Billy Ray Cyrus’ Lasting Legacy in Country Music:
American country singer and actor Billy Ray Cyrus was born in Bellefonte, Kentucky, on August 25, 1961. His 1992 hit song "Achy Breaky Heart" is his most famous work. The song caused a nationwide line-dancing craze, dominated the pop charts, and became an enormous success. Additionally, he has made appearances in a number of television shows, such as Hannah Montana (2006–11), a family-friendly program that aided in the beginning of his daughter Miley Cyrus's career as an actress and singer.
Billy Ray Cyrus was raised in a musical family in Flatwoods, Kentucky. His mother played the piano, while his grandfather played the violin. His father, a steelworker and state lawmaker from Kentucky, was a member of a gospel quartet and played guitar. Cyrus played baseball well in high school and eventually received an athletic scholarship to Georgetown College in Kentucky. He started playing guitar while in college, and he and his brother founded the country-rock group Sly Dog. Roadhouse gigs brought the band considerable recognition, and Cyrus finally dropped out of college to focus on music full-time.
Billy Ray Cyrus traveled to Los Angeles to try his luck when Sly Dog broke up in 1984. He worked as a car salesperson to support himself. He eventually went back to his native Kentucky, although he kept playing music all across the South. When a talent scout saw him opening for country music artist Reba McEntire at an arena in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1991, Mercury Records signed him to a recording contract.
In 1992, he released his first album, Some Gave All, which peaked at number one on the pop and country charts. In the US alone, nine million copies of the record were sold. Additionally, its first single, “Achy Breaky Heart,” peaked at number four on the pop charts and at the top of the country charts. It was ideal for western and country line dancing because of its straightforward two-chord structure and catchy lyrics. The song swiftly gained popularity in pubs and clubs all throughout the nation. Its popularity was further increased and Cyrus’s status as a country superstar was cemented by its music video, which showcased his good looks, signature mullet hairdo, and hip-swinging dance moves.
“Could’ve Been Me,” another single from the album, peaked at number two in the country charts. “Some Gave All,” the album’s title tune and a patriotic ballad honoring American veterans, was written by Cyrus himself. “Achy Breaky Heart” won Favorite Country Single at the American Music Awards and Single of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards, despite receiving the most attention. Billy Ray Cyrus was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards, and the song was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Male Country Vocal Performance.
Purists of country music reacted negatively to Billy Ray Cyrus’s unexpected breakthrough and the supremacy of his hit song. The song’s enormous popularity in pop music circles and its aggressive marketing were criticized by certain critics. The song was critiqued by singer-songwriter Travis Tritt, but Cyrus’s broad appeal was bolstered by great performers like Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash.
Four further albums were released by Billy Ray Cyrus between 1993 and 1998. Trail of Tears (1996) received the best reviews from critics due to its more intimate and roots-based vibe. With every album release, though, album sales fell, and his record label dropped him following his fifth album, Shot Full of Love (1998). He married Tish Finley in 1993 after meeting her in the 1990s. He adopted Brandi and Trace, Tish’s children from a previous relationship, and they had three children together: Riley, Braison, and Noah. Christopher, Cyrus’s kid from a previous relationship, also exists.
Billy Ray Cyrus started doing bit parts in movies and television in the late 1990s. He was cast as the main character in Doc, a television show about a doctor from a small village who relocates to New York City, in 2001. The show lasted till 2004. Robby Ray Stewart in the Disney series Hannah Montana was his next big TV role. Miley Cyrus, Cyrus’s real-life daughter, took the role of the main character’s father, a teenage girl who was covertly leading a double life as a pop star. The program ran till 2011 and served as the basis for a 2009 feature picture.
Billy Ray Cyrus kept putting out albums, such as The Other Side (2003), which featured Christian music. He participated in an eight-week Dancing with the Stars competition in 2007. He starred in the television series Sharknado 2: The Second One (2014) and the Jackie Chan film The Spy Next Door (2010). He co-founded Blue Cadillac Music in 2012, and his album Change My Mind was the label’s debut release that year. His autobiography, Hillbilly Heart, was released in 2013. He created and performed in the 2016–17 television comedy Still the King, which tells the story of a deranged country musician who turns into an Elvis Presley imitation.
Rapper Lil Nas X asked Cyrus to contribute to the 2019 “Old Town Road” remix. The song’s initial version appeared on Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop and country charts, but it was later taken off the country list since it didn’t adequately suit the genre. For a record-breaking 19 weeks, the remix remained at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Among the many honors the song received were the American Music Awards’ Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Song, the Grammy Awards’ Best Music Video and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, the MTV Video Music Awards’ Song of the Year, and the BET Hip Hop Awards’ Single of the Year and Best Collaboration, Duo or Group.
Billy Ray Cyrus participated in the television film Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas in 2022 and co-wrote the song “A Hard Working Man” with rapper Snoop Dogg and the Avila Brothers. Citing irreconcilable reasons, he and his wife announced their divorce that same year. He revealed his engagement to Australian singer Firerose later that year.