Billy Ray Cyrus

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Personal

Vocation

Lifestyle

Notable

Family

American musician, vocalist and guitarist. The grandson of a preacher, he began to sing gospel in choir as a pre-schooler. During school his passion was sports and he aimed to be a baseball catcher until 20, when an "inner voice" told him to get a guitar and sing. He did so, forming a band the next day, "Sly Dog." Determined to play pro within the year, they did so with gigs in local clubs. They continued to build up their popularity until 1984 when a fire wiped out the band. Cyrus moved to Los Angeles to work days and play music at night. His time had not arrived so he returned to Kentucky to play in night clubs. He made the six-hour drive to Nashville 42 times before he was able to get someone to listen to his material and produce his first single cut. His popularity grew with tours, contracts, and a debut LP "Some Gave All" which contained "Achy Breaky Heart." The cut rocketed him to the top as a sensation with whirlwind touring and non-stop public appearances. "Sly Dog" remained as his backing band. In June 1998, Cyrus was voted five awards at the Music City News Country Awards including Best Male Vocalist of the year. His other awards included, best single, best album cover and best video. From 1986 to 1991, Cyrus was married to Cindy Smith. On 28 December 1993, he married Leticia "Tish" Cyrus, née Finley, (born 13 May 1967). Together they have three children: Miley Ray (born Destiny Hope in 1992), Braison Chance (born 1994), and Noah Lindsey (born 2000). He also has two adopted stepchildren from Finley's previous relationship: Brandi (born 1987); and Trace (born 1989), former singer/guitarist for Metro Station. He also has a son, Christopher Cody (born April 1992), from a previous relationship with Kristin Luckey, who raised him in South Carolina. Cyrus adopted Brandi and Trace when they were young children. In a 2004 interview on ABC News: Primetime, Cyrus stated that daughter Miley (conceived with Finley) and son Christopher (conceived with Luckey) were both born in 1992, at which time Cyrus was unmarried, and that his marriage to Finley the following year when she was pregnant with their son was secret and against his record company's advice. On 26 October 2010, Cyrus filed for divorce from his wife in Tennessee, citing irreconcilable differences. However, on 18 March 2011, Cyrus announced on The View that he had dropped the divorce. On 13 June 2013, Tish filed for divorce from Billy Ray after 19 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. However, it was reported in July 2013 that they had gone to couples therapy and rekindled their relationship. According to ex-band member Greg Fletcher, Cyrus is an extreme abuser of pot, cocaine, hashish or crystal meth, asking his band members to score a "hit" for him and set him up with a groupie before and after many performances. He expanded his repertoire to include acting with a sitcom, "Doc" in 2001. Link to Wikipedia biography