# Rory Feek
**Rory Feek** (born 1965) is an American country music singer, songwriter, filmmaker, and author, best known as one half of the Grammy Award-winning husband-and-wife duo [Joey + Rory](https://www.edgepedia.org/joey-rory) and for the personal blog and memoir *This Life I Live*.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rory-feek-mn0002127053) After his wife [Joey Feek](https://www.edgepedia.org/joey-feek)'s death from cancer in 2016, he continued recording as a solo artist, hosted home concerts at his Tennessee farm, and wrote regularly about faith, family, and rural life for a large online readership.[2](https://roryfeek.substack.com/about)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965, Atchison, Kansas[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rory-feek-mn0002127053) |
| Signature songwriting credits | "Some Beach" (Blake Shelton, 2004 No. 1, co-written with Paul Overstreet), "A Little More Country Than That" (Easton Corbin), "The Chain of Love" (Clay Walker), "Someone You Used to Know" (Collin Raye)[3](https://musicrow.com/2012/11/the-producers-chair-rory-feek/) |
| Duo career | Joey + Rory, formed 2008; placed third on CMT's *Can You Duet*; eight studio albums before Joey's death in 2016[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rory-feek-mn0002127053) |
| Grammy Award | Best Roots Gospel Album, 2017, for *Hymns That Are Important to Us*[4](https://www.cowboysindians.com/2020/09/rory-feek/) |
| Solo debut | *Gentle Man*, June 2021, Gaither Music Group, 14 tracks with guests including Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, and Trisha Yearwood[5](https://www.country.de/2021/06/20/rory-feek-gentle-man/) |
| Writing | Blog *This Life I Live* since January 2014; 2017 memoir of the same title; two memoirs and several children's books[2](https://roryfeek.substack.com/about) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rory-feek-mn0002127053) |
| Family | Three daughters, Heidi, Hopie, and Indiana; remarried to Rebecca in 2024; lives on a 100-acre farm near Columbia, Tennessee[2](https://roryfeek.substack.com/about) |
## Early life and songwriting career
Feek grew up in Atchison, Kansas, started playing guitar at 15, and cites [Don Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/don-williams) and [Merle Haggard](https://www.edgepedia.org/merle-haggard) as early influences. After high school he served two tours of duty with the [United States Marine Corps](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-marine-corps), then moved to Dallas and played nightclubs before relocating to Nashville in 1995.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rory-feek-mn0002127053) There he sought out the Country Music Hall of Fame songwriter Harlan Howard, who signed him to his first publishing deal after Feek introduced himself at the Sunset Grill.[3](https://musicrow.com/2012/11/the-producers-chair-rory-feek/)
His first hit came in 1999 with "Someone You Used to Know," recorded by [Collin Raye](https://www.edgepedia.org/collin-raye). Through the 2000s he wrote for Mark Wills, Kenny Chesney, and [Randy Travis](https://www.edgepedia.org/randy-travis), and landed his first number one in 2004 with [Blake Shelton](https://www.edgepedia.org/blake-shelton)'s "Some Beach," co-written with Paul Overstreet. His songwriting discography eventually included four No. 1 songs.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rory-feek-mn0002127053) • [3](https://musicrow.com/2012/11/the-producers-chair-rory-feek/) Around 2005 he and co-writer Tim Johnson founded their own imprint, Giantslayer Records, and produced two Blaine Larsen albums co-ventured with BNA Records, including the top-12 country radio hit "How Do You Get That Lonely," which Feek co-wrote.[3](https://musicrow.com/2012/11/the-producers-chair-rory-feek/)
## Joey + Rory
Feek met Joey Martin, then a solo artist signed to Sony, at the Bluebird Café in Nashville; they married in 2002.[3](https://musicrow.com/2012/11/the-producers-chair-rory-feek/) • [6](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-may-06-et-joeyrory6-story.html) In late 2007 a friend suggested they audition together for the CMT talent show *Can You Duet*; they placed third on the show's first season in 2008, which led to a record deal with Vanguard/Sugar Hill Records.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rory-feek-mn0002127053) • [3](https://musicrow.com/2012/11/the-producers-chair-rory-feek/)
Their debut single, "Cheater, Cheater," reached number 30 on the country singles charts, and their first album, *The Life of a Song*, produced by Grammy winner [Carl Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/carl-jackson), debuted at No. 10 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart and No. 61 on the Billboard 200, selling 300,000 copies.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rory-feek-mn0002127053) • [3](https://musicrow.com/2012/11/the-producers-chair-rory-feek/) The duo was named the Academy of Country Music's Top New Vocal Duo in 2010.[3](https://musicrow.com/2012/11/the-producers-chair-rory-feek/) • [4](https://www.cowboysindians.com/2020/09/rory-feek/) Subsequent albums included *Album Number Two*, *His and Hers* (2012), *Inspired: Songs of Faith & Family*, and *Made to Last*; in all, the pair released eight studio albums before Joey's death.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rory-feek-mn0002127053) The duo also reached audiences through *The Joey+Rory Show* on RFD-TV, a variety-format program Feek described as a way to buy an hour of television time each week and build an audience directly rather than depend on radio.[3](https://musicrow.com/2012/11/the-producers-chair-rory-feek/)
In 2015 the couple announced that Joey had terminal cervical cancer. She died on March 4, 2016, at age 40, leaving their daughter Indiana, born in 2014 with [Down syndrome](https://www.edgepedia.org/down-syndrome).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rory-feek-mn0002127053) • [7](https://universalmusic.fr/artistes/37243910688) • [8](https://www.countrythangdaily.com/indiana-feeks-heart-surgery-was-a-success-and-rory-feek-says-shes-recovering-in-the-icu/) The duo's final studio album, *Hymns That Are Important to Us*, recorded while Joey was undergoing treatment, won the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Roots Gospel Album.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rory-feek-mn0002127053) • [4](https://www.cowboysindians.com/2020/09/rory-feek/)
## Blog, books, and film
In January 2014, while Joey was pregnant with Indiana, the couple decided to take a year off from music to homestead on their farm, and Feek began a personal blog, *This Life I Live*, documenting daily life with a camera and journal.[2](https://roryfeek.substack.com/about) The blog continued after Joey's death and became the basis for a 2017 memoir, *This Life I Live: One Man's Extraordinary, Ordinary Life and the Woman Who Changed It Forever*, which Feek discussed at the [Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum](https://www.edgepedia.org/country-music-hall-of-fame-and-museum) that year.[9](https://watch.countrymusichalloffame.org/videos/rory-feek-of-joey-rory-book-talk-2017) He has also written a second memoir, *Once Upon A Farm*, and children's books including *The Cow Said Neigh!* and *Little Huck*, and he has worked as a filmmaker and documentary maker.[10](https://www.roryfeek.com/books) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rory-feek-mn0002127053) In 2020 the blog inspired a television series on RFD-TV about raising Indiana on the farm.[4](https://www.cowboysindians.com/2020/09/rory-feek/)
## Solo career
Feek released his first solo album, *Gentle Man*, in June 2021 on Gaither Music Group. The 14-track record is built largely on story songs and covers, with guests including [Vince Gill](https://www.edgepedia.org/vince-gill), Alison Krauss, Lee Ann Womack, Ricky and Sharon White Skaggs, Trisha Yearwood, and [Dolly Parton](https://www.edgepedia.org/dolly-parton), who joins him on "One Angel," a tribute to Joey.[5](https://www.country.de/2021/06/20/rory-feek-gentle-man/) His releases with Gaither continue the gospel and country direction of the duo's later work, and he performs intimate home concerts in the concert hall at his Tennessee homestead.[11](https://gaither.com/artists/rory-feek/) • [12](https://www.roryfeek.com/concerts-1)
## Recent years
Feek remarried in 2024 to Rebecca, and the family lives on a 100-acre historic farm an hour south of Nashville, where they grow much of their food and homeschool Indiana.[2](https://roryfeek.substack.com/about) In January 2026 he announced an extended move to Waco, Texas, connected to the Homestead Heritage community the family had visited repeatedly, canceling his scheduled 2026 home concert dates as a result.[13](https://roryfeek.substack.com/p/following-the-lone-star) In June 2026, 12-year-old Indiana underwent successful open heart surgery, and the family returned home to Waco in July after her recovery.[8](https://www.countrythangdaily.com/indiana-feeks-heart-surgery-was-a-success-and-rory-feek-says-shes-recovering-in-the-icu/) • [14](https://roryfeek.substack.com/p/and-on-the-8th-day) In 2026 he described a shift in focus from music toward ministry and writing, launching a second blog alongside *This Life I Live* and inviting reader support to keep his writing free and full-time.[15](https://roryfeek.substack.com/p/new-steps-of-faith)
## References
1. [Rory Feek Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rory-feek-mn0002127053)
2. [About, This Life I Live (Substack)](https://roryfeek.substack.com/about)
3. [The Producer's Chair: Rory Feek, MusicRow (2012)](https://musicrow.com/2012/11/the-producers-chair-rory-feek/)
4. [Rory Feek's Extraordinary Ordinary Life, Cowboys & Indians (2020)](https://www.cowboysindians.com/2020/09/rory-feek/)
5. [Rory Feek: Gentle Man, Country.de (2021)](https://www.country.de/2021/06/20/rory-feek-gentle-man/)
6. [Joey + Rory = stardom, Los Angeles Times (2009)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-may-06-et-joeyrory6-story.html)
7. [Rory Feek, Universal Music France](https://universalmusic.fr/artistes/37243910688)
8. [Indiana Feek's Heart Surgery Was a Success, Country Thang Daily (2026)](https://www.countrythangdaily.com/indiana-feeks-heart-surgery-was-a-success-and-rory-feek-says-shes-recovering-in-the-icu/)
9. [Rory Feek of Joey + Rory: Book Talk, 2017, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum](https://watch.countrymusichalloffame.org/videos/rory-feek-of-joey-rory-book-talk-2017)
10. [Books, roryfeek.com](https://www.roryfeek.com/books)
11. [Rory Feek, Gaither Music](https://gaither.com/artists/rory-feek/)
12. [Concerts, roryfeek.com](https://www.roryfeek.com/concerts-1)
13. [Following the Lone Star, This Life I Live (2026)](https://roryfeek.substack.com/p/following-the-lone-star)
14. [And on the 8th Day, This Life I Live (2026)](https://roryfeek.substack.com/p/and-on-the-8th-day)
15. [New Steps of Faith, This Life I Live (2026)](https://roryfeek.substack.com/p/new-steps-of-faith)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Country, gospel, and western singers › Bluegrass, Americana, and alt-country singers › Outlaw, Texas country, and Americana singers › Americana and alt-country singers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license