Rory Lee Feek is an American country singer and songwriter who rose to prominence after penning songs for a number of well-known musicians and later forming a combo with his wife, Joey Feek, known as ‘Joey+Rory.’ Rory was greatly influenced by Don Williams, whom he regarded as a hero. He began playing the guitar when he was 15 years old. He was a music fan who relocated to Texas in search of better job prospects. Like most country musicians, Rory began his career singing in nightclubs. Following his triumph on the music talent quest show ‘Can you Duet,’ in which he was teamed with Joey, he had his first taste of greater popularity as a singer. One of his earliest collaborations as a songwriter was with Collin Raye, for whom he wrote the hit ballad “Someone You Used to Know.” Rory started making country songs with Joey and had a lot of success. Joey died of cervical cancer in March 2016, putting an end to their musical career.
Childhood and Adolescence
Rory Lee Feek was born on April 25, 1965, according to information on his site, but several other sources suggest he was born in 1966. He was raised in a middle-class American household in Kansas City, Missouri, away from the hustle and bustle of the big American cities. Rory attributes his humble demeanor to his upbringing in Kansas, and he is always grateful for what life has bestowed upon him. He grew up listening to two of the most popular country artists, Merle Haggard and Don Williams.
Rory completed his early education in his hometown, and after graduating from high school, he served in the United States Marine Corps for two years, and while he enjoyed his time there, he knew that he was meant to do something else with his life, so he relocated to Dallas, Texas to pursue his dreams. It was the epicenter of country music in the United States, and Rory rented an apartment and moved there in the mid-1990s with the hopes of finding a talent agency or collaborating.
In order to make ends meet, he began performing in nightclubs, where he discovered that many other similarly skilled musicians were doing the same. He even met some of the musicians who were in their eighties and had lived their entire lives in Texas. This made Rory think, and he told himself that he would not live like that, and when he met Rod Phelps, an attorney for Nashville Records and one of his admirers, Rory’s career took off.
Career of Rory
Rory Lee Feek began his music career by creating songs, which was his second passion aside from singing. He secured a deal with Nashville Records and began writing songs for artists such as Collin Raye, for whom he composed “Someone You Used to Know.” The song was a major smash and went on to become one of the top-rated country singles of 1999, and while Collin Raye deserves most of the credit, Rory gained a lot of confidence and became more sure-footed about his music career. He was able to write a couple additional songs thanks to the publishing contract he signed with the banner.
‘The Chain of Love,’ a duet with Clay Walker, reached the top five on several music charts, and Rory established himself as a star in his own right. Feek maintained his songwriting career with several prominent performers in the early 2000s, including Mark Wills, Terry Clark, and Randy Davis, and gradually gained notoriety among music fans. Tracy Bird’s single, “The Truth About Men,” was written by Rory and became one of the biggest country hits of the year in 2003. Rory felt himself more at ease creating songs as the fame began to follow him.
‘Some Beach,’ penned for Blake Shelton and Paul Overstreet in 2004, was yet another huge song from his pen. Feek formed his own label, Giantslayer Records, to encourage the blossoming talents in the dying country music genre, and it was the first song of his career to reach the top of the charts. Blain Larsen rose to fame as a result of his record company and went on to become a hugely successful artist.
After forming a combo called Joey+Rory, Rory and his wife Joey auditioned for the talent show ‘Can you Duet?’ The show was huge, and there was no way that its success wouldn’t lead to some lucrative record deals. And that’s exactly what happened; they finished third in the show’s finals and earned a deal with Vanguard Records as a result. In 2008, the duo began work on their debut album, which they planned to release the following year.
Their first single, ‘Cheater, Cheater,’ was released in the late 2008s and immediately soared to the 30th rank on the country music charts, which was a huge accomplishment considering it was their first record together. Despite creating a band with his wife, Rory continued to write for other artists; Jimmy Wayne asked him to co-write his track “I Will,” which was a tremendous hit when it was published.
The duo’s first album, ‘The Life of a Song,’ was released by Sugarhill Records in late 2008 and was a huge success, earning the duo nominations for Academy of Country Music Awards. They went on to win the award for Best New Vocal Duo of the Year for the same.
The duo then went on to release their ‘Album Number 2’ in 2010, which was met with even greater success. Both Rory and Joey contributed vocals to the tunes, with Rory also playing the acoustic guitar. The couple had some hit singles, and their last and eighth album together was released in February 2016, but the duo split the following year due to Joey’s unexpected death after a long fight with cervical cancer.
Personal Experiences of Rory
Rory Lee Feek has had two marriages. His first marriage, to Tamara Gilmer, took place in 1985, and he produced two kids from it. Heidi, the couple’s first child, was born in 1986, and Hopie, the couple’s second child, was born two years later. Rory divorced his wife in 1992 after their marriage didn’t work out.
Joey was the first person Rory saw during one of his Nashville concerts, and it was love at first sight. Joey was a failing vocalist who admired Rory’s natural skill. On the same night, she met his daughters and assumed Rory was married. They began dating after Joey learned of his single status, and the couple married in June 2002. In 2014, she gave birth to a daughter named Indiana Boom.
Joey was diagnosed with cancer shortly after giving birth to her daughter. It was a devastating blow to the family, and Joey died on March 4, 2016, following a long struggle with the illness. Rory revealed in interviews after her death that he never thought he was no longer married for a single second. Rory described how his wife’s death broke him mentally and how he is still recuperating from the agony of losing the only woman he ever loved in the documentary ‘This Life I Live,’ which was published in February 2017.
Estimated Net Worth
Rory Feek is a $3 million-plus country music singer and songwriter from the United States. Rory Feek was born in the Kansas town of Atchinson. Clay Walker, Tracy Byrd, and Blake Shelton are among the performers for whom he has written songs.