Nina Storey

Nina Storey confronted multiple challenges while pursuing her ambition of a music career. Lingering pain from a car accident hindered her ability to sing, while earlier criticism that her voice fell short created emotional barriers she had to surmount. UCLA also turned down her application for admission to its music program. Two parents steeped in artistic and musical pursuits offered consistent backing throughout. Her father, who once worked as an electrical engineer, later established himself as a sound engineer on projects for Frank Sinatra and Barry Manilow. Her mother held roles as a producer and writer. The family further includes a grandmother who played saxophone in a big band, plus relatives active as actors and writers. Music from Billie Holiday, Etta James, Annie Lennox, and the Beatles filled the home during Storey’s upbringing.

While advancing her solo work, Storey has kept her parents closely involved, with her mother contributing to song arrangements and writing and her father supplying technical support. Guilt and Honey, her first album, reached stores in 1993; she promoted it with shows across Colorado followed by dates in additional U.S. regions. Two European tours were completed by the close of 1994. Bootleg, a live recording, appeared on her own Red Lady Records in 1995. Opening-act engagements followed for John Lee Hooker, Etta James, Joan Osborne, Keb Mo', Los Lobos, the Allman Brothers, and Earth, Wind & Fire. In 1997 she supplied vocals for INXS during a VH1 appearance. Shades came next as another solo release, supported by multiple festival slots at the New Orleans Jazz Festival, the Montreal International Jazz Festival, the Santa Cruz Blues Festival, Woodstock '99, and Lilith Fair. After founding Nina Storey Music, the company issued her self-titled album in 2001. Performances have included a Denver Broncos Super Bowl event plus deliveries of the National Anthem at games for that team, the Chicago Bulls, and others.