Billy Ray Cyrus became a household name in 1991 with one of the best songs ever, “Acy Breaky Heart.” People point to a lot of stars contributing to country becoming so mainstream and so “cool,” but I think BRC is the one who popped the cork.
He led the way for Keith Urban, Shania Twain, Jason Aldean, and so on. They’re stars in their own right, of course, but I Billy Ray Cyrus showed everyone that country music didn’t have to be riddled with pain and drinking. When he came dancing on the scene with cut out sleeves, rocking a mullet to end all mullets, he proved that country music can be just as fun and spirited as any other music.
I don’t think he gets nearly enough credit for what he did for country music. Personally, it was Billy Ray Cyrus that drew me to country music. I always thought it was kind of depressing. You’d turn the radio from a channel where Madonna, Michael Jackson, John Cougar, Prince, and Janet Jackson were partying and find a country channel. Instead of enjoying life, they seemed (a lot of the time) to grieve over even being alive!
Billy Ray Cyrus brought life and fun to country music with his fantastic song, Achy Breaky Heart. As the song approaches its 20th anniversary, apparently there are a few current country stars who want to re-do the song. Billy Ray told CNN, “there are some major stars who want to re-do that song.”
He hasn’t officially agreed to let anyone else record it yet, but he says, “I’m flirting with the idea. There’s one cat in particular that if I told you who it was, it would blow your mind. But I’ve got to keep it under my hat right now.”
Dying to know who the Cat in the Hat is – or under the hat, as it were. Wouldn’t it be something if the cat was really a kitten… as in Miley Cyrus?!
