Joey + Rory
Joey + Rory | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Singer-songwriters |
| Years active | 2008–2016 |
| Known for | Country music and bluegrass music duo; third place on CMT's Can You Duet (2008) |
Joey + Rory was a husband-and-wife duo from the United States specializing in country music and bluegrass music. The pair consisted of singer-songwriters Rory Feek (born April 25, 1965) and Joey Feek (September 9, 1975 – March 4, 2016). Both contributed vocals and songwriting talents, with Rory also performing on acoustic guitar. Prior to their collaboration, Rory had established himself as a songwriter for other performers. The couple gained recognition as third-place finishers on the 2008 season of CMT's competition Can You Duet. Over their career, they released eight studio albums through Vanguard Records and Gaither Music Group, achieving three charting singles on Hot Country Songs.
History
Before creating the duo, Rory Lee Feek was active in Nashville as a songwriter, crafting hits like "The Chain of Love" for Clay Walker, the chart-topping "Some Beach" performed by Blake Shelton, "A Little More Country Than That" by Easton Corbin, "How Do You Get That Lonely" by Blaine Larsen, and "I Will" for Jimmy Wayne. In 2004, Rory launched Giantslayer Records, an independent label through which Joey released her solo album Strong Enough to Cry in 2005; it became available on CD and digital platforms in 2006. Rory also issued a solo project titled My Ol' Man, distributed digitally.
The duo rose to prominence after placing third on CMT's Can You Duet in 2008. Subsequent to the show, they signed with the independent label Sugar Hill Records. They made a return appearance performing "Cheater, Cheater" during the show's second season episode dedicated to original songs, broadcast on July 25, 2009.
2008–2009: The Life of a Song
Their inaugural album, The Life of a Song, was launched on October 28, 2008, under Sugar Hill Records. It entered the Billboard Top Country Albums chart at No. 10 and reached No. 61 on the overall Billboard 200. The lead single, "Cheater, Cheater", originally recorded by the duo Bomshel, was co-written by Kristy Osmonson alongside the Feeks and Wynn Varble. Joey + Rory’s rendition debuted in September 2008 accompanied by a music video featuring Naomi Judd and climbed to No. 30 on country charts in early 2009. The pair also appeared in commercials for Overstock.com toward the end of 2008. In February 2009, they received a nomination for Top Vocal Duo at the Academy of Country Music Awards. A second single planned as a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" was pulled after two weeks and replaced by "Play the Song" in March 2009; however, it did not enter the charts. Their third single, "To Say Goodbye", debuted at No. 54 as Billboard’s "Hot Shot Debut" on the "Hot Country Songs" chart in July 2009.
On November 16, 2009, Joey + Rory released their first holiday-themed single titled "It's Christmas Time," produced by Carl Jackson. It was sent to country radio and digitally released on November 24. This release was part of a collaboration with CMT One Country, with proceeds benefiting charitable organizations such as The Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. Furthermore, Rory Feek teamed up with Tim Johnson to establish the Song Trust, which produced the children's Christmas album Merry Kidsmas.
2010–2011: Album Number Two
On October 15, 2009, Joey + Rory revealed they were in the process of creating the successor to The Life of a Song. The album, titled Album Number Two, was officially announced in January 2010 and subsequently released on September 14, 2010. The initial single, "This Song's for You", was sent to radio stations in July 2010 after replacing the originally intended lead single "That's Important to Me". The music video for "This Song's for You", directed by Darren Doane, premiered in August 2010. Later, "That's Important to Me" was issued as the second single in October 2010, making its debut at number 58 on the Hot Country Songs chart by February 2011.
Joey + Rory earned the 2010 Academy of Country Music Award for Top New Vocal Duo on March 16, 2010. They also competed alongside Luke Bryan and Gloriana for the Top New Artist category. The duo performed fresh material and accepted their award during the GAC special titled "ACM Top New Artists" which aired on April 1, 2010.
2011–2012: A Farmhouse Christmas and His and Hers
The single "Headache" was released to country radio on August 29, 2011; however, it did not chart and was excluded from any album. Their inaugural holiday album, A Farmhouse Christmas, became available on October 11, 2011.
Their third studio effort, His and Hers, was launched on July 31, 2012. Prior to the album release, the singles "When I'm Gone" and "Josephine" were simultaneously introduced to radio but initially failed to chart. Nevertheless, in late 2015, "When I'm Gone" re-entered the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart at number 21 following renewed media attention and a popular music video.
2013–2016: Final recordings
During the ACM Awards red carpet event, Joey + Rory announced their debut gospel album. Joey Feek described this project to Billboard as a heartfelt collection of traditional gospel tunes from her childhood. Released on July 16, 2013 through Gaither Music Group, Inspired: Songs of Faith & Family entered the Billboard 200 at number 166 with first-week sales of 3,000 copies. It reached number 31 on Top Country Albums and climbed to number 6 on Top Christian Albums charts.
Following this release, their fifth studio album, Made to Last, came out on October 8, 2013 via their own Farmhouse Recordings label—marking their first independently released album—and debuted at number 44 on the Top Country Albums chart. Their sixth studio project, Country Classics: A Tapestry of Our Musical Heritage, was initially available exclusively through Cracker Barrel in May 2014 before receiving a broader release in October. This Gaither Music Group album featured renditions of timeless country standards.
The duo’s seventh and final studio album, Hymns That Are Important to Us, was released on February 12, 2016 through Gaither Music Group. Considered a "dream project" by Joey Feek, it contains twelve Christian hymn covers along with a reprise of "When I'm Gone" from their 2012 album His and Hers. Proceeds from the deluxe edition were donated to the Loeys-Dietz Syndrome Foundation in honor of Joey’s daughter’s friend. The album debuted at number one on both the Billboard Top Country Albums and Top Christian Albums charts with first-week sales totaling 68,000 copies—making it their highest-charting and best-selling record.
Rory Feek wrote and produced the film Josephine, set during the American Civil War and featuring their song by the same name. Filming took place at the Nathan Bedford Forrest Boyhood Home in Chapel Hill, Tennessee—property owned by the Sons of Confederate Veterans—with its premiere occurring at the Nashville Film Festival in summer 2016.
Joey received a diagnosis of cervical cancer in late 2015 and passed away in March 2016.
Studio albums
| Album Title | Release Information | Highest Chart Rankings | Certifications | Sales Figures | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 |
US Country Top Country Albums |
US Indie Independent Albums |
US Christ Top Christian Albums |
CAN Canadian Albums Chart | |||||
| The Life of a Song |
|
61 | 10 | — | — | — | |||
| Album Number Two |
|
60 | 9 | 11 | — | — | |||
| His and Hers |
|
112 | 24 | 19 | — | — | |||
| Inspired: Songs of Faith & Family |
|
126 | 27 | — | 6 | — |
| ||
| Made to Last |
|
— | 44 | — | — | — | |||
| Country Classics: A Tapestry of Our Musical Heritage |
|
199 | 13 | — | — | — |
| ||
| Hymns That Are Important to Us |
|
4 | 1 | — | 1 | 40 |
|
| |
| "—" indicates albums that did not enter the charts. | |||||||||
Holiday albums
| Album Title | Release Details | Highest Chart Positions | Sales Figures | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Top Country Albums |
US Billboard 200 |
US Holiday Top Holiday Albums | |||
| A Farmhouse Christmas |
|
59 | 181 | 24 |
|
Compilation albums
| Compilation Title | Release Details | Peak Chart Positions | Sales Figures | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Top Country Albums |
US Billboard 200 |
US Christian Top Christian Albums | ||||
| The Album Collection |
|
10 |
192 |
— |
| |
| The Singer and the Song: The Best of Joey + Rory |
|
— |
— |
9 |
| |
| "—" signifies titles that did not chart. | ||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Highest Chart Positions | Sales Figures | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Bubbling | US Christ | ||||
| 2008 | "Cheater, Cheater" | 30 | 23 | — |
|
The Life of a Song |
| 2009 | "Play the Song" | — | — | — | ||
| "To Say Goodbye" | — | — | — | |||
| 2010 | "This Song's for You" (featuring Zac Brown Band) | — | — | — | Album Number Two | |
| "That's Important to Me" | 51 | — | — |
| ||
| 2011 | "Headache" | — | — | — | — | |
| 2012 | "When I'm Gone" | 21 | 10 | — |
|
His and Hers |
| "Josephine" | — | — | — | |||
| 2016 | "It Is Well with My Soul" | — | — | 41 | Hymns That Are Important to Us | |
| "—" indicates singles that did not enter the charts | ||||||
Music videos
| Year | Video Title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "Cheater, Cheater" | Peter Zavadil |
| 2009 | "Play the Song" | |
| "It's Christmas Time" | Rory Lee Feek | |
| 2010 | "This Song's for You" (featuring Zac Brown Band) | Darren Doane and Steven Goldmann |
| "That's Important to Me" | Alan Bunting and Deaton-Flanigen | |
| 2011 | "Headache" | Bryan Allen and Steven Goldmann |
| "Let It Snow (Somewhere Else)" | Rory Feek | |
| 2012 | "When I'm Gone" | Deaton Flanigen |
| "Josephine" | Gabe McCauley and Eric Welch | |
| 2013 | "Gotta Go Back" (with Josh Turner) | Rory Feek and Gabe McCauley |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Organization | Award Category | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Academy of Country Music Awards | Top Vocal Duo | Template:Nom |
| Country Music Association Awards | Vocal Duo of the Year | Template:Nom | |
| 2010 | Academy of Country Music Awards | Top New Vocal Duo of the Year | Template:Won |
| Top Vocal Duo of the Year | Template:Nom | ||
| Top New Artist | Template:Nom | ||
| Country Music Association Awards | Vocal Duo of the Year | Template:Nom | |
| 2011 | Academy of Country Music Awards | Top Vocal Duo of the Year | Template:Nom |
| Inspirational Country Music Awards | Vocal Duo | Template:Won | |
| Mainstream Inspirational Country Song – "That's Important to Me" | Template:Nom | ||
| Mainstream Country Artist | Template:Nom | ||
| 2016 | Grammy Awards | Best Country Duo/Group Performance – "If I Needed You" | Template:Nom |
| Academy of Country Music Awards | Vocal Duo of the Year | Template:Nom | |
| 2017 | Grammy Awards | Best Roots Gospel Album – Hymns That Are Important to Us | Template:Won |