Born in Japan, but raised in Alabama from age 9, Nori is a veteran session musician. He has recorded or performed with Jon Anderson (Yes), Dave Hope (Kansas),Will McFarlane (Bonnie Raitt / Muscle Shoals) the Chi-Lites & Michael English, among many others. CCM magazine once compared his guitar playing to both Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) and Phil Keaggy. Nori has two projects released internationally by Mel Bay, Basic Guitar Strumming & Fingerpicking and Modern Guitar Method Grade 1, both of which are best sellers. Barbie hails from the Wilmington, Delaware area and comes from a musical family. She has been playing the flute since age 9, and plays percussion and guitar as well. She has played & sung on many recording sessions. Her voice has a pleasant, almost Celtic-like quality, and has been compared by some to Natalie Merchant. Audiences love her flute playing, and WIND's flute and guitar combination achieves nice results.
Bassist Doug Sturgill grew up playing in church in his home state of Virginia. He has since traveled across the south and up and down the east coast, even to Siberia playing bass with various bands. Doug plays 6- string fretted and fretless basses, djembe and light percussion, and has a love for jazz fusion.
Joe Pfau grew up in Alabama, playing drums in middle & high school, then traveled the southeast playing in several bands and doing session work in Birmingham and Mobile. He toured with world renown fiddle player Byron Berline in the early 80s. Joe played drums on Nori's very first album, "Spring Rain" (1980), before they lost touch for 30 years - regaining contact in 2010!
Lizzie Kelley was a regular on the Japanese television program,“Kokokoza (2010-2011),” as well as acting in the top 10 music video,“Why,” by Japanese recording artist Kato Miliya in 2009. She is currently a music major at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC. Cynthea Kelley has been seriously applying herself to singing, playing keyboards, guitar & bass since 2007. She began performing in public in 2008, andcurrentlyperformsinaduowithLizziecalled“Fair.” CyntheaattendstheAcademyofArts,Science & Technology in Myrtle Beach, SC where her major is Entertainment Technology.
WIND's style of music is an original mixture of rock and folk, drawing from British artists like Al Stewart, Yes, Pink Floyd and Mark Knopfler, as well as North American artists like Bruce Cockburn, Natalie Merchant, Kansas and The Allman Brothers.
They are currently working on their ninth album, to be released in early 2013. They are both excited and honored to have world renown bassist Jon Camp of Renaissance playing bass on 2 songs as well as doing backing vocals on the record.
WIND's previous album, “Storm” (2008), is an eclectic mixture of different rock styles, from pop to progressive rock to folk. Nori has also produced and engineered numerous albums in Japan, some of which were the biggest selling christian worship CDs in that country. He also produced a CD in Siberia in 1998. WIND has taken their music all over the world, playing in Japan, Siberia, Ireland, Mexico and all over the U.S.
