Jump to content

Billy Ray Cyrus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 75.49.224.224 (talk) at 18:49, 9 September 2007 (→Singles). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Billy Ray Cyrus

Billy Ray Cyrus (born August 25, 1961 in Flatwoods, Kentucky) is an American country singer and film and television actor, who is best known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart" (1992). He is also a multi-platinum selling recording artist, with one number one country single and eight top-ten singles. From 2001 to 2004, he starred in the television series Doc, a show about a doctor from the ranch adjusting to the large city. Starting in 2006, he is currently co-starring in the Disney Channel original television series, Hannah Montana, which stars his daughter Miley.

Biography

Billy Ray Cyrus was born on August 25, 1961, in Flatwoods, Kentucky. His father was a Pentecostal preacher who used to sing with Billy Ray in church when he was just 4 years old. Billy Ray later went to college on a baseball scholarship, before switching his focus to music. After years of searching in Nashville, he signed with PolyGram Records in 1990.[citation needed]

Career

After moving to Los Angeles alone, Cyrus signed to Mercury Nashville Records in 1990. The success of "Achy Breaky Heart" from his first album Some Gave All helped renew the popularity of line dancing and made Cyrus a star. At the time he was widely known for his signature mullet hairstyle.

In 1993, Cyrus was scheduled to perform for Queen Elizabeth II but had to cancel due to family reasons.

Cyrus' follow-up, It Won't Be the Last, began strong but sales wound up being disappointing compared to Some Gave All. He continued to chart and release four more albums over the next six years. These were Storm in the Heartland in 1994, Trail of Tears in 1996, Shot Full of Love in 1998, and Southern Rain in 2000. He has had some success as a gospel singer with his album The Other Side in 2003. His most recent albums are Wanna Be Your Joe in 2006 and Home At Last in 2007. In 2004, Blender magazine selected "Achy Breaky Heart" as the magazine's choice for "second worst song ever." Some people claim Cyrus is a one-hit wonder[1], mainly because "Achy Breaky Heart" was his only major hit on the Billboard Hot 100. He did land six Top Ten singles on the country charts, including "Could've Been Me", "Busy Man", and "In the Heart of a Woman". Cyrus also holds the record for the longest time at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart for a debut record (17 weeks). [citation needed]

"We The People", the working people’s anthem from Southern Rain became the campaign theme song for President George W. Bush during his 2000 election campaign.[citation needed]

File:IM001243.JPG
Billy Ray Cyrus performs at the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland, Ky. in July 2003

Cyrus starred in the 1999 independent film Radical Jack. Cyrus also had a small part in David Lynch's 2001 film Mulholland Drive as Gene, a pool cleaner who had been having an affair with the wife of Adam Kesher (Justin Theroux).

In 2001, Cyrus played the lead role on the PAX (now ION Television) comedy-drama Doc. Doc became the highest-rated show on the network.

In 2005, Cyrus expanded his acting career in a stage production of Annie Get Your Gun in Toronto, as the role of Frank Butler.

Cyrus' television credits include The Nanny, Diagnosis Murder, Love Boat, The Next Wave, and TNN’s 18 Wheels Of Justice. In 2004, Cyrus guest starred in the episode, "The Power of Love" of the Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation as the limo driver, Duke.

Cyrus has also been the subject of many television specials that detail his rise to fame and his career. These include two ABC documentaries, Dreams Come True and A Year On The Road, a VH1 exclusive, as well as the TNN specials I Give My Heart To You, and The Life and Times of Billy Ray Cyrus.

In late 2005, Cyrus and his daughter Miley began filming the first twenty episodes of a new Disney Channel original television series, Hannah Montana. The show revolves around a young teenage girl (Miley) who lives a double life as pop singing sensation "Hannah Montana." Cyrus plays the pop star's widowed father, manager, and famous singer Robby Stewart. Hannah Montana is currently airing on the Disney Channel, and has received positive reviews from critics and viewers. His character is loosely based on his real life; footage of Robbie Ray as a famous singer in the past is actual footage and photos of Cyrus himself as a singer, and many times allusions are made to the singer, as in the episode New Kid in School where Robby Stewart dons a mullet wig and introduces his character as Billy Ray Cyrus; in the episode Ooo, Ooo, Itchy Woman where his character refers to his single "Achy Breaky Heart" by asking a mouse which was crawling around inside the Stewarts' piano, "Lynda, you know 'Achy Breaky Heart'?"; and in the episode "On the Road Again", where Cyrus performs his song "I Want My Mullet Back", a track from his latest CD. Also, in the episode, It's a Mannequin's World, when Robby does the limbo and cracks his back, he says, "Ohh, my Achy Breaky back!" Also in one of the more recent episodes when Hannah is about to reveal her secret to a reporter the family must pretend to be others and so he says that he is Billy Ray Cyrus.

He also sang "The Star Spangled Banner" at Game 5 of the 2006 World Series in St. Louis, Missouri.

In March 2007, Cyrus joined several other celebrities to take part in the fourth season of the US version of Dancing with the Stars.[2] He and his partner Karina Smirnoff, were eliminated in the eighth week (May 8, 2007) after having also placed in the "bottom two" the week before.[3]

In 2007, Cyrus filmed the music video for his latest hit, Ready, Set, Don't Go. He dedicated this song to Miley. The video showed pictures from Hannah Montana along with others.

Marriage and Children

Cyrus has one child from a previous relationship, Christopher Cody.[4] Cyrus is now married to Leticia "Tish" Finley Cyrus,[5][4] whom he married on December 28 1992.[6] Together, they have three children, daughters Destiny Hope (who is also known as Miley), Noah Lindsey, and son Braison Chance.[4] She had two children from a previous relationship, son Trace (singer/guitarist for Metro Station) and daughter Brandi.[4]

In a 2004 interview on ABC News: 'Primetime', Cyrus stated that daughter Miley (with Finley) and son Cody (from another relationship) were both born in 1992 while Cyrus was unmarried, and that he and Finley secretly married on December 28 of 1992.[6]

The family resided on a 500-acre farm in Thompson's Station[4][5], outside of Nashville, Tennessee, before moving to Los Angeles for the filming of Hannah Montana.[7]

Awards

In addition to several music awards from various organizations, Cyrus also holds awards from charitable work.

In 1999, Cyrus received the International Entertainment Buyer Association’s "Humanitarian of the Year" Award for his philanthropic work. His charitable efforts have been recognized by the Country Radio Broadcasters, who honored him with their Artist Humanitarian Award, and by the Kennedy Center Honors, which recognized him for his work with children. He also received the first ever Bob Hope Congressional Medal of Honor Society Entertainer’s Award for his dedication to philanthropy.

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album U.S. Top Country U.S. Billboard 200 RIAA Certification U.S. Sales
1992 Some Gave All 1 1 9X Platinum 9,000,000+
1993 It Won't Be the Last 1 3 Platinum 1,000,000+
1994 Storm in the Heartland 11 73 Gold 550,000+
1996 Trail of Tears 20 125 — —
1997 The Best of Billy Ray Cyrus: Cover to Cover 23 — — —
1998 Shot Full of Love 32 — Gold 500,000+
2000 Southern Rain 13 102 — —
2003 Time Flies 56 — — —
The Other Side 18 131 — —
2006 Wanna Be Your Joe 24 113 Gold 500,000+
2007 Home At Last 3 20 — 100,000+

Singles

Year Song U.S. Country U.S. Hot 100 Album
1992 "Achy Breaky Heart"A 1 4 Some Gave All
"Some Gave All"B 52
"Could've Been Me"C 2 72
"Wher'm I Gonna Live?" 23
1993 "She's Not Cryin' Anymore" 6 70
"In the Heart of a Woman" 3 76 It Won't Be the Last
"Somebody New" 9 104
"Words by Heart" 12 119
1994 "Talk Some" 63
"Storm in the Heartland" 33 108 Storm in the Heartland
"Deja Blue"D
1995 "Fastest Horse in a One Horse Town"D NASCAR: Hotter Than Ashpalt
1996 "Trail of Tears"D Trail of Tears
"Three Little Words" 66
1997 "It's All the Same to Me" 19 Best of Billy Ray Cyrus: Cover to Cover
1998 "Time for Letting Go" 70 Shot Full of Love
1999 "Busy Man" 3 46
"Give My Heart to You" 41
2000 "You Won't Be Lonely Now" 17 80 Southern Rain
"We the People" 60
2001 "Burn Down the Trailer Park" 43
"Crazy 'Bout You Baby" 58
"Southern Rain" 45
2003 "When I Leave This House" (with Adam Gregory)E Workin' On It (Adam Gregory album)
"Face Of God" 54 The Other Side
"The Other Side" 45
2006 "Wanna Be Your Joe"D Wanna Be Your Joe
2007 "Ready, Set, Don't Go"F 47 85 Home At Last

READ THE FUCKING TALK PAGE ABOUT I WANT MY MULLET BACK!!!!!!!!!!!

Notes

Selected filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2007 Dancing with the Stars Himself Television series
2006 - present Hannah Montana Robby Stewart Television series
2004 Death and Texas Spoade Perkins --
Elvis Has Left the Building Hank --
2002 Wish You Were Dead Dean Longo --
2001 Doc Dr. Clint Cassidy Television series
Mulholland Drive Gene --
2000 Radical Jack Jack --

See also

References

  1. ^ 100 Greatest: One Hit Wonders: VH1.com
  2. ^ unknown (February 20, 2007). "Meet the New Cast of 'Dancing With the Stars". ABC.com Dancing with the Stars. Retrieved 2007-02-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "Singer Cyrus booted off dance show". Retrieved 2007-05-09.
  4. ^ a b c d e ""BILLY RAY CYRUS - Bio"". cmt.ca. Retrieved 2006-10-29. Children: Destiny Hope, Braison Chance, Noah Lindsey, with Tish; Christopher Cody, from a previous relationship; and stepchildren Brandi, and Trace. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  5. ^ a b "Billy Ray Cyrus (Dr. Clint Cassidy)". "Doc" Cast Bios. I (TV network). Retrieved 2006-10-07.
  6. ^ a b "Once a Country Superstar, He Got Out of the Spotlight for Fatherhood". abcnews.com. 2004-03-13. Retrieved 2007-08-14. Cyrus pledged to support the woman who was carrying his first baby. And against his record company's advice, he secretly married Finley on Dec. 28 1992. Finley gave birth to Cyrus' daughter, Miley. The other woman had his son, Cody. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ Steinberg, Jacques (2006-04-20). "Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: A Tale of Two Tweens". The New York Times (in English). Retrieved 2006-10-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  • Kingsbury, Paul. (1998). "Billy Ray Cyrus". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 123-4.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Billy_Ray_Cyrus&oldid=156755240"