Rory Feek

Singer, songwriter, filmmaker, author, and artist Rory Feek is one-half of the Grammy Award-winning husband-and-wife country, gospel, and bluegrass duo Joey + Rory. Emerging in 2008, the pair released eight studio albums before Joey's passing in 2016. Rory issued his debut solo LP, Gentle Man, in 2021 and has also found success writing for other artists, penning hit singles for Blake Shelton, Clay Walker, and Tracy Byrd, among others. A native of Atchison, Kansas, Feek started playing guitar at the age of 15 and cites Don Williams and Merle Haggard as early inspirations. After graduating high school, he served two tours of duty with the United States Marine Corps and then relocated to Dallas and began playing nightclubs. He moved to Nashville in 1995 and signed a publishing contract, landing his first hit in 1999 with the single "Someone You Used to Know," which was performed by Collin Raye. Feek became an in-demand songwriter in the 2000s, penning tracks for Mark Wills, Kenny Chesney, and Randy Travis. He landed his first number one in 2004 with Blake Shelton's "Some Beach," which he co-wrote with Paul Overstreet. In 2008, he co-founded Joey + Rory with his wife, and the duo appeared on the CMT talent show Can You Duet, where they placed a respectable third. Later that year, they issued their debut single, "Cheater, Cheater," which reached number 30 on the country singles charts. The pair inked a deal with Sugar Hill Records and released their debut long-player, The Life of a Song, which earned three nominations (and one win) from the 2010 Academy of Country Music Awards. They continued to find chart success on subsequent efforts like Album Number Two, His and Hers, Inspired: Songs of Faith & Family, and Made to Last. In 2015, the couple revealed that Joey had terminal cervical cancer. After her passing in 2016, Joey + Rory issued their heartfelt final studio effort, Hymns That Are Important to Us. In 2021, Rory released his debut solo album, Gentle Man, which included the single "Met Him in a Motel Room," which featured guest vocals from Trisha Yearwood. In addition to his musical works, Feek is a prolific film and documentary maker and a successful writer, issuing two memoirs and several children's books.
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