at RFD-TV the Theatre and the Jim Stafford Theatre in Branson, Missouri, in 2011-2014, and 2016. Since 2017, Mollie performs the holiday special at the CAL Center in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. Mollie has performed, directed, wrote, produced, choreographed, and hosted these two+-hour live performances. Mollie’s cast has featured up to 36 renowned musicians and artists in front of audiences up to 1300.
Mollie has won the title of the “Favorite Female Vocalist” award numerous times, both from the United States Polka Association and the International Polka Association. She has also won multiple awards from the Polka America Corporation for her polka recordings with Ted Lange. Additionally, Mollie has won the “2013 Polka Promoter of the Year” award, from the Wisconsin Polka Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the Iowa Polka Hall of Fame in 2015. In 2018, she became the youngest inductee into the International Polka Association Hall of Fame.