The 3rd Sunday String Band began in the summer of 2002 when former member Bill Hayden organized a jam with fellow students from Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music. The attendees had so much fun that they agreed to meet outdoors in Grant Park on the 3rd Sunday of every month and play for passersby.

As time went on, the enthusiastic ensemble began meeting weekly and adding more songs to their repertoire, including Old Time Appalachian fiddle tunes, early country, folk, bluegrass, and even a few rock favorites. The weekly gatherings attracted more musicians, and as many as fifteen members could be heard playing various combinations of fiddles, mandolins, banjos, guitars, upright bass, flutes, whistles, dobro, harmonica, and keys. Of course, there was always plenty of singing and harmonies.

After more than two decades and countless shows, the 3rd Sunday String Band has seven members who are still dedicated to the preservation and performance of traditional American music.

Andy Norton:
A dedicated mandolin player with a longstanding love for folk music, Andy's musical journey began with classes at the renowned Old Town School of Folk Music, where he honed his skills and developed his unique sound. Andy's deep appreciation for folk traditions and his commitment to the craft have shaped his musical career and identity. He is currently a proud member of the 3rd Sunday String Band and is dedication to preserving old-time country sounds. After a brief hiatus, Andy is thrilled to be back on stage, sharing his passion for music with audiences once again.

Angela Moss:
Angela remembers the day she started playing the violin at the tender age of four years old. This is not surprising considering her musical heritage; along with her seven younger siblings, who are also talented musicians, Angela often performed for visiting family members while growing up. She never set down the violin, and she played with many civic orchestras, including the Evanston Symphony Orchestra and an Atlanta-based Beethoven String Quartet.

In addition to her musical accomplishments, Angela received her B.S. in nursing and eventually earned a PhD in nursing with a focus on care delivery models. One day, she attended a talent show for a coworker from the hospital who was participating with his musical group, the 3rd Sunday String Band. Angela found their performance "electrifying," with audience members jumping to their feet to dance. But after hearing them play "Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss," Angela was hooked, and she joined the band in 2007. Over the next five years, she sang and played at many performances with the 3rd Sunday crew. She also won the Twin Fiddle competition at the "2012 Midwest Fiddle Championship," accompanied by her bandmates Janet and Andy (see "Clementine/Willow Creek"). Despite her fun, Angie had to take a break when her three sons were born. Now that the boys are a little older, she is enjoying her precious, semi-independent moments when she can sing and play with the band again.

Besides the 3rd Sunday String Band, Angela has many other musical interests. She has traveled across the country to record J.S. Bach pieces with her brother. Once a month, you can catch Angela playing violin during Sunday afternoon services at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Chicago.

David Rowley:
While growing up in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood, holidays for David had an uncommonly old-fashioned feel; his mother and aunt would entertain the family by singing jazz standards from the 1930's and 1940's in close harmony. His interest in folk music was sparked through his father's record albums, and he began playing the songs on piano and guitar.

David studied the structure of barbershop harmonies while a member of the Shoreliners Chorus. As a student at the Old Town School of Folk Music, he contributed several vocal arrangements to the Doo Wop Ensemble, and he served as music director for the local group Cowboy Choir for over a decade. While at the Old Town School, he met Janet in a sea shanty singing class. After Janet joined the 3rd Sunday String Band, David befriended the other band members and attended their shows whenever possible. After former guitarist Stu announced his retirement, David was elated to have the opportunity to sing and play guitar along with his friends.

Janet Lettrich:
Growing up with a strong interest in music, Janet began piano lessons at age seven, violin lessons at age ten, and taught herself guitar at age twelve. She honed her harmonizing skills by singing along with her phonograph records and with the church congregation. Throughout her high school years, Janet played with the school orchestra. As an adult, Janet took time off from music to raise a family; but her musical passion was reanimated by the marvelous fiddle players she heard on a trip to Ireland.

Once she got home, Janet promptly dusted off her violin and began classes at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. In 2009, a faculty member told Janet that an enthusiastic student group was looking for a skilled fiddle player. That student group was the "3rd Sunday String Band." She found that the group was a perfect fit for her, and she has remained an active member for almost two decades. At the 2012 Midwest Fiddle Championship, Janet, along with Andy and Angie, won the Twin Fiddle competition (see "Reel de Mattawa").

In addition to the 3rd Sunday String Band, Janet is active in the Kenoasha Irish music scene. When not making music, she enjoys traveling, sailing, and discovering new adventures.

Janet is truly grateful to be part of this very special group of people who are bound together by their love of music and by their friendship. They have weathered many life events together, and she considers the band her "ride or die" friends for life.

Mike Collins:
Mike Collins graduated magna cum laude from the University of Massachusetts - Lowell Music School, where he majored in percussion. He also earned a Master of Arts degree in teaching from National Louis University - Chicago. During the late 70's through the 80's, he played drums and recorded in the Boston punk & rock bands Thrills, Band 19, The Outlets, and The Blackjacks. He has played hundreds of all-original music shows opening for many of the top bands of the time, like The Ramones, U2, Psychedelic Furs, The Specials, The Cars, Replacements, Stiff Little Fingers, Ian Drury, Johnny Thunders, and the list goes on.

In 1993, Mike moved to Chicago. He began playing with Babette Novak in the group Babettes Feast and played percussions on their Naked Urgency album and a few of their singles. For the last 30 years, Mike has played and recorded drums with Babette on most of her projects, including "Femme de Champagne" with the album Impulsive Sky and "Tennis Court Oath," which regularly perform in the Chicago area at venues like the Metro, The Space, and Reggie's, and is currently working on a follow-up to their 2022 EP release, Singles.

In September of 2001, Mike began studying the double bass at The Old Town School of Music, where he met members of the group that soon became the 3rd Sunday String Band. He played bass on both of 3rd Sunday's albums and has performed at most of their shows, spanning more than two decades. He is excited to play with the band again, after the hiatus caused by the loss of founding member Tom Payne and the retirement of Stu Hertzberg. You may also catch Mike playing bass in a few jazz bands at shows in and around Chicagoland.

Rich Kurowski:
Though he had plunked around on the guitar for a number of years, Rich truly didn't start learning to play music until in his 30s, when he discovered the Old Town School of Folk Music.  It was there that Rich started with fiddle lessons before moving to banjo and eventually to the Old Time Ensemble class, where he learned to play in a group setting.  In this class, Rich met 3rd Sunday founder Bill Hayden and started playing with Bill's third Sunday jam, which eventually evolved into the 3rd Sunday String Band.  He credits his Old Town School teachers Steve Rosen and Paul Tyler for his love of playing Old Time tunes, and he credits Mark Dvorak and his Tuesday night folk jams for his love of playing folk music.  Last but not least, Rich thanks his 3rd Sunday bandmates for helping him develop the ability to play whatever they throw at him.

In addition to playing for over 20 years with the band, Rich has played numerous shows and square & contra dances with other Chicago area Old Time musicians.  On top of playing banjo, Rich also plays harmonica and sings.

Sandy Bykowski:
Sandy describes here high school flute playing as "mediocre," and she gave it up soon after graduating. But after a 30-year musical hiatus, she saw someone playing the penny whistle at a folk festival and decided to pick up the instrument herself. Like many of her bandmates, Sandy started the second chapter of her musical career at the Old Town School of Folk Music. She performed for several years with the Irish ensemble Sheela na Gig before meeting up with the 3rd Sunday crew and becoming the only non-string player in the band. Eventually, Sandy branched out from the penny whistle to washboard, bones, harmonica, tambourine, shakers, vocals, and other noisemakers.

In addition to playing music, Sandy is an actor, writer, and ensemble member of DB Comedy, a political sketch comedy that meshes sketches and presidential historical discussion in "DB Comedy Presents the Electables," a podcast about US presidents.

Tom Payne
A founding member of the 3rd Sunday String Band, Tom was a very friendly and inviting person who was always willing to work with others on the songs we were learning. He was very talented and could play many instruments. Tom often played banjo, but he was truly a master at piano. At the end of many of our shows, Tom would solo on ragtime and blues numbers. His booming bass voice provided the perfect foundation for our harmonies. We were all greatly saddened to lose our dear friend in June 2019, but he will always live on in our hearts.

Stu Hertzberg:
Stu was a founding member of the 3rd Sunday String Band. He worked hard to promote the band and get us some of our favorite bookings. He has a great sense of humor and made practices and gigs a lot of fun. Although we miss Stu, we are glad to know that he is enjoying his retirement.

Stu wrote "I Want My Electricity" which has become the band's theme song.