Billy Ray Cyrus

Billy Ray Cyrus
Cyrus in 2019
Born (1961-08-25) August 25, 1961 (age 63)
Flatwoods, Kentucky, U.S.
Alma materGeorgetown College
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • actor
Years active1989–present
Spouses
  • Cindy Smith
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1986; div. 1991)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1993; div. 2023)​
  • Firerose
    ​
    ​
    (m. 2023; div. 2024)​
Children6, including Brandi, Trace, Miley and Noah Cyrus
ParentRon Cyrus (father)
AwardsFull list
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Labels
Formerly ofBrother Clyde
Websitebillyraycyrus.com

Billy Ray Cyrus (/ˈsaɪrəs/ SY-rəs; born August 25, 1961)[2][3] is an American country singer, songwriter and actor.[4][5] Having released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, he is known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and became the first single ever to achieve triple platinum status in Australia. It was also the best-selling single in the same country in 1992.[6][7] Due to the song's music video, the line dance rose in popularity.[8]

A multi-platinum selling artist, Cyrus has scored a total of eight top-ten singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. His most successful album to date is his debut Some Gave All, which has been certified 9× multi-platinum in the United States and is the longest time spent by a debut artist and by a country artist at number one on the Billboard 200 (17 consecutive weeks) and most consecutive chart-topping weeks in the SoundScan era.[9][10][11] Some Gave All was also the first debut album to enter at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.[12] The album has also sold more than 20 million copies worldwide and is the best-selling debut album of all time for a solo male artist. Some Gave All was also the best-selling album of 1992 in the US with 4,832,000 copies.[13][14] During his career he has released 36 charted singles, of which 17 charted in the top 40.

In 2019, Cyrus earned his first number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 as a featured artist on a remix of Lil Nas X's song "Old Town Road", which spent a record-breaking nineteen consecutive weeks at the top spot (eighteen of them credited to Cyrus). It also spent a record-breaking twenty consecutive weeks (nineteen of them credited to Cyrus) at the top spot on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Billboard Hot Rap Songs.[15][16] The R&B/Hip-hop record has been broken in May 2023 by SZA's "Kill Bill".[17] Thanks to "Old Town Road", Cyrus won his first two Grammy Awards, in the categories Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Music Video.[18]

From 2001 to 2004, Cyrus starred in the television show Doc. The show was about a country doctor who moved from Montana to New York City. From 2006 to 2011, he co-starred in the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana with his daughter Miley Cyrus in the role of the titular character's fictional father Robby Ray Stewart, a clear reference to his real name. From 2016 to 2017, he starred as Vernon Brownmule on the CMT sitcom Still the King.

  1. ^ "Country-Pop - Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference BioEp was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Billy Ray Cyrus v. Latisha Finnely [sic] Cyrus: Petition for Divorce" (PDF). Chancery Court for Williamson County, Tennessee via E! Online. June 13, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  4. ^ "Country is No. 1 musical style". Reading Eagle. August 19, 1992. Archived from the original on September 3, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  5. ^ Hurst, Jack (November 25, 1993). "Country music is making waves across the seas". thestar.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  6. ^ Hurst, Jack (July 4, 1993). "Achy Breaky Start Bruised By The Critics, Billy Ray Cyrus Is Coming Back For More". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
  7. ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Singles 1992". ARIA. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
  8. ^ "Line dancing: good for that achy breaky heart". Reuters. December 6, 2010. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
  9. ^ "Albums That Topped the Billboard 200 for the Most Consecutive Weeks — And the Albums That Bumped Them Off". Billboard Magazine. October 6, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  10. ^ Billy Ray Cyrus Explores His Gospel 'Side'. Billboard Magazine. October 18, 2003. Retrieved June 29, 2009.
  11. ^ "Mariah Carey Can't Stop Taylor Swift". Yahoo!. January 28, 2009. Archived from the original on December 16, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2009.
  12. ^ Hurst, Jack (October 16, 1992). "COUNTRIFIED KATHY MATTEA IS BACK IN VOICE WITH 'LONESOME STANDARD TIME'". OrlandoSentinel. Archived from the original on December 8, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
  13. ^ Mervis, Scott (April 10, 2009). "Billy Ray Cyrus appeals to a whole new crowd". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on May 23, 2009. Retrieved April 24, 2009.
  14. ^ Grein, Paul. "Week Ending Nov. 8, 2009: The Host With The Most". Archived from the original on November 15, 2009. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
  15. ^ "Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' Breaks Record for Most Weeks at No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs Charts". Billboard. August 12, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  16. ^ "Billie Eilish's 'Bad Guy' Hits No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100, Dethroning Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' After Record 19 Weeks on Top". Billboard. August 19, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  17. ^ "SZA's 'Kill Bill' Breaks Record for Most Weeks at No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart". Billboard. May 30, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  18. ^ "Billy Ray Cyrus". GRAMMY.com. November 26, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2020.