Billy Ray

2014 collection from the Country singer and actor. Billy Ray Cyrus was Country Music's first bona fide hunk-a-billy, gradually shedding himself of the one-hit wonder tag to emerge as one of Nashville's truly original Country talents. Along the way, he has steadfastly refused to be restrained by the Music Row rulebook, recording music very much on his own terms. This has led to be him being shunned by Country radio as he has delivered albums that stand out from the pack. There's a full-circle sense of satisfaction and exuberance in seeing and hearing how Billy Ray Cyrus cemented his standing as one of the modern era's most important, most innovative Country artists. This collection documents that journey encompassing hit singles and important album tracks alike to paint a compelling musical portrait of Billy Ray Cyrus.

Garth Brooks was far and away the biggest country music star of the 1990s, but Billy Ray Cyrus was the artist who best exemplified how Nashville's take on the music business had changed in that decade. Brooks was the first country act who was introduced to the world with the same degree of marketing savvy and commercial calculation as a major pop star, and with results nearly any pop star would envy. Cyrus' first album debuted on the Billboard album charts at number one, and would stay there for 17 weeks in 1992, supported by a music video that sparked a new dance craze and a wave of publicity that made him one of the most talked-about people in America, and one of country music's first real-deal sex symbols. To many, Cyrus became a symbol of Nashville's new commercial acumen, while others saw him as evidence of how far country music had strayed from its roots. Caught somewhere in between was Cyrus himself, a performer who found he had to prove himself as an artist after he had become one of the greatest popular success of all time.

The SnakeDoctor Circus, a concept record, features Cyrus’ longtime collaborator and songwriting mentor, Don Von Tress. It’s a full circle moment for Cyrus because Von Tress wrote the multi-platinum smash “Achy Breaky Heart” on Cyrus’ record-breaking debut album Some Gave All. Cyrus penned “Some Gave All” about a Vietnam veteran in 1989 only to meet Von Tress, whom is also a Vietnam veteran, a few years later. The collaboration between the two songwriting titans more than 25 years ago continues with new music on The SnakeDoctor Circus.