Home at Last— The Importance of Staying Real and the Secret to Writing a Hit Song
Billy Ray Cyrus dishes about his famous daughter, Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus
By Karen Kassel Hutto
Got a “tween”-ager? Or a pulse? Then it’s almost a sure bet you’ve heard about pop teen queen, Miley Cyrus, and her alter ego, Hannah Montana. But just in case you haven’t… The vivacious Cyrus—all of 15—stars and sings in her own #1-rated Disney Channel TV show, Hannah Montana. She just wrapped up a 70-city concert tour called “Hannah Montana-Miley Cyrus: The Best of Both Worlds” in January, playing to sell-out crowds and rave reviews. Her new movie by the same title—a 3-D version of the concert—opened in limited release (683 theatres) and quickly set a Super Bowl weekend premiere record, raking in $31 million at the box office and prompting a longer run through Valentine’s Day.
Make no mistake about it—the girl can rock. Miley Cyrus, daughter of country music star Billy Ray Cyrus, brings powerhouse vocals and charismatic stage presence to every performance, belting out self-composed songs about following your dreams, being yourself and having fun. Her thoroughly G-rated shows attract mostly grade school and tween-age girls—and their parents. One father, who managed to secure movie tickets for his euphoric daughter, notes, “There was nothing about Hannah or Miley’s performance that made me uncomfortable. She’s likeable and wholesome and really seems to enjoy what she does. You can’t beat that; even if the screaming did get a little loud!”
And while the talented Miley may be one hot commodity in the entertainment industry, she remains determinedly well-grounded, thanks to her faith in God and the support of her close-knit family—and especially her famous father.
The Long Dream
Miley—a childhood nickname she earned by being a “smiley” baby—came along in 1992, the same year Billy Ray shot to the top of the country music charts with his monster hit, “Achy Breaky Heart.” The album, Some Gave All, sold nine million copies and topped the pop charts for a record-smashing 17 weeks, making Billy Ray Cyrus a household name.
While being in the limelight offers its advantages, the soulful singer also calls it “a double-edged sword.” For several years, Billy Ray chose to settle down with his wife, Tish, and their five children—son, Trace; daughter, Brandi; daughter, Miley; son Braison; and daughter Noah—on their 500-acre farm near Nashville.
In between cutting records, Billy Ray spent a lot of time with the family, riding horses and ATVs, working on the farm, singing and attending church every Sunday. “Those were great family years,” Billy Ray says and smiles. “Faith in God has always been a big part of my life, and Tish and I try hard to make sure the kids have that solid foundation in their lives.”
To understand Miley’s drive and dreams, it helps to take a quick glance back at Billy Ray’s life. The Flatlands, Kentucky native, now 46, grew up singing gospel with his father, Ronald Ray Cyrus. The elder Cyrus—a well-known state politician—performed as a member of the Crownsmen Quartet, traveling all over Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. He even appeared occasionally on Happy Goodmans Jubilee, a Sunday morning gospel TV show.
“I started singing as soon as I could talk,” Billy Ray says. “There’s footage of me singing with my dad on stage when I was three or four. Combining music with spirituality has always been an important part of who I am and what I believe.”
Then life took a darker turn, as it often does. At age 12, Billy Ray lost his grandfather, a Pentecostal preacher and his beloved mentor. Soon after that, his parents divorced. “I became very angry during that time,” he shares. “Reflecting on some of my actions, ‘rebellious juvenile delinquent’ might be putting it mildly. But before that, during and after, I still believed in God. I still believed that Jesus was my Lord and Savior. I never changed from my belief that there was an Almighty God above, and He had a Son named Jesus Christ, who lived and died so that sinners like me could be saved.”
And Billy Ray never quit singing. At 17, he calmed down, got baptized and attended Georgetown College, a small liberal arts college in Georgetown, Kentucky, on a baseball scholarship. Continuing to sing, play guitar and write songs, the handsome young crooner finally decided to pursue his recording dream full time. Moving to Los Angeles, he worked relentlessly, signing with Mercury Nashville Records in 1990. Two years later, his first album and the catchy “Achy Breaky Heart” made him a star.
“Sometimes when people interview me, they call me an ‘instant success,’” comments Billy Ray, referring to Some Gave All. “That record came out when I was 30! I’ve been singing since I was three. That’s a lot of years of persistence, dedication and faith applied to a dream. I used to ignore those comments, but I don’t anymore. I’ve worked hard to get where I am. There was nothing ‘instant’ about it.”
Over the next six years, Billy Ray pumped out four more albums: Storm in the Heartland (1994), Trail of Tears (1996), Shot Full of Love (1998) and Southern Rain (2000). By most people’s standards, he’d more than fulfilled his dream of making it big. As it turns out, the dreams were just beginning.
Keep It Real
In 2001, Billy Ray switched to acting, landing the starring role in Doc, a comedy-drama about a Montana doctor who relocates to New York City. The show ran for four years, shooting in Toronto. Young Miley often hung out on the set—and caught the acting bug.
“I tried to discourage her, but that didn’t work,” Billy Ray says and chuckles. Instead, he signed her up for acting lessons. Miley earned a guest role on Doc and also snagged a small part in the 2003 Tim Burton film, Big Fish.
In 2005, her big break arrived. Disney Channel announced auditions for a new L.A.-based show called Hannah Montana—a show about a young teen who is an ordinary brown-haired school girl by day and a blonde-wigged international pop star by night. Knowing she had the pipes and the acting chops to play the dual role, twelve-year-old Miley begged to try out. Billy Ray obliged.
Initially, Disney producers thought Miley was too young for the part. Eventually, of course, they changed their minds. Then, needing someone to play the part of Miley/Hannah’s father on the show, the producers turned to her real-life daddy. The rest, as they say, is history.
“I said I’d never do another television series after Doc,” Billy Ray says and laughs. “I guess God had other plans for us.”
Part of those plans included relocating the entire family to Los Angeles—not an easy move. Billy Ray relates, “I stayed behind on the farm to wrap up some details. I thought I was ready, but when I watched them pull out with the U-Haul, I realized I was at a crossroads as a parent—that moment of letting go.”
Billy Ray walked into his house, picked up his guitar—an old friend—and started singing: “She’s gotta do what she’s gotta do, and I’ve gotta like it or not. She’s got dreams too big for this town, and she needs to give them a shot, wherever they are. She’s waiting on my blessings, before she hits that open road. Baby, get ready, get set, don’t go.”
It clicked. “I knew at that moment the song was something special,” says Billy Ray. “I called the best songwriter I knew. Within 10 minutes, Casey Beathard was at my door. Within 25 minutes we’d finished the song and cut the demo.”
When Disney heard “Ready, Set, Don’t Go” they immediately wrote a Hannah Montana episode around the song. “It was obvious the song was art imitating life, imitating art. It was very real,” says Billy Ray.
The reality shines through, too. The song, which Billy Ray recorded as a duet with Miley, is #5 on the country music charts and climbing fast. It is helping his latest album, Home at Last, reach blockbuster status as well.
“When I write a song, I don’t sit down and say, ‘okay, I’m going to write a song today at 10 o’clock.’ My songs come to me when I’m dealing with moments of inspiration, or desperation, or both. There used to be this wonderful realism in country music, when artists lived and sang what they lived. This song is a moment of realism that has unfolded before audiences around the world. I wrote the song because it happened in my life. That is the definition of music—it’s real. And being real is what I’ve always tried to do as an artist and a human being.”
Now, with Miley reaching blockbuster status all on her own, Billy Ray finds himself in the inimitable position of helping his indomitable daughter handle the white lights of fame and fortune.
“I live the words to that song every day,” he shares. “I know the spot she’s in, because I’ve been there. It’s a big cross to bear. Pressure comes from all sides. It’s hard enough to deal with when you are 30. It’s happening to her at 15.”
But even as they watch, Billy Ray and mom, Tish, stick close to Miley. Billy Ray works with her every day on the Hannah Montana set. Tish doubles as her manager, traveling to every city and taking along big sister, Brandi, who plays guitar in Miley’s band. Both parents work hard to help keep her life as “normal” as possible and to avoid the tragedies of so many well-known child stars.
Their work seems to be paying off. On the Oprah show last November, Oprah asked Miley to share her favorite Bible verse. Without hesitation, Miley declared, “Ephesians 6:10-11, ‘Finally, my brother, come close to the Lord, for if you put on the full armor of God you can stand against the wiles of the devil.’”
For Daddy, that moment stands as a parenting high point. “I named the child Destiny Hope before she was born because I felt it was her destiny to bring hope to the world,” he says. “There is no bigger hope than Jesus Christ. For Miley to be able to show the kids that it’s cool to believe—that’s powerful stuff. I was really proud of her for that, maybe the proudest I’ve ever been, even with all the things she’s accomplished.”
Keep It Fun
So what’s next for the Cyrus superstars? For Miley, a few precious weeks of rest before she and Billy Ray start shooting the Hannah Montana feature film in April.
“I told Miley to go home and lay it down,” says Billy Ray in daddy mode. “She’s been working really, really hard for the last two-and-a-half years. Now, I hope she’ll take a month-and-a-half to just be a kid. I want her to ride her bike. I want her to swim in the pool. I want her to play with her dog. She needs to catch up on lost time.”
As for Billy Ray, he’s busy filming Bait Shop, a made-for-DVD movie with Bill Engvall. “Bill wrote the script, and it is funny, funny, funny,” Billy Ray says. “I play the bad guy, Hot Rod Johnson. It’s my ultimate challenge as an actor, and boy, is it fun.”
And “keeping it fun” is what the musical actor recommends—both for his career and Miley’s. “My dad always said ‘if you love what you do for a living, you’ll never work another day in your life.’ Truer words were never spoken. Miley and I have a motto, on and off the set: ‘If you ain’t havin’ fun, it ain’t worth it.’
“As long as she’s having fun and doing what she loves, then we are doing the right thing,” he concludes. “The moment she’s tired of it, I say we head back home to Tennessee and ride horses!”
To keep up with the Cyrus superstars, please visit www.mileycyrus.com and www.billyraycyrus.com.
