American country music singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist, who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon.Having released 11 studio albums and 38 singles since 1992, he is best known for his Number One single "Achy Breaky Heart", which became the first single ever to achieve triple Platinum status in Australia William "Billy" Ray Cyrus.He was born in Flatwoods, Kentucky to Ron Cyrus, a politician, and his wife, the former Ruth Ann Casto.His grandfather was a Pentecostal preacher.Cyrus was married to Cindy Smith, with whom he co-wrote the songs "Wher'm I Gonna Live?" and "Some Gave All", both of which were featured on his 1992 debut album Growing up, he was surrounded by bluegrass and gospel music from his family. His father, a right handed man, played guitar. Billy Ray, on the other hand, was left handed. He tried to play his father's guitar, but could never learn. Cyrus attended Georgetown College on a baseball scholarship before switching his focus to music. During the 1980s, Cyrus played in the bar band Sly Dog before getting a record deal with Mercury Nashville Records.
While trying to get a recording contract in Los Angeles,Cyrus was referred to as "too country" for LA, and "too rock" for Nashville. However, in 1990, he was signed to PolyGram Mercury. Cyrus began to record and write music for his debut album, released in 1992.The album became an instant chart and sales successor. It debuted at Number 1 the Billboard Top Country Albums, Billboard 200, Canadian Country Albums chart, Canadian Albums Chart, and on the charts of several other foreign countries. The album featured four consecutive Top 40 singles on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart from 1992 to 1993, including an album cut, the title track. The most successful single released was "Achy Breaky Heart". It reached Number 1 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and was also a hit on the pop charts, where it reached at 4. Although the song was the only number one single, "Could've Been Me" reached No 2, "Wher'm I Gonna Live?" reached No 23, and "She's Not Cryin' Anymore" reached No 6.
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.In 2001, Cyrus played the lead role on the PAX 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, Billy Ray Cyrus, Dreams Come True and Billy Ray Cyrus, 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 Cyrus began co-starring in the Disney Channel original television series, Hannah Montana, which premiered on March 24, 2006.
