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Billy Ray Cyrus music biography continued...

25, 1961, Cyrus initially wanted to be a ballplayer, but decided to pursue music instead when he was in his early 20s. After an unsuccessful stint in Los Angeles, he returned to Kentucky and commuted to Nashville regularly, trying to get a record deal. Grand Ole Opry star Del Reeves got Mercury Records to take a chance on the newcomer and division head Harold Shedd signed him in the summer of 1990. Cyrus' first album came out in mid-1992, propelled by, Cyrus's good looks and the infectious single "Achy, Breaky Heart," which became an instant groundbreaking sensation. Spending five weeks at the top of the country charts, "Achy, Breaky Heart" made Cyrus' debut album, Some Gave All, a huge success. All in all, it sold over nine million copies and spent 17 weeks on the top of the pop charts. Cyrus spent the rest of the 90s, trying to duplicate the success of his debut album, but to no avail. Though It Won't Be the Last (1993) went platinum and Storm in the Heartland (1994) gold, Cyrus' overall chart position was tenuous. Then, in 2001, he was cast as the fictional father of Hannah Montana, played by his daughter in real life, Miley. The subsequent Disney series reestablished Cyrus on the country music scene and making him a household name.



Riding on the wave of Hannah Montana's popularity, Cyrus released his 10th studio album, Home at Last, in 2007 on the Disney label. The album debuted at Number 3 on the Billboard country albums chart. With Miley Cyrus adding her vocals to "Ready, Set, Don't Go," a song featured on Home at Last, it reached the Top 10 on Billboard's country singles chart in 2008. Love Songs, a collection drawn from his peak years with Mercury Records, was released early in 2008. Triumphantly, Cyrus and his daughter Miley co-hosted the Country Music Television Awards in Nashville in April 2008. To the fans that had remained faithful since 1992, it was only a matter of time until Cyrus fulfilled his early promise.