Joey Feek, one-half of country duo Joey+Rory, touched millions of lives when her faith-filled battle against stage four cervical cancer went viral on her husband Rory Feek’s blog, This Life I Live. Joey had sadly lost her fight against the disease in 2016.
But with the help of her husband, family, and Gaither Music Group, the traditional country album she always wanted to make has been released – more than a year after she died. Fans of Joey Feek got to hear her music one last time through a posthumous album full of her solo recordings.
The album, called If Not for You, featured twelve tracks originally recorded in 2005 with a light-hearted cameo by her parents, Jack Martin and June Martin, and included the original version of Joey+Rory’s songs.
“[The album is] filled with songs that spoke to her and, even more, spoke volumes about her. About what’s most important to her. The lyrics of this record made it clear who she was and who she wanted to be,” Rory said in the album’s booklet. “Yes, her voice might have changed a bit in time, but her character was already rock-solid.”
The personal song collection includes “See You There,” a tribute to Joey’s brother, who died at age seventeen in a car accident.
A Song Written From A Heartbreaking Loss
Joey experienced loss at a young age when her teenage brother, Justin Martin, died in a car accident near their home in July 1994. “She and their mother were the first on the scene, and the tragic and unexpected loss rocked the family to its core,” as revealed in Joey’s obituary.
Her heartbreaking experience inspired the duo to write “See You There,” in which Joey recalled her family’s reaction to the tragic accident. “See you there, see you there. There were broken glass and blue lights everywhere. You were lying by your jeep. We held our breath and said a prayer. We could hardly bare, to see you there,” the song goes.
The passing of Joey Feek, while not sudden, has been a tragic loss for the country music community. “My wife’s greatest dream came true today,” Rory Feek wrote on his blog to announce Joey’s death.
“She is in Heaven. The cancer is gone, the pain has ceased, and all her tears are dry. Joey is in the arms of her beloved brother Justin and using her pretty voice to sing for her Savior.”
Watch Joey Fleek sing “See You There” below, but get your tissues ready.
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