Big Fat Teddy

Big Fat Teddy is the brain child of one of Richmond, Virginia's aspiring solo artist - Ted Manolatos. Born in 1969 at the heights of the Vietnam War, Teddy grew up in the 70' sand 80's feeding off a wide array of influences from Waylon Jennings to Bob Seger, Tom Paxton and CCR just to the name a few and then there was Donkey Kong and Pac Man. He also loves the blues though he's not quite mastered the Stratocaster magic for the blues just yet. That doesn't mean their won't be a time when he belts his own brand of the genre. Big Fat Teddy is constantly evolving and learning new things. He prides himself in embracing both today's technology and yesterday's wisdom to mold his very own unique sound.

He is a natural born outlaw of sorts who missed his time but tries to capture the essence of those greats like Waylon with just as much flavor of his own. Teddy loves to indulge in some of the political numbers of the day with a modern day twist often tinkering with the lyrics just a tad to bring them up to history's time. Sometimes, he'll make a great song better on a whim of a moment with a personal bent. But it's not just covers for Big Fat Teddy, he has written and performed a few of his own originals too. Be sure to check them out in the music section.

Big Fat Teddy is endowed happily with a degree in Public Relations from Virginia Commonwealth University 1995 Cum Laud. Problem is he never quite did like the trade so he ventured into other exploits after college including music. His great past times include the graphic arts, computer and audio technology just to name a few. He embraces the new but he always likes to pay his respects and devotion to the roots of what is classic and what brought us to where we are today.

Big Fat Teddy loves a great road house full of rednecks or rockn' rollers almost more than he does a concert hall full of tamed listeners. "There's nothing like the color of music in a good small packed crowed"-Big Fat Teddy.

Big Fat Teddy takes his sound from a blend of the blues, folk, country and rockn'roll. He continues to discover his own voice and the beauty of music through these wide ranging influeneces. Big Fat Teddy loves all types of music and believes the best way to become a great performer and grow creatively is to be exposed to a lot of different types of music even some he doesn't quite like at first. "There is always a creative lesson or tidbit from other people's work to keep you constantly evolving musically speaking." -- BFT
Big Fat Teddy also would like the thank all those in the local music community over the years that have influenced him (although not necessarily intentionally or by choice) and motivated him.

One of the first great soloist he admired (in a dark empty bar many times) was PAT O'BRIEN who has been kind enough ( in recent years ) to put up with ear lobe atrophy listening to my less than perfect out-takes as Big Fat Teddy makes his musical journey but who always gives valuable input. Then there are the members of Big City (BILLY RAY HATLEY, Velpo and the crew from the 90's) who turned him on to the blues and showmanship among other things.

Let him not forget the obscure "Table of Contents" the boy-girl duo who use to play in Richmond at the old imfamous Bus Stop Tuesday nights. They performed some of the greatest undiscovered folk single originals he's ever heard from a local group. Those singles are still on a custom tape they made for him - probably using a porta-studio 4-track tape deck the latest technology at the time - and still raise a hair on his chest today given their vocal and lyrical magic --Art and Carol Warren.

If there were just one thing Big Fat Teddy would wish for in his musical quests, it would be to just give everybody a good rockn' time to remember like so many before him. He'd like to make the people that touched him proud someday with the same magic they did years ago.

Lastly but least I have to thank the one person who gave me music to put to all the words I've written over the years. She was the one that broke his heart and that he eventually lost as his friend but the woman who will always have a lasting influence in his life. Her name was Tracey M. and she gave me my first guitar as well as a rough ride emotionally that led me to begin the journey. Life is strange, with the bad so comes the good. With the good, so comes the bad. And with it all, experience and great words to put poetic justice to life's journey.