Rory Feek’s tribute to Joey

Rory Feek gave an emotional tribute to his late wife Joey as he accepted their Grammy Award on Sunday (12.02.17).

The country singer was overwhelmed when he and his late wife – who died of cancer last March – picked up the Best Roots Gospel Album prize for their record ‘Hymns that Are Important to Us’ and recalled how his spouse had made her promise that he’d come to the awards ceremony if the record received a nomination after her death.

He said: "She sang her vocals in hotel rooms while she did chemo and radiation and it finally came out a year ago, almost exactly.

"And we sat together in the final days and watched this award ceremony last year — and she said, ‘If we get nominated, promise me you will come.’ And I said, ‘I will.’ "

"And she said, with a big smile on her face, ‘You know, if you win, I’m going to know the answer before you will,’ which is pretty special."

And Rory already knows where the award will have pride of place in their home as he hopes to inspire their three-year-old daughter Indiana with the statuette when she takes music lessons.

Speaking to reporters at Los Angeles’ Staples Center, he said: "It’ll go on the mantle right above our fireplace.

"For our three year old, we’re going to get a piano in the house so that she can take piano lessons. And it will be right in front of the mantle, so the Grammy’s going to be right there. And then maybe, just maybe one day she’ll come out here [to the Grammys] with me."

The 51-year-old singer admitted he and his wife never expected ‘Hymns’ to be Joey’s last album when they were recording it.

He said: "She was sick and going through treatment, (but) we completely believed she was going to be OK.

"We didn’t go into recording this album thinking it was her last, it just became her last."