He's an award-winning musician whose "Achy Breaky Heart" shot to the top of the charts. He's also the devoted father to one of Hollywood's most successful and notoriously wild young stars. But before that, as he reveals in Hillbilly Heart, Billy Ray Cyrus was an ugly duckling yearning for purpose. Billy Ray Cyrus's story starts amid a turbulent childhood in Kentucky, where he discovered Gospel and bluegrass music in the Pentecostal church. He vigorously pursued a career in baseball, but an inner voice told him to retire his mitt and pick up a guitar. And then ten years later came his stratospheric breakthrough. With "Achy Breaky Heart," Cyrus sold millions of records, toured the world, and helped turn country music into an international sensation. Years later, Cyrus watched as his daughter Miley followed in his footsteps through her hit Disney show Hannah Montana. Along with the explosive success of the show came major trials and tribulations, and Cyrus entered into what he calls "the most challenging period of my life." Only through his music and faith was Cyrus able to put his family and life back together again. Deeply personal and anecdotal, Hillbilly Heart shines a surprising light on one of country music's most enduring icons.
