Rory Feek Honors Late Wife Joey in One of the Most Loving Ways

It’s been a year since Joey Feek’s passing, but her first recordings are finally getting a proper release after 12 years.

Rory Feek’s wife’s solo debut, If Not for You, recorded in 2005 was released posthumously on Friday by Capitol Christian Distribution and Universal Music. Feek’s husband and songwriting partner is the record’s co-producer.

“When this album was recorded in 2005, Joey and I were still newlyweds, or at least we felt like we were,” he said in a press release acquired by Entertainment Tonight. “Though we had hopes for the record at the time, it wasn’t meant to be, and so this collection of music sat quietly on a shelf for the last 10 years or so, waiting for the right time to come along, when maybe somehow, someone would care. A time like now.”

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Joey Feek passed away last March at the age of 40 after a long battle with cancer. The two singers and songwriters behind the Grammy acclaimed country and bluegrass duo Joey+Rory married when Rory was recording her first songs independently, but failed to make waves in the country music world.

“It is one of the great joys of my life to dust these songs off and bring life to them again,” he adds. “Not just the songs, but also the stories and the life of the special woman that these songs represent.”

The album is available online via iTunes, Amazon, Target, Walmart, Cracker Barrel and Gaither.

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