Billy Ray Cyrus

Billy Ray Cyrus, born William Ray Cyrus on August 25, 1961 in Flatwoods, Kentucky, grew up surrounded by bluegrass and gospel music and began singing at age four; he attended Georgetown College on a baseball scholarship before turning to music after a Neil Diamond concert inspired him to pursue a career. In 1990 he signed with PolyGram/Mercury and released his debut studio album Some Gave All in 1992, which launched the hit single "Achy Breaky Heart", reaching Number 1 on the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and establishing a national line‑dance craze; the album topped the Billboard 200 for 17 consecutive weeks and achieved 9× multi‑platinum certification in the United States. His follow‑up albums It Won’t Be the Last (1993), Storm in the Heartland (1994), and Trail of Tears (1996) were released under Mercury, with It Won’t Be the Last debuting at Number 1 on the Country charts and earning platinum status. After Mercury’s PolyGram division closed, Billy Ray Cyrus moved to Monument Records in 1999 and issued Southern Rain (2000), followed by Christian‑focused releases Time Flies and The Other Side (both 2003). In 2006 Billy Ray Cyrus returned to country with Wanna Be Your Joe on New Door/UMe, and in 2007 released Home at Last on Disney, which reached number 3 on the country charts. Subsequent albums Back to Tennessee (2009), I’m American (2011), and Change My Mind (2012) were issued through Lyric Street and other labels, while Billy Ray Cyrus maintained acting roles in the television series Doc (2001–2004), Hannah Montana (2006–2011) alongside his daughter Miley Cyrus, and the sitcom Still the King (2016–2017). In 2019 a remix of Lil Nas X’s "Old Town Road" featuring Billy Ray Cyrus peaked at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for nineteen consecutive weeks, earning him his first Grammy Awards in the categories Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Music Video; the track was later certified diamond by the RIAA. Following the releases of Thin Line (2016), Set the Record Straight (2017) and The SnakeDoctor Circus (2019), Billy Ray Cyrus released in 2026 his nineteenth album The Hill, featuring the duet "On Our Way Along" with his daughter.