Dolly Parton Teams Up With Rory Feek For Ultimate Tribute Song For His Beloved Wife

Rory Feek teamed up with Dolly Parton for a tribute song to his late wife Joey. Rory released “One Angel” in March, but a new version has been released with the Country music legend lending a hand on vocals. 

Joey Feek’s Battle With Cancer

It’s been five years since Joey Feek died. The couple publicly shared her battle with cancer following the birth of their daughter Indiana. Time marches on, but as this emotional song details, the pain still remains. 

Dolly Parton’s presence on the song is incredibly poignant. She was Joey’s hero. Joey wanted to grow up to be like the “Jolene” singer.

RELATED: Joey And Rory Feek Share Their Final Kiss

While Joey was on her death bed, she got a message from Dolly. The Country legend cut a video especially for the dying mother. It meant the world to Joey who cried tears of joy when she watched the video below. 

Dolly Parton Wants To Record A Duet For Joey

“Now… fast forward five years,” Rory writes on his blog. “And I record a song on my new album called One Angel, about Joey and the faith she had… and Ben Isaacs shares it with Dolly Parton. And Dolly replies that she doesn’t just want to sing harmony… She wants to sing a verse; the email back says. “…and maybe add a few things, if that’s okay.”

Dolly Parton provides harmonies and sings a verse on the touching song. Anyone who has lost a loved one to cancer after enduring chemotherapy will be able to identify with this song. 

“So here’s three fingers of tequila / One finger for the cancer / One finger for the poison they sent pouring through your veins,” Rory and Dolly sing in the chorus.

“One finger for the preacher / ‘Cause I don’t believe the Jesus / That you love so much would put you through such pain.”

The song was written by Sandy Emory Lawrence, who was a close friend of the couple.

Rory initially didn’t want to sing without Joey, but his thought on that has changed.

“One Angel” is helping to provide a segue back to his professional career while honoring the wife he still misses dearly five years after she died. 

RELATED: Dolly Parton Shares How God Speaks To Her

“A year or so after Joey passed away, Sandy sent me a song in an email that just said, ‘… I had to get this song out of me to come to peace with the loss of my friend.’ I’ve probably listened to the song a hundred times since then,” Rory wrote on his blog. “And I understand her feelings. Although I think I fall on the side of gratitude most of the time, I have had moments of frustration that only leave me with more questions.”

“After all the time that’s passed, it is very clear that Joey may not be here physically, but she is still a very special part of the stories we get to tell, the songs we get to sing and the life we get to live,” he continued. 

Take a few minutes to watch the video of Dolly Parton and Rory Feek sing “One Angel” in the video below.