Joey + Rory

With the all the critical acclaim, awards, TV exposure, and commercial endorsements they received, it was hard to believe this husband-and-wife duo still lived in the same farmhouse they did when they got started singing. Joey continued working at their family-owned cafe on her days off. But they did, and that’s part of what made them so special. In this new world industry of made-for-TV artists, the 2010 Academy of Country Music’s “Top New Vocal Duo” award winners, Joey+Rory were as real as they came. A gifted and highly sought-after songwriter, Rory had written four #1 hits (among them ‘Some Beach’ and ‘A Little More Country Than That’) and had dozens of his songs recorded by the biggest artists in country music. Known for his trademark overalls, homespun storytelling, sense-of-humor and brilliant lyrical ability, Rory was already one of the most highly regarded songwriters in Nashville, before joining forces with his wife in 2008 as a recording duo. After a decade of chart-topping songs for others, he and Joey were writing hit songs for themselves (and many others) and taking the world by storm with their love story and unique brand of ‘new classic’ country music. Though she got her singing talent from her mama, Joey’s stunning voice was often compared to her heroes Emmylou Harris & Dolly Parton, for its beauty, warmth and sincerity. Having grown up owning and riding horses, Joey brought cowgirl flair to everything the couple did. Sponsored by Roper/Stetson western wear, on each album of the 4 albums they had made, the couple recorded a western-themed song. From the romantic “Tonight Cowboy You’re Mine” to the brilliant “The Horse Nobody Could Ride”, Joey+Rory were determined to keep western stories and music alive and living well in mainstream music, as well as the Western Music scene. Joey+Rory were as at home in front of an audience as they were in the 1870’s farmhouse in Tennessee that they lived in. They brought that lifestyle to every show they played. It almost feels like you were in their living room and they were sharing their whole world with you. In 2015, the couple did exactly that when Joey received news that she had terminal cancer. Rory invited everyone in to experience the love, faith, courage, and hope as the couple struggled through her last days. In February of 2016, they released their last album, Hymns That Are Important to Us, and the following month, on March 4, 2016, Joey succumbed to the cancer. She leaves behind a legacy of music, the devotion of her husband, two step-daughters, and her two-year-old daughter, Indiana.