The band's name is derived from a section of lyrics in the Unearth song "Endless": "Growing wings of sorrow/have brought you to the winds of plague."

The band also appeared on the soundtrack for the game Homefront performing a cover of the Buffalo Springfield song "For What It's Worth".

The band has toured with Despised Icon, Parkway Drive, Impending Doom,[4][5] Danzig, Dimmu Borgir, Veil of Maya,[6] With Dead Hands Rising, and As Blood Runs Black.

[10] They were featured on The Atticus Metal Tour with Emmure, All Shall Perish, Abacabb, Terror, and The Ghost Inside.

On January 20, 2010, it was announced that Winds of Plague would be playing on the Jägermeister Stage at the 2010 Rockstar Mayhem Festival in July and August.

They played the entire Warped Tour 2011 on the Advent Clothing stage along with The Acacia Strain, Set Your Goals, We Came As Romans and others.

For their 2014 tour supporting Bleeding Through, with Scars of Tomorrow and Lionheart, Johnny Plague was unable to perform due to undisclosed circumstances.

Rather than leave the tour, the band opted to have Mike Milford (of Scars of Tomorrow) fill in on vocals.