Joey Feek Biography, Life, Interesting Facts

Joey Feek was born on September 9, 1975. She was an American bluegrass and country singer. She was also a songwriter. She sang with her husband in their duo Joey+Rory. She was the lead vocalist in the duo. She got her inspiration to sing country music from Dolly Parton.

Early Life

Joey Feek was born on September 9, 1975, in Alexandria in Indiana. She was born to Jack who plays the guitar and June who was a gospel singer. She was brought up alongside four siblings. She grew up in the country as she was always around horses, barns, and cattle. She developed the love for country music due to being raised in a farming community. She started singing at a young age. Her first .performance was in the first grade talent show at her school. She was inspired by singers such as Dolly Parton, Loretta, and Patty.

Career

Joey Feek graduated from High School and got a job as an assistant for a horse veterinarian. She worked with the veterinarian for three years. At the same time, she sang in Madison County in a band and sometimes individually. In the 1990s she moved to Nashville in order to kick start her singing career. In 1998, she moved to Lewisburg where she worked for another horse veterinarian. She also continued singing. In 2000, she signed a contract with Sony Records and recorded an album. The album was however not a success. In 2004, she recorded the album ‘Strong Enough to Cry,’ but it was also not a success.

In 2002, she got married to Country singer Rory, and they started singing as a duo. In 2008, they participated in the CMT’s competition ‘Can you Duet.’ They came in third place in the competitions. They called themselves Joey+Rory, and they got much exposure into the music industry after the competition. They signed a contract with Sugar Hill/ Vanguard Records with whom they recorded their debut album ‘The Life of a Song’ which was released in 2008. The album’s single ‘Cheater, Cheater’ was a hit, and it was a top forty of the Billboard country charts.

In 2010, they released their second album ‘Album Number Two’ which featured the singles ‘That’s Important to Me’ and ‘This Song’s For You’ which were hits. In 2011, they released their first Christmas album ‘A Farmhouse Christmas’ which included singles such as ‘Away in a Manger,’ ‘If We Make it Through December’ and ‘Blue Christmas’ among others. In 2012, they released their third album ‘His and Hers’ which featured singles such as ‘Josephine’ and ‘When I’m Gone’ which were hits. In 2013, they released their fourth album ‘Made to Last.’ In 2014, they released ‘County Classics: A Tapestry of Our Musical Heritage.’

Awards and Achievements

In 2010, Joey+Rory won the Academy of Country Music Awards in the category Top New Vocal Duo of the Year. The following year they received the Inspirational Country Music Award in the category Vocal Duo.

Personal Life

In 2002, Joey Feek got married to Rory, a country music singer with whom she had a daughter. In 2014, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She died on March 4, 2016, of cervical cancer. She died at the age of forty.