5 Major Joey + Rory Career Milestones
Joey + Rory first caught the ears of country music fans in 2008, as contestants on CMT's singing competition show Can You Duet. The husband-and-wife duo, who got married in 2002, signed with Sugar Hill Records following their third-place finish on the TV show and, in the eight years from then until Joey Feek's death in 2016, released seven studio albums, a Christmas album and a few singles. They were nominated for numerous awards, earned themselves a legion of fans, grew their family ... and experienced pain and heartache that no one should have to endure.
In June of 2014, Joey Feek was diagnosed with Stage IV cervical cancer. One year later, in June of 2015, the Feeks shared that her cancer had returned — and, this time around, it was worse. Despite surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, the singer was not getting better, and in October, her cancer was declared terminal.
Joey Feek entered home hospice care in November of 2015, but in the four months between then and her death on March 4, 2016, she got to celebrate so many special moments: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s; their daughter Indiana’s second birthday; a nomination for Best Country Duo / Group Performance at the 2016 Grammy Awards; an honor from the state of Indiana; and incredible chart success with their final album, Hymns That Are Important to Us. Two of those milestones are among the biggest of Joey + Rory's career.
Flip through the photo gallery below to learn more about five major milestones in the incredible duo's musical career: