Billy Ray Cyrus

In 1986, Cyrus married Cindy Smith, who also co-wrote the songs ‘Wher'm I Gonna Live?’ and ‘Some Gave All’ with him. These songs were a part of his debut album ‘Some Gave All’. The marriage ended in divorce after five years.

In 1992, he married ‘Leticia Cyrus’ to whom he is still married. He has three children with her - Miley Ray, Braison Chance, and Noah Lindsey. He also has two stepchildren from Leticia’s previous relationship - Brandi and Trace.

He had a relationship with Kristin Luckey, with whom he also fathered a son, Christopher Cody. Cody was raised by his mother in South Carolina.

Billy Ray Cyrus was born as William Ray Cyrus in Flatwoods, Kentucky to politician Ron Cyrus and Ruth Ann Casto. He was much influenced by his grandfather, who introduced him to gospel and bluegrass music.

His father could play the guitar and his mother the piano and his grandfather used to play the fiddle. The musical environment at home had a great influence on him and he began singing from a young age of four. He tried playing his father’s guitar but being left-handed he found it difficult.

He earned a baseball scholarship to study at ‘Georgetown College’. He formed the band ‘Sly Dog’ with his brother and they were hired as a house band for a club in Ohio. Soon, Cyrus dropped out of college to pursue music full-time.

In 1984, a fire burnt down the club where Cyrus was performing and all his music equipments were also destroyed. The same year, he relocated to Los Angeles, hoping to secure a recording contract, but was unsuccessful in his attempts and soon returned to Kentucky.

He performed as often as he could in Nashville, gradually honing his skills. He was noticed by country singer Del Reeve, who introduced him to the supervisors at ‘Mercury Records’. Producer Harold Shedd of Mercury Records was impressed by Cyrus’s opening for famous country singer Reba McEntire, and immediately signed him up.

In 1992, Cyrus released his debut album, ‘Some Gave All’ which was an immense commercial success and sold more than twenty million copies worldwide.

In 1993, he released his second album‘It Won't Be the Last’, comprising four singles, all of which achieved moderate success. He began touring during this time and the next year, he released his third album ‘Storm in the Heartland’, which did not do well commercially.

In 1996, with his popularity having reduced considerably, he released his fourth album, ‘Trail of Tears’. Although praised by critics, the album was again a commercial failure.

In 1998, after yet another unsuccessful album, ‘Shot Full of Love’, Cyrus ended his association with ‘Mercury Records’ and signed up with ‘Monument Records’ the next year.

In 2000, he released his first album with ‘Monument Records’ and fifth overall. Titled ‘Southern Rain’, the album fared better than his last few efforts, but still wasn’t a major success.

Cyrus’s hugely successful debut album ‘Some Gave All’, released in 1992, was a unique blend of country and rock music. The album had as many as four hit singles, with the song ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ topping the charts in many countries. The album went on to become the best-selling album of that year in the US, selling almost five million copies.