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Angela Murphy remembers sitting next to her mother on the bench as she played piano, soon Angela was playing the same tunes by ear. At the age of eight, she was off to boarding school where she met her future mentor and music teacher, Sister Ethna Marie, who had once played the organ for silent movies. Angela’s hard work during school years paid off and she was awarded two scholarships. She attended the Chicago Conservatory College studying classical piano and violin, earning her Batchelor & Masters Degrees in music.

Although encouraged by her teachers to pursue a career in classical music, Angela made the decision to join the Sister’s of St. Joseph, LaGrange, IL. The sisters are dedicated to education and encourage an emphasis on the arts. Angela became involved with marching bands, wind and string ensembles, and lessons for individual students. She was instrumental in founding the Pink Garter (a sing-a-long) Band, as a fundraiser for the sisters. The years were happy, included writing and directing church liturgies and during this period two of her songs were published in Modern Liturgy Magazine. After 20 years of teaching, Angela went into social work, coordinating Parish Community Services. At the end of her contract with Catholic Charities, she made the decision to leave her religious order.

Looking for a change, she heard American Airlines was hiring in Raleigh, NC where she still enjoys working in sales and customer service today. In 2000 during American Airlines Christmas choir practice, she overheard Penny mention her Banjo & starting a bluegrass band with Sonya. She inquired if they had a bass player. Angela had found a new way to include music in her life, which offered a change from the classics, introduced her to Bluegrass and gave her a chance to, once again, stretch her musical abilities.

In addition to playing with the Pie, Angela enjoys traveling, various crafts, evenings with a Celtic folk group and most of all time spent with family and friends. Angela says family and friends fill her heart and the music feeds her soul.