Joey + Rory’s Joey Feek to Release Posthumous Solo Album
As a Grammy-winning duo, husband and wife Joey + Rory released a handful of heartfelt country and gospel albums. Now, Joey Feek will make her solo country debut, just over a year after her death at age 40 from stage 4 cervical cancer on
On April 7th, Gaither Music Group will release If Not for You, a traditional country LP the singer recorded in 2005. Originally titled Strong Enough to Cry, and produced by her husband, Rory Feek, and Bill McDermott, If Not for You is a 12-track collection which includes the original version of the couple’s “That’s Important to Me,” a tune penned by the pair with late songwriter Tim Johnson and featured on their Album Number Two, released in 2010. Strong Enough to Cry eventually became available on Giantslayer Records, the label founded by Rory Feek and Tim Johnson in 2004. The LP has since been sold in limited quantities on Joey + Rory’s website.
Other tracks on the album include “See You There,” a tribute to Joey’s late brother Justin Martin, who died at 17 years old following a 1994 car accident, and “Red,” a song for which Joey had filmed a music video featuring her dog, Rufus, who passed away in 2010. At the start of the clip, vintage footage of her as a child captures Joey on stage, singing a portion of Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors.” Watch the “Red” video above.
Physical copies of the album will feature a 48-page booklet with photos and stories from Joey + Rory and members of the singer’s family. The couple’s most recent album release, Hymns That Are Important to Us, went to Number One on the country chart and won the Grammy for Best Roots Gospel Album in February.