Billy Ray Cyrus is a famous name which brought us yet another famous name, Miley Cyrus. The father to the highly talented singer and actress has been making news in the showbiz world long before his young daughter started entertaining kids on Disney.
His career dates back to 1992, offering us a 28-year period over which he's released 53 singles and 16 studio albums. The man is such a legend, that he was the first recording artist to release a single that hit triple platinum status in Australia.
On top of his music career, Billy has also acted in several hit movies, the most notable one being Hannah Montana: The Movie, in which his daughter was the leading star.
Over his long celebrity life, he's had some weird and interesting moments that we'll recount here. So read on!
15 He Changed His Name From William To Billy
Billy Ray Cyrus was born William Ray Cyrus. Common among Hollywood circles, this staunch artist changed his name to Billy Ray Cyrus, before becoming a recording artist. And, according to Billboard, he recently dropped Billy Ray and is now more comfortable being referred to as Cyrus.
14 His Parents Divorced In 1966
Billy Ray Cyrus was born to a politician, Ron Cyrus, and Ruth Ann Casto. However, his parent's marriage didn't last long as according to celebritynetworth.com, they divorced in 1966. Thus, a larger part of Cyrus' life was spent living with his grandfather, who was a pentecostal preacher.
13 He Saved His Marriage At A Pet Cemetery
Just like his parents, Billy Ray Cyrus didn't have a smooth marriage life. His marriage to Tish was severed in 2010, after 17 years together. However, the two seemed to patch things up after they met at a pet cemetery in 2011. The two had driven to the venue together.
12 He Dropped Out Of Georgetown After Attending Neil Diamond’s Concert
Before music became his forte, Billy Ray Cyrus had been enrolled in Georgetown College on a baseball scholarship. However, Rolling Stone reports that his love for the arts saw him drop out after he sneaked out to watch a Neil Diamond concert in his junior year.
11 He Lived In His Neighbor’s Car While Trying To Land Record Deals In Los Angeles
Well, life wasn't all rosy for Billy when he started out in music. The worldwidewolf.com reports that while trying to land recording deals in Los Angeles, Cyrus went through a lot of hardships. One of them was having to sleep in his neighbor's car.
10 Both His Parents Played Musical Instruments
Well, this great talent had to run in the blood. According to the Cheat Sheet, Billy started music at the tender age of four. Growing up, he was surrounded by gospel music, bluegrass, and foiled attempts to play his father's guitar.
9 His Career Took Off After He Was Discovered In A Reba McEntire Concert
After struggling to land record deals in Los Angeles, Billy finally decided to do the opener for a Reba McEntire concert. Unknown to him, his exemplary performance attracted the attention of Mercury records scouts, who were out there hunting for potential talent within the crowds.
8 He Attended Georgetown On An Athletic Scholarship
Billy Ray Cyrus was headed to baseball. Unknown to many, the legendary singer was enrolled at Georgetown College on a baseball scholarship. Later on, in his junior year, it occurred to him that playing with the little white ball was not his calling, so he dropped out to pursue music.
7 His Song Achy Breaky Heart Led To The Popularity Of Line Dancing
Achy Breaky Heart was the hit single that sent waves of Cyrus' musical genius all around America and Australia. countrythangdaily.com reports that this record-breaking single was the main charge behind the line-dancing craze that hit America in the early 90s.
6 He Had A Feud With Travis Tritt
There's no celebrity career without a feud. And for Billy Ray Cyrus, his horns locked with Travis Titt, another country legend that had released a couple of hits in his 90s career. What brought the two to war was Tritt's statement about Achy Breaky Heart, when he termed the song as "frivolous" and without much of a statement.
5 He Has Defended His Daughter’s Behavior On Numerous Occasions
It's hard for a father to lose hold of his daughter. And for Billy, the situation is no different. Despite Miley Cyrus finding herself in a host of controversies, her father has been the unshaken support structure for her. On numerous occasions, he has come to his daughter's defense after she has displayed some erratic behavior.
4 He Never Thought Old Town Road Would Be A Big Hit
When Billy was in the studio with Lil Nas X, creating the rare blend of hip hop and country music, he did not think their creative baby - Old Town Road would be a hit. However, Billboard reports that the song dominated the charts for 16 weeks in a row, matching record breakers "Despacito" and "One Sweet Day".
3 He Speculated That Miley And Liam Were Not To Get Married
Well, so much for a father-in-law. While Liam Hemsworth was busy fantasizing of his beautiful married life with Miley, Billy was taking none of it. According to Mirror UK, Billy had doubts that the two would ever make it down the aisle, given how erratic their relationship was.
2 His Remix Of Achy Breaky Heart Was A Disaster
This was a good lesson that if it works perfectly, don't touch it lest you break it. And for Billy Ray Cyrus, he learned this the hard way after he remixed his hit single Achy Breaky Heart. The end result was a disaster, given the unappealing taste of rap he was trying to add to it.
1 He Once Tried To Play His Father’s Right Hand Guitar And Failed Because He Is Left-Handed
While starting out in his young music career, Billy Ray Cyrus attempted to play his father's guitar. But since his dad was right-handed and Billy wasn't, he had a difficult time getting a hang of things. Eventually, he got access to a left-handed guitar that taught him all the right chords to use.
Sources: The Mirror UK, Taste of Country, Country Thang Daily, Country Music Highway