Teddy Powell (March 1, 1905 – November 17, 1993) was born in Oakland, California, United States as Teodoro Paolella, and became a respected jazz musician, band leader, composer, and arranger. Some of his compositions were written under the pseudonym Freddy James.
Powell began playing violin when he was eight and picked up the banjo when he was fourteen. During the late 1920s to the early 1930s, he was a member of the Abe Lyman orchestra, taking on the additional tasks of gathering radio bands. He formed the Teddy Powell Orchestra in 1938 and it performed through the 1940s. Powell's sidemen included Tony Aless, Gus Bivona, Pete Candoli, Irving Fazola, and Charlie Ventura, but his best sideman left for better paying work.
"Snake Charmer", a song Powell published in 1937 (lyrics by Leonard Whitcup), is still a popular song among partner dancers in Finland, where it is usually performed as a translation: Kuningaskobra fi). It placed 69th on the 1952-1959 charts and is still being rerecorded by modern performers, as listed in the recordings database of the Finnish national broadcasting company Yle.
After the band folded, Powell wrote music and arrangements. He had hits with "Bewildered" and "If My Heart Could Only Talk". During the latter part of his career, he worked in music publishing.
His Teddy Powell's Lounge on Broad Street in Newark, New Jersey, was a hopping and notable club in the early 1950s where black artists received a better welcome than in New York City. After closing his club, Powell became a manager of musical and other night club acts. Powell died on November 17, 1993 in New York City.