Billy Ray Cyrus Biography

Billy Ray Cyrus was born in 1961 in Flatwoods, Kentucky. Young Billy Ray began singing while still in pre-school, and with the influence of the gospel and bluegrass in his community, he developed a strong appreciation for country music while still in elementary school. Although he attended Georgetown College initially on an athletic scholarship, he left before graduating and began performing in local bars and clubs before moving to Los Angeles. Eventually, after struggling for a number of years there as well, he caught the attention of Mercury Records and signed with them in the early 1990’s.

Cyrus’s debut, Some Gave All, was released in 1992. On the strength of its strong hits, including “Achy Breaky Heart” and “Could’ve Been Me,” the album shot to the top of the charts and made Billy Ray an instant sensation. The album eventually went nine times platinum and clocked sales at over twenty million worldwide. A string of enormously successful albums followed, including It Won’t be the Last (1993), Storm in the Heartland (1994), Trail of Tears (1996), Shot Full of Love (1998), Southern Rain (2000), Time Flies (2003), The Other Side (2003), Wanna Be Your Joe (2006), Home at Last (2007), Back to Tennessee (2009), and I’m American (2011.) The albums spawned the singles “Somebody New,” “Words by Heart,” “Talk Some,” “Deja Blue,” “One Last Thrill,” “Three Little Words,” “Under the Hood,” “Time for Letting Go,” “Busy Man,” “I Give My Heart to You,” “Somebody Said a Prayer,” “You Won’t be Lonely Now,” “We the People,” “Burn Down the Trailer Park,” “Crazy ‘Bout You Baby,” and “A Good Day.”

Although Billy Ray Cyrus experienced some ups and downs in his popularity, by the mid 2000’s he was collaborating often with his daughter, Miley Cyrus. Through this partnership his career experienced resurgence; In addition to providing the songs “Back to Tennessee” and “Butterfly Fly Away,” a duet with his daughter and both of which appear on the Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack, Cyrus also developed the supergroup Brother Clyde alongside musicians Jamie Miller, Samantha Maloney, Dan Knight, and Dave Henning.

In addition to his work in music, Billy Ray Cyrus has appeared in a number of films and on a number of television shows, including: Radical Jack (2001), Mulholland Drive (2002), Wish You Were Dead (2002), Death and Texas (2004), Bait Shop (2008), Flying By (2009), The Spy Next Door (2010), 18 Wheels of Justice (2000), Degrassi: The Next Generation (2003), Phineas and Ferb (2008), Christmas in Canaan (2009), and 90210 (2011-2012.) And, of course, he is most known for his roles on the television series Doc (2001-2004) and alongside Miley on Hannah Montana (2006-2011) and in the Hannah Montana: The Movie film adaptation of the show (2009), for which he also served as producer. Billy Ray Cyrus continues to act, perform, produce, and record. His most recent contribution to music was the album Change My Mind, which released in 2012.