My Childhood Idol... Billy Ray Cyrus

I was raised to believe Billy Ray Cyrus was the single most attractive man. Not to mention the best male vocalist. To this day, I still firmly believe this to some degree. I have gone to every concert of his that I have been able to get to. I have a few of his movies, and I own and still listen to every single one of his CD's. There are 13 CD's total on my itunes. 14 if you include the duets he does with his daughter on her CD's. There are those that will claim he is using his daughter to get back into the public eye. Not to be rude, but... I am going to blatantly disagree with you, and then proceed to throw it in your face. Just a little bit. :)

Back To Tennessee - 2008

Home At Last - 2007

Wanna Be Your Joe- 2006

Time Flies- 2004

The Other Side (Gospel)- 2003
20th Century Masters- 2003

Southern Rain-2000

Shot Full Of Love-1998

Best Of Billy Ray Cyrus Cover To Cover- 1997

Trail Of Tears- 1996

Storm In The Heartland- 1994

It Won't Be The Last- 1993
Some Gave All-1992

http://www.billyraycyrus.com/

Billy Ray Cyrus intended to become another Johnny Bench as he grew up in Flatwoods, KY. While attending Georgetown College on a baseball scholarship, he bought a guitar and decided that athletics wasn't the proper direction for his life. Instead, he formed a band called Sly Dog with his brother and gave himself a ten-month deadline for finding a place to play. One week before the cutoff date, the group went to work as the house band for a club in Ironton, OH, where they remained for two years. A fire in 1984 destroyed everything including Cyrus' equipment. Taking that as a hint he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career. Eventually, he decided to return to Kentucky and commuted regularly from there to Nashville in search of a record deal. Grand Ole Opry star Del Reeves got Mercury Records to take a look, and division head Harold Shedd signed him in the summer of 1990. When his first album came out in mid-1992, Cyrus -- with his good looks, sculpted body, and the infectious "Achy Breaky Heart" -- became an instant groundbreaking sensation. Spending five weeks at the top of the country charts, "Achy Breaky Heart" made his debut album, Some Gave All, a blockbuster success. By the time it fell off the charts, it had sold over nine million copies and spent 17 weeks on the top of the pop charts.

In the years to follow, it is true that he wasn't able to re-create the success he had with his Some Gave All album, but he's never fully disappeared from the public eye. In 1993 he came out with the album 'It Won't Be The Last.' The album sold well, entering the pop charts at number three, reaching platinum status. Storm in the Heartland, cam out fall of 1994, went gold. He returned to the music world with the harder-edged, introspective Trail of Tears in 1996. He shot Full of Love in 1998 and Southern Rain was issued two years later. He took a break, spending more time with his family, realizing he was missing watching his children grow up. In March 2001, Cyrus hit TV screens in the role of a country doctor moved to Manhattan in the sitcom Doc. He returned to music world with 2003's Time Flies and the gospel-inspired Other Side, and in 2006, the same year Billy Ray Cyrus was seen on Dancing With The Stars, and appeared on the Disney Channel's Hannah Montana, a show starring his real-life daughter Miley, Wanna Be Your Joe came out. This album went gold. Billy Ray released his tenth studio album, Home at Last, in 2007 on the Disney label. The album debuted at number 20 on the U.S. Billboard charts, both reestablishing Cyrus as a presence in country music and highlighting the popularity of his daughter's show. Love Songs, a collection drawn from his peak years with Mercury, was released early in 2008, followed later in the year by a new studio project, Back to Tennessee, on Hollywood Records.

So as you can see, he's never really left. He wasn't a One Hit Wonder, and he isn't simply riding the celebrity wave of his daughter. He has his own success, and his own fan base... and thank you very much not all of them are 40-somethings. I am 20 years old, and proudly claim fanhood.

I Want My Mullet Back - Wanna Be Your Joe (2007) - Billy Ray Cyrus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnMj1FI9Jpo

Ready, Set, Don't Go - Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus - this went on both of their CD'S. Though, the video is a live recording. I love watching him live... ;)

Wanna Be Your Joe - Wanna Be Your Joe (2007) - Billy Ray Cyrus

Somebody Said A Prayer - Other Side (2006) - Billy Ray Cyrus

Back To Tennessee - Back To Tennessee (single) - Billy Ray Cyrus
It's also track 11. on the new Hannah Montana Movie soundtrack