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Billy Ray Cyrus to Release Hillbilly Heart Memoir - 2012-02-03

By Leslie Armstrong on | From nashvillecountryclub.com

Amazon Publishing’s New York office announced today that it has plans to publish “Hillbilly Heart,” a memoir by Billy Ray Cyrus, in hardcover and ebook in Spring 2013. For the first time ever, Cyrus opens up about his rebellious early years, the life-changing success of his first album, and the toll that fame has taken on his personal life and family. With great candor, Cyrus talks about the challenges of parenting his superstar daughter Miley Cyrus, and the role faith has played in his life. Dan Strone, CEO of Trident Media Group, represented the world English deal in association with John Ferriter, Lo Bosworth, and Stuart Dill of Octagon Entertainment.

Cyrus says: “I learned early from The Book of Psalms that: ‘The Truth will be your shield and your buckle’. I’ve always loved that. You only get one chance to tell your life story. This is my chance to set the record straight. I realized that over the years that there have been untruths and misconceptions about me, my music, my life, my family and our dreams. I’m going to lay out the facts starting from August 25th, 1961 and work my way to the present, even if it stings a little.”

In “Hillbilly Heart,” Billy Ray Cyrus describes how at the age of 5 he had begun taking the stage with his father’s gospel quartet, The Crownsmen. By age 20, despite a promising baseball career, an inner voice told him if he bought a guitar and started a band, his purpose in life would be found through the music. He listened. After a decade of rejection and being told he was "too country" for LA, and "too rock" for Nashville, Cyrus exploded onto the music scene with his first album, Some Gave All, which debuted—along with his breakout single “Achy Breaky Heart”—at #1 on the music charts and inspired a worldwide line dancing phenomenon. Some Gave All topped the charts for 17 consecutive weeks at the #1 spot on The Billboard Top 200 List.

“Against all odds, Billy Ray Cyrus went from being a small town bad boy to an American Icon. ‘Hillbilly Heart’ is a story of faith, family, and the power of music,” said Julia Cheiffetz, Editorial Director, Amazon Publishing, New York.

Cyrus also describes how his breakout role in David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive led him to his first series, the critically acclaimed “DOC”. From there, he and his daughter Miley joined the Disney Channel, where Hannah Montana began an entirely new chapter of his life. He underwent the pressure of acting as the Best Father in America on the show, when the reality was much more complicated.