Billy Ray Cyrus Biography

Billy Ray Cyrus (born August 25, 1961 in Flatwoods, Kentucky) is an American country singer and actor, who is probably best known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart" (1992) and distinctive mullet. He is also a multi-platinum selling recording artist, with three number-one singles and six top-ten singles. From 2001 to 2004, he starred in the television series Doc, a show that remains in syndication today. Starting in 2006, he currently stars in the Disney Channel original television series, Hannah Montana, along with his daughter Miley.

Cyrus was raised into a Pentecostal family. His parents divorced during his youth and his grandfather, who was a Pentecostal preacher, died when he was twelve years old.

Cyrus was a part of Russell, Kentucky's first state championship high school football team in 1978. He originally intended to play professional baseball. He attended Georgetown College on a baseball scholarship, but quit to form a band called "Sly Dog" with his brother, Kevin Cyrus.

Cyrus enjoyed a heated rivalry with Travis Tritt when Achy Breaky became a hit song. Tritt didn't like Cyrus's "pretty boy country" routine, repleat with tight shorts, revealing shirts, and what Tritt believed was a general country-mockery-with-Fabio-appeal of Cyrus's act. The criticism was a bit ironic, given that Tritt and Cyrus had crossover fan bases and that the two sounded similar in style, with deep, rangy baritones and rockabily baselines for their songs.

Cyrus, for his part, kept silent during Tritt's rants, due in part to his embarassment at the reception for Achy Breaky. Cyrus proved to be much more than just a pretty face, scoring hits with "Storm in the Heartland" and "It Could've been Me", although to country outsiders he's best known for his novelty hit. Tritt went on to much more respected success in country music and the feud has since died.

Cyrus and Tritt's rivalry was noted by Tupac Shakur, who saw that the feud elevated the fame of both persons, even the perceived one-hit wonder Cyrus. Shakur was inspired by this to turn on his friend Biggie Smalls---for commercial, not personal success.

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.