Billy Ray Cyrus
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| Billy Ray Cyrus | |
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 Billy Ray Cyrus, April 2008
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Ray Cyrus[1] |
| Born | August 25, 1961 Flatwoods, Kentucky, United States |
| Origin | Nashville, Tennessee, United States |
| Genre(s) | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-Songwriter Actor Film Producer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, rhythm guitar |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Label(s) | Mercury Monument Madacy Word/Curb/Warner Bros. New Door/UMe Walt Disney |
| Associated acts | Miley Cyrus Dolly Parton |
| Website | Official site |
Billy Ray Cyrus (born William Ray Cyrus, August 25, 1961[1]) is a Grammy Award-nominated American country singer-songwriter and actor, best known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart". A multi-platinum selling recording artist, he has eight top-ten singles on the Billboard country music charts. From 2001 to 2004, he starred in the television series Doc, a show about a rural doctor adjusting from his move from a ranch to a large city. As of 2006, he is co-starring in the Disney Channel original television series, Hannah Montana, which stars his daughter Miley Cyrus.
In Cyrus' career, he has released 28 charting singles, 13 of which reached the top 40 and one reached the top of Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. After a four year hiatus from the charts, Cyrus returned with his current single, a duet with his daughter Miley, "Ready, Set, Don't Go", which peaked at #4 in early 2008, this was Billy Ray's first time in the Top 5 in nearly 10 years.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Cyrus was born in Flatwoods, Kentucky, the son of Ron Cyrus, a politician, and his wife, the former Ruth Ann Adkins.[2] His grandfather was a Pentecostal preacher. Cyrus later went to college at Georgetown College on a baseball scholarship before switching his focus to music.
[edit] Music career
While trying to get a record deal in Los Angeles, Cyrus was signed to Mercury Records. He began recording music for his debut album, Some Gave All, released in 1992. The album sold over 9 million copies. Part of the album's success can be attributed to Cyrus's #1 single, "Achy Breaky Heart". Some Gave All debuted atop both the Top Country Albums and the Billboard 200, staying at No.1 for 34 and 17 weeks, respectively
In 1993, Cyrus returned with It Won't Be the Last, which debuted at #1 and went Platinum in the US. The album featured the Top 5 single, "In the Heart of a Woman", which peaked at #3.
Storm in the Heartland was released in '94, and went Gold. Although the only successful single was the title track, the album featured two more singles, both failed to meet Cyrus's hopeful expectations.
Several other albums followed, Trail of Tears (1996), Shot Full of Love (1998), Southern Rain (2000), Time Flies (2003), The Other Side (2003), Wanna Be Your Joe (2006), and Home at Last (2007). Cyrus is beginning to record his follow-up to Home at Last on Walt Disney Records.[citation needed]
He also sang "The Star Spangled Banner" at Game 5 of the 2006 World Series in St. Louis, Missouri.
[edit] Acting career
Cyrus starred in the 1999 independent film Radical Jack. He 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, which became the network's highest-rated show. In 2005, Cyrus expanded his acting career in a stage production of Annie Get Your Gun in Toronto, appearing in 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, he guest-starred as a limo driver in the episode "The Power of Love" of the Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation. 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 co-starring in the Disney Channel original television series, Hannah Montanawhich premiered on March 24, 2006.
In March 2007, Cyrus joined several other celebrities to take part in the fourth season of the US version of Dancing with the Stars.[3] 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.[4]
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.
[edit] Marriage and children
From 1986 until 1991, Cyrus was married to Cindy Smith, with whom he co-wrote the song Wher'm I Gonna Live?, which was featured on his 1992 album Some Gave All. On December 28, 1992, he married Leticia "Tish" Finley,[5][6].[7] Together they have three children, daughters Miley Ray (born as Destiny Hope), Noah Lindsey, and son Braison Chance.[6] He also has two stepchildren, Trace (singer/guitarist for Metro Station) and Brandi,[6] and a son from a previous relationship, Christopher Cody.[6]
In a 2004 interview on ABC News: 'Primetime', Cyrus stated that daughter Miley (conceived with Finley) and son Cody (conceived with an unidentified woman) were both born in 1992, at which time Cyrus was unmarried, and that he and Finley secretly married on December 28 of 1992.[7]
The family lived on a 500-acre (2.0 km²) farm in Thompson's Station,[6][5] outside of Nashville, Tennessee before moving to Los Angeles for the filming of Hannah Montana.[8]
[edit] Awards
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Please help improve this section by expanding it with: nominations. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. |
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.
Billy Ray has been nominated in the Tearjerker Video of the Year for "Ready, Set, Don't Go" in 2008. The nomination is from the 2008 CMT Music Awards. In the category, artists such as Kenny Chesney and Reba McEntire are also nominated.[9]
| Year | Association | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | TNN/Music City News | Album of the Year - for Shot Full of Love |
| TNN/Music City News | Male Artist of the Year | |
| TNN/Music City News | Single of the Year - for "Busy Man" | |
| TNN/Music City News | Video of the Year - for "Busy Man" | |
| 1997 | TNN/Music City News | Single of the Year - "It's All the Same to Me" |
| 1993 | American Music Awards | Favorite New Artist |
| American Music Awards | Favorite Single - for "Achy Breaky Heart" | |
| 1992 | CMA Awards | Single of the Year - for "Achy Breaky Heart" |
[edit] Discography
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Radical Jack | Jack | |
| 2001 | Doc | Dr. Clint Cassidy | Television series from 2001–2004 |
| Mulholland Drive | Gene | ||
| 2002 | Wish You Were Dead | Dean Longo | |
| 2004 | Death and Texas | Spoade Perkins | |
| Elvis Has Left the Building | Hank | ||
| Degrassi: The Next Generation | Limo Driver Duke | Season 3 Finale | |
| 2006 | Hannah Montana | Robby Stewart | Television series from 2006–present |
| 2007 | Billy Ray Cyrus... Home at Last | Himself | Reality show |
| Dancing with the Stars | Himself | ||
| 2008 | Bait Shop | Hot Rod Johnson | with Bill Engvall |
| Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert | Himself | Concert film. | |
| CMT Music Awards | Himself | Host with Miley Cyrus | |
| Nashville Star | Himself | TV Host | |
| 2009 | Hannah Montana: The Movie | Robby Stewart |
[edit] See also
[edit] Further reading
- Kingsbury, Paul. (1998). "Billy Ray Cyrus". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 123-4.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Billy Ray Cyrus Biography". A&E/Biography. 2007-12-20. Birth certificate shown
- ^ Billy Ray Cyrus Biography (1961-)
- ^ unknown. "Meet the New Cast of 'Dancing With the Stars", ABC.com Dancing with the Stars, February 20, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.
- ^ Singer Cyrus booted off dance show. Retrieved on 2007-05-09.
- ^ a b Billy Ray Cyrus (Dr. Clint Cassidy). "Doc" Cast Bios. I (TV network). Retrieved on 2006-10-07.
- ^ a b c d e "BILLY RAY CYRUS - Bio". cmt.ca. Retrieved on 2006-10-29. “Children: Destiny Hope, Braison Chance, Noah Lindsey, with Tish; Christopher Cody, from a previous relationship; and stepchildren Brandi, and Trace.”[dead link]
- ^ a b Once a Country Superstar, He Got Out of the Spotlight for Fatherhood. abcnews.com (2004-03-13). Retrieved on 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.”
- ^ Steinberg, Jacques. "Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: A Tale of Two Tweens", The New York Times, 2006-04-20. Retrieved on 2006-10-29. (English)
- ^ http://www.cmt.com/cmt-music-awards/vote.jhtml
[edit] External links
- Billy Ray Cyrus official website
- Billy Ray Cyrus' Sony Nashville website
- Billy Ray Cyrus CMT website
- Billy Ray Cyrus at the Internet Movie Database
- Billy Ray Cyrus at Allmusic
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Cyrus, Billy Ray |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Singer-Songwriter, Actor, Film Producer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1961-8-25 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Flatwoods, Kentucky, United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
