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BILLY RAY CYRUS - AN INTIMATE PORTRAIT
-- by Laurie K. Blandford

(COVER STORY) He does it all. Family man… actor… musician…

Yet, the most intriguing part of multi-platinum country singer Billy Ray Cyrus is that his monumental success in all parts of his life has only made him more eager to bare his soul to the world. Even with renowned celebrity status for well over a decade now, he wants the world to know that he is a real person with real music.

Billy Ray Cyrus has practically become a household name since the release of the hit single “Achy Breaky Heart” in 1992. Since then, he has released several country albums, as well as The Other Side, a gospel album, mixed with sounds of country and southern rock. Cyrus also starred in the award winning PAX TV series, “Doc.” He has appeared in several other TV shows and movies as well. Now, Cyrus is not only back into another TV series, but also starting to tour after the release of a new album. He will be performing at The Lyric Theatre in downtown Stuart on July 23 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. All seats are $45.

Cyrus’s latest endeavor, the new Disney series, “Hannah Montana,” stars his daughter, Miley. The show is a children’s comedy about a preteen pop star from Tennessee trying to keep her celebrity status a secret in her new home of Malibu. Cyrus plays her dad and manager.     (click on "read it" to view the entire cover story)

Click Here to Read An Intimate Portrait with Billy Ray Cyrus.

Billy: Hello!

Laurie: Hi Billy!

Billy: How’s it goin’?

Laurie: I’m great. How are you?

Billy: Good, good.

Laurie: Thank you so much for calling.

Billy: You’re welcome.

Laurie: I want to let you know that I’m recording our conversation this afternoon.

Billy: Fantastic.

Laurie: And I have to ask: is there anything that you would be uncomfortable talking about?

Billy: I’m comfortable talking about anything.

Laurie: Perfect, great, OK. First of all, again, thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview for The Local Buzz and especially for me. I have to start by asking about your latest involvement, which is the new Disney show, “Hannah Montana,” which stars your daughter, Miley. Can you tell me about it?

Billy: Oh, it’s so fun. I’m so proud of Miley. I’m proud of the show. We got a great team of folks from Disney that’s surrounding the show. Great writers. Looks like the show’s a dang hit. I felt like when I read the script, the initial script, over a year ago, I thought, man, this show’s—this is Miley. This is no doubt; this show was written for Miley. Low and behold we are now a year later with 20-some episodes under our belt and a lot of things have changed.

Laurie: Yeah, definitely. I also heard that she also got a new record deal.

Billy: Yeah, she signed with Hollywood Records and she’s really, really an incredible songwriter. You’ve heard the old saying ‘there must be an old soul in that kid.’ Well, she definitely got an old soul. The songs that she writes are just unbelievable. They—to come from somebody as young as she is, it’s incredible.

Laurie: And she’s only 13 years old.

Billy: Yeah.

Laurie: So how do you feel about her getting into the business?

Billy: You know, I would have— It would have been OK with me if she would just enjoyed her life as a kid and done whatever it was that made her happy, which even to this day, that’s my motto with Miley is ‘if you ain’t happy, it ain’t workin’’ you know? So, just be happy. She loves what she’s doing. She really does, but she works extremely hard at it. But she loves what she’s doing. She loves the show, and it’s all good.

Laurie: Well, have you offered her any advice?

Billy: I don’t offer advice, you know? If she comes and asks for it, I’d always be glad to give her my opinion. Usually it’s ‘take a look at what I’ve done, and don’t do that.’

Laurie: Haha, that’s good advice. Well, I also know that you moved out to California for the new show, is that correct?

Billy: Yes.

Laurie: How is living there different than your home in Kentucky and do you miss it?

Billy: Well, I live in Tennessee.

Laurie: Oh you moved there.

Billy: Yeah, south of Nashville. I live on a farm. I got a lot of farm pets there that I miss dearly. I miss nature, to me has always been great for me to go out and be in nature. I just love sitting under a good shade tree and feeling the wind blow, petting my dog and horses. I like to gather the eggs in the morning. You know, I like being on the farm so this is completely different for me, but I’m cool with it for a while. I swore when I finished doing “Doc”, my other television series, after 88 episodes, I retired, you know? And now the show’s in 47 different countries around the world, including still showing in the states and Canada. But, I vowed that I was not going to do another series and would never live in Canada ever again. Now, I’m doing another series and living in La Canada, which is spelled L-A Canada.

Laurie: Oh, that’s just really ironic.

Billy: It’s sick.

Laurie: Haha. Well, I know how it is about the country and nature. I’m the exact same way. Well, now you’re coming to The Lyric Theatre in Stuart in July. How do you like Florida?

Billy: Oh, I love it! What’s not to love? It’s all good. And most importantly I’m just anxious to see the fans and be with the people, be with my band, be who and what I am, you know, truly is a musician, a singer, a songwriter. That’s what I love doing and that’s who I really, really am—is a guy that loves making music, you know?

Laurie: Yeah. How do you think Florida compares to California and Tennessee?

Billy: Florida’s got its own thing going on, you know? That’s the neat thing about Florida: it’s its own place, its own different—you know. The fans rate up with the greatest fans in the world. It’s always great coming to Florida. The state itself is beautiful. I love being down close to the Suwannee, you know? Anytime I get to cross the Suwannee River and sing ‘way down upon the Suwannee River’—that’s something for an old boy from Kentucky. I love Florida, I really do.

Laurie: Well, that’s good. Can you tell me a little bit about your upcoming tour and what kind of music you’ll be playing?

Billy: Well, it’s interesting. The new album comes out right before we—I finish “Hannah Montana” I think on a Friday, and that very next day, we kick off the tour on a Saturday in Florida. So, I’m going to immediately kick into rock and roll gear and fly into Florida, get on my bus and spend the next 2 months out touring. The new album comes out—

Laurie: July 18^th.

Billy: That’s right, July 18^th. What day am I at your show?

Laurie: July 23^rd.

Billy: Oh, good, good. So the new album will be out…

Laurie: Oh, it will be perfect timing.

Billy: Yeah, perfect. With that new album will be out, which is an album I’m just so proud of. I’ve worked on this album for a couple years. I just love the music that’s on it. It’s—I’m very passionate about it. I wrote all the songs that’s on the album, including the title track and the first single is a song called “I Wanna Be Your Joe.” It’s an album that—it’s my life. I mean, that’s all you can say is every now and then an artist makes a record that is exactly and parallels their life and the last few years, and that’s what this album is to me.

Laurie: Well, what’s going to be the sound of the album—is it country?

Billy: It’s got a lot of sounds. I’ll be honest. This album is—it’s got everything on it. There’s no sense in me really even trying to describe what it is because it’s a lot of things. I do think it has a lot to offer to a lot of different people. For the folks down in Florida, I know a lot of folks down there still love Lynyrd Skynyrd. They still love Ronnie Van Zant. There’s a song that I’ve written on the album that’s a tribute to Ronnie Van Zant, called “The Day the Free Bird Fell.” My co-writer is a Floridian himself, Artimus Pyle, who was the drummer that was in the plane crash with the Skynyrd band. He crawled for help to a farmer’s house. And also Ed King, who wrote “Sweet Home Alabama. That’s my two co-writers.

Laurie: That’s gotta be good stuff then.

Billy: Oh, well, it’s very authentic southern rock for that particular song. It’s very authentic southern rock. It’s a true dedication from a fan of Ronnie Van Zant, I mean that’s what it’s about. That’s what it was like for me the day the Free Bird fell. There’s another tribute on the album for another man that I love, I still love, is Dale Earnhardt. I wrote a song years ago at the Bristol racetrack, a song called “The Man.” “The Man” is a song that Teresa Earnhart, Dale’s widow, called the definitive tribute to her late husband. I know a lot of the fans out there in the NASCAR world, like myself, still miss Dale Earnhardt.

Laurie: Oh yeah, that’ll never go away.

Billy: Yeah, that’s what the song’s about. It’s called “The Man.” And it’s not all heavy stuff like that. There’s a song on the album called “I Want My Mullet Back.”

Laurie: That’s what I was gonna ask you about. Tell me about that song.

Billy: I tell you man, it feels like a hit waiting to happen. We started to come with it as the first single, you know, and we decided to just put it in the second slot and open up with “Joe”, just ‘cause “Joe” is such a—the credibility of “Joe”, I think, may be the best first step for this album. I signed with Universal who has a label called New Door out of Los Angeles, so this record and all the people around me are coming from the west coast, which—I love their thinking, I love the ideas they’re coming up with.

Laurie: Yeah, definitely different.

Billy: And it also allowed me to make this record and be the person—make it real, not go down to music row and try and look and sound like everybody else. This is who I am and why I am. I hope people like it, but regardless, it’s the real deal. This is the music I’ve been living and who I am.

Laurie: Oh yeah, as long as it’s genuine, I guarantee…

Billy: Yeah. “Mullet's a fun rocker, man. It’s bar room trash. It’s the best.

Laurie: And I think everyone loves a good bar room trash song.

Billy: Man, that’s just what it is; it’s just bar room trash. It’s the best.

Laurie: Well, when are we going to hear the first release? When are we going to start hearing this on radio?

Billy: It should come out in June; we’re making a video here in a couple weeks. The single comes out in June and the album follows in July.

Laurie: That’s great. I can’t wait; I really can’t wait.

Billy: Thank you.

Laurie: Well, I want to go back a little bit. Back in the day, who were you greatest musical influences, at home and on the radio 

Billy: Well, my greatest influence—probably my dad. My dad had a gospel quartet called “The Crownsmen Quartet” and I was raised around a lot of southern gospel music. Being from Flatwoods, Kentucky, there was a lot of influences again, due to my dad. In his car, we listened to a lot of Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson’s early albums, and evolved into Lynard Skynard, Marshall Tucker, Allman Brothers, Charlie Daniels, ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, David Gates and Bread. There’s really—I mean I always listened to a lot of different styles of music and love a lot of styles and that’s still what I do now.

Laurie: Yeah. And I also heard your dad passed away recently, is that correct?

Billy: Yes, he did.

Laurie: I just want to say I’m really sorry about your loss. I know that must be hard.

Billy: Well, thank you so much for saying that.

Laurie: You’re welcome.

Billy: As this phone call came in to do this interview, I was writing a little statement dedicating this album to my dad. So, it’s still—he’s with me every day, every second. I think he will always live inside of me and my family. The great spirit and the great love he shared with us on this earth is unbelievable.

Laurie: Yeah, I just wanted to say I’m sorry about that.

Billy: Well, thank you. I appreciate that.

Laurie: Well, I was going to ask you: who do you listen to these days? Any new artists?

Billy: I tell you the truth: I think the stuff that Miley’s writing is pretty dang incredible. I’m a big fan of hers. I listen to so many styles of music. I’ve been listening to Etta James greatest hits

Laurie: Oh, “At Last”: that’s one of my all-time favorites.

Billy: Oh my gosh, I love that song! There’s just a lot of people I listen to. I really do.

Laurie: Well, what made you want to venture out of music and into acting with “Doc” and now “Hannah Montana”?

Billy: Well, I have to attribute that to my dad again. My dad always said ‘don’t put all your eggs in one basket.’ Based on his advice, I took the job in David Lynch’s “Mulholland Dr.” and one thing led to another, and then I got the part for “Doc” and that became a series and 4 years later, I was an actor. That’s what I did. Day in and day out, I was doing “Doc”. I was doing acting more than I was doing music. So, I retired from that like I said earlier. I said I wasn’t ever going to do another series. I was going to do a world tour and put this album out, but I didn’t know that God had in store a little thing called “Hannah Montana” and the chance to work with Miley and be a part of my family’s life for a change. I said, ‘hey let’s do it’ and here we are. It’s ironic though. It’s like it’s all meant to be. Now, this album’s going to come out this summer and I’m still going to go out and tour. I mean, I don’t know how long I’m going to do “Hannah Montana”. I’m sure they ain’t going to need me for much longer. Miley’s up on this thing all by herself.

Laurie: She’ll be breaking out…

Billy: Yeah, she’s got it down. She doesn’t need the old man hanging around.

Laurie: She’s absolutely beautiful. I saw her on the awards show last night. Oh my gosh, she does not look 13 years old.

Billy: Oh my gosh, thank you, thank you. I thought she looked real beautiful last night too. And her joke went over huge. She killed that joke.

Laurie: She was so funny.

Billy: Did you laugh?

Laurie: Oh, I was laughing, of course.

Billy: Good, good, good. And really what I did on that award show last night was what I do just about everyday on this show. I let the kids carry the jokes. I let the real actors do their thing, and I just pretty much keep everything straight and real. That’s my job is make everything real. That’s what David Lynch said to me was ‘man, be yourself and keep it real and you can be an actor.’ And that’s pretty much what I do to this day is just try to make things real. And that’s what I do in music: try and make it real. That’s just who I am. I’m just a real person; I try to make real music and try to make the acting real

Laurie: That’s how you definitely speak to your fans is that you’re very honest. Well, with Hannah Montana, you get to spend a lot more time with your daughter and it makes you seem very family-oriented. So, I want to ask: what does family mean to do?

Billy: Oh, everything. My family is my rock, my foundation. The good news is for me in both facets of my career—I got a job, you know? I don’t have to do either one. I do everything that I do now because I love doing it. I love acting. I love singing. I love being with my family. Luckily, I’ve gotten myself in a position where I can do all three and enjoy it. That’s one of main things again—and they’re knocking on my door telling me I gotta wrap it up and get back out on the set, go to wardrobe and some things. But I’ll leave you with this: one of the things I’m enjoying the most right now is trying to savor this moment, and at the same I’m going to do the same thing while I’m on tour. All my tours have always been whirlwind tours and this time I’m just going to try and smell the roses a little bit and have some fun.

Laurie: That’s awesome. Billy, I just want to thank you again so much for taking the time to do this. I can tell you now that I’m such a huge fan of your music. You’ve always been one of my favorite singers, so this was such an amazing opportunity to talk to you.

Billy: My gosh, thank you. Are you coming to the show?

Laurie: I don’t even want to talk about it because I was so excited about coming and then I just found out today that I’ll be at my family reunion in Ohio. I’m thinking about ditching out on my family and going to the concert.

Billy: Well, how long are you in Ohio for?

Laurie: Just that one week.

Billy: You’re kidding because I’m coming up—I’m playing the House of Blues in Cleveland if that’s anywhere close.

Laurie: That’s where I’m going—Cleveland.

Billy: Look on my schedule…

Laurie: Yeah, I’ll look it up.

Billy: Maybe instead of seeing me in Florida, come see the House of Blues show.

Laurie: That would be amazing if I could do that.

Billy: But if you can’t, then you may have to stiff the family and come to the show in Florida.

Laurie: I know…

Billy: Find somewhere that you can come to and make sure that Megan or my publicist folks—make sure that they set up a meet and greet for you. Come back and say hi, I want to meet you.

Laurie: That would be awesome. I would love to meet you. Thank you so much!

Billy: Somewhere on the tour this summer, you come by and say hi—hopefully Florida or Cleveland.

Laurie: I will do that.

Billy: I think that House of Blues in Cleveland—I’ve got a feeling that’s going to be a party.

Laurie: Oh, well any House of Blues—that’s always an intimate, great concert. I love House of Blues.

Billy: Yeah, I’m anxious about that. I’m anxious about all of them. I’m anxious about every show we got on the books.

Laurie: Yeah. Well, thank you so much for your time today. Good luck with your tour, and I hope you enjoy Stuart.

Billy: OK darlin’, God bless you/ 

Laurie: Thank you.

Billy: Bye.

Laurie: Bye.

Click Here to Read An Intimate Portrait with Billy Ray Cyrus.

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