Rory and Joey Feek, the singers behind the Christian country duo Joey + Rory, have always been known for their duets. But before they teamed up, Joey actually wanted to try her luck as a solo artist. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned.
Rory wrote on his blog called "This Life I Live" that "the doors on music row weren't opening for her," and those that did got closed again right away. Not willing to give up, the Christian couple went to a small studio in Nashville and recorded an album of songs.
"She recorded beautiful ballads and touching story songs along with some fun uptempo tunes as well. She also made two music videos," he said.
But after three years, those songs and videos were forgotten as Rory and Joey decided to sing together as a duo and try out for a TV show. "By then, the solo record Joey made, like her goal of making her mark in country music, was collecting dust on a shelf somewhere," he said.
Rory recalled how his wife prayed that God would bless her songs so that she can follow the footsteps of her hero, Dolly Parton.
But God had a different plan.
"Looking back years later, it was easy for Joey and me to see that God didn't say no at the time ... instead, what He said was, 'Not right now,'" said Rory.
Rory was brokenhearted for his wife when the album did not make the cut, but now, after her death, he felt that the timing is finally right to launch it again. The record, which is in its original form, is now titled "If Not For You," and it's available in Walmart, Target, Cracker Barrel, and so many other retailers.
"I'm so proud that this album is finally getting the chance to be heard... and I think the new title is perfect," he said.
"The phrase 'If Not For You' has come to mean something different to me now. Each time I hear her sing it now, I think about how different my world would be if Joey wasn't in it. I've met and heard from many, many other people who feel the same way. Some are family and friends, and some are people who never met Joey, but have followed her journey and been inspired by her courage in difficult circumstances, her love for her family, and her faith in God through it all," Rory said.
He became a widower in March 2016 when Joey passed away due to breast cancer. He was left to care for their daughter Indiana, lovingly nicknamed Indy.
Indy has Down syndrome, and for years, Rory said people would come up to them and say "I'm so sorry" because of her condition.
But Rory thinks it's such a strange response to Indy, because God does not make mistakes. He said he and Joey never saw Indy as "less than any other child," because "different is not less."
"Having Down syndrome doesn't make her life any less meaningful than someone else's or her dreams or feelings any less important. Not as a child and I suspect, not in the years to come when she grows to be an adult," he said.
This article was originally published in The Christian Post.
