Yes, in part. He co-wrote several tracks across his catalog, including 'Wher'm I Gonna Live?' and the title track 'Some Gave All' on his 1992 debut, and wrote or co-wrote nearly every song on later albums like Trail of Tears and Change My Mind. His signature hit 'Achy Breaky Heart,' however, was written entirely by Don Von Tress.
By the Numbers
16
Studio Albums
194
Tracks Credited
47%
Self-Written
over 20 million
Records Sold
34
Years Active
209
Collaborators
Authorship Breakdown 92 / 194 self-written
Who wrote the songs?
Across all 194 tracks: how many Billy Ray Cyrus wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.
Billy Ray Cyrus has a writing credit47%
17%
30%
53%
Sole author33tracks17%
Co-written59tracks30%
Outside writers102tracks53%
Role Fingerprint how they contribute
Billy Ray Cyrus's roles across the catalogue
Share of all 194 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.
Lyricist (words)47%
Composer (music)47%
Producer31%
Performer100%
Authorship Over Time writing credit per album
Billy Ray Cyrus's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.
avg 47%
60%
45%
50%
64%
0%
18%
47%
9%
94%
29%
17%
25%
100%
27%
69%
100%
1992Some Gave All
1993It Won't Be the Last
1994Storm in the Heartland
1996Trail of Tears
1998Shot Full of Love
2000Southern Rain
2003Time Flies
2003The Other Side
2006Wanna Be Your Joe
2007Home at Last
2009Back to Tennessee
2011I'm American
2012Change My Mind
2016Thin Line
2017Set the Record Straight
2019The SnakeDoctor Circus
Early · 40% written
Mid · 41% written
Late · 68% written
Authorship by Decade track-weighted
44%
1990s
Some Gave All, It Won't Be the Last +3 more
39%
2000s
Southern Rain, Time Flies +4 more
62%
2010s
I'm American, Change My Mind +3 more
Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author
Where Billy Ray Cyrus sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.
Billy Ray Cyrus
Other artists on the site
Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.
Written by Billy Ray Cyrus, Buddy Cannon, Terry Shelton
Co-wrote
In the Heart of a Woman
It Won't Be the Last
Written by Keith Hinton, Brett Cartwright
Outside writers
Somebody New
It Won't Be the Last
Written by Alex Harvey, Mike Curtis
Outside writers
Words by Heart
It Won't Be the Last
Written by Reed Nielsen, Monty Powell
Outside writers
Storm in the Heartland
Storm in the Heartland
Written by Billy Henderson, Donald Burns, Curt Ryle
Outside writers
Deja Blue
Storm in the Heartland
Written by Craig Wiseman, Donny Lowery
Outside writers
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Written by Billy Ray Cyrus
Wrote it
Three Little Words
Trail of Tears
Written by Wayne Perkins, Jim Collins
Outside writers
Busy Man
Shot Full of Love
Written by Bob Regan, George Teren
Outside writers
Give My Heart to You
Shot Full of Love
Written by Walt Aldridge, Bob DiPiero
Outside writers
You Won't Be Lonely Now
Southern Rain
Written by Brett James, John Bettis
Outside writers
We the People
Southern Rain
Written by Monty Powell, Jimmie Lee Sloas, Anna Wilson
Outside writers
Burn Down the Trailer Park
Southern Rain
Written by Paul Thorn, Billy Maddox, Pat McDonald
Outside writers
Crazy 'Bout You Baby
Southern Rain
Written by Jeffrey Steele, Ed Berghoff
Outside writers
Southern Rain
Southern Rain
Written by Billy Ray Cyrus, Michael Joe Sagraves, Don Von Tress
Co-wrote
Back to Memphis
Time Flies
Written by Rusty Tabor, T.W. Hale
Outside writers
Face of God
The Other Side
Written by Bob DiPiero, Tom Shapiro, Rivers Rutherford
Outside writers
Ready, Set, Don't Go
Home at Last
Written by Billy Ray Cyrus, Casey Beathard
Co-wrote
Somebody Said a Prayer
Back to Tennessee
Written by Neil Thrasher, Craig Wiseman
Outside writers
Back to Tennessee
Back to Tennessee
Written by Billy Ray Cyrus, Tamara Dunn, Matthew Wilder
Co-wrote
A Good Day
Back to Tennessee
Written by Danny Orton, Jennifer Schott
Outside writers
Butterfly Fly Away
Back to Tennessee
Written by Glen Ballard, Alan Silvestri
Outside writers
Nineteen
I'm American
Written by Tom Hambridge, Jeffrey Steele, Gary Nicholson
Outside writers
None of the signature songs above fall in this category.
Discography 16 albums
Covers all 16 Billy Ray Cyrus studio albums, from his 1992 debut Some Gave All through The SnakeDoctor Circus (2019). His two most recent albums, Thin Line (2016) and The SnakeDoctor Circus (2019), are marked unverified because published sources do not break their per-track producer or songwriter credits down individually, though the album-level authorship is documented.
Bubble size = tracks worked on together. Showing the 150 most frequent of 209. JS Joe Scaife · JC Jim Cotton · DV Don Von Tress · TS Terry Shelton · BF Brandon Friesen · JT Jeff Tweel
The Authorship Story
Data Insight
Billy Ray Cyrus is one of the more genuinely self-written country artists on the site, though the picture shifts album to album. He co-wrote half of his 1992 debut Some Gave All and wrote or co-wrote nearly every track on Trail of Tears (1996), Time Flies (2003), and Change My Mind (2012), his most self-authored records. His signature hit is the counterexample: 'Achy Breaky Heart' was written by Don Von Tress, who then became one of Cyrus's most frequent co-writing partners. Other albums, like the radio-focused Shot Full of Love (1998) and the Disney-era Home at Last and Back to Tennessee, lean almost entirely on outside Nashville songwriting teams, with Cyrus as the voice. His biggest late-career moment, the 'Old Town Road' remix, is a Lil Nas X song he guests on rather than one he wrote.
Quick Facts
'Achy Breaky Heart' milestoneIt was the first country single certified Platinum since Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton's 'Islands in the Stream' in 1983.
Some Gave All chart runThe album spent 17 consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard 200, the longest run by a debut artist in the SoundScan era.
Line-dancing crazeThe 'Achy Breaky Heart' video helped spark the early-1990s line-dancing boom.
'Old Town Road' recordHis remix with Lil Nas X spent 19 weeks at number one on the Hot 100, the longest run in the chart's history.
Hannah MontanaHe played Robby Ray Stewart opposite his daughter on the Disney Channel series from 2006 to 2011.
Father of Miley CyrusHe is the father of pop singer Miley Cyrus, born in 1992.
Creative Fingerprint
A country singer who co-wrote a meaningful share of his own material, especially on his early Mercury albums and his more self-directed later records, though his signature hit 'Achy Breaky Heart' was written by Don Von Tress.
The Story
Billy Ray Cyrus is an American country singer who broke through in 1992 with the line-dance smash 'Achy Breaky Heart' and its diamond-selling debut album Some Gave All. Unlike many of his Nashville peers, he has always been a working songwriter as well as a performer, co-writing a large share of his own material across sixteen studio albums. His signature hit was the exception rather than the rule: 'Achy Breaky Heart' was written by Don Von Tress, while Cyrus co-wrote or wrote half of the debut and nearly all of later, self-directed records like Trail of Tears and Change My Mind. His career runs from that early-1990s country stardom through his Hannah Montana years alongside his daughter Miley to a late-career reinvention on the record-breaking 'Old Town Road' remix with Lil Nas X. His catalog tells a country story of a star who wrote a meaningful part of his own book.
Awards & Recognition
Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (2020, 'Old Town Road' remix with Lil Nas X)
Grammy Award for Best Music Video (2020, 'Old Town Road' remix with Lil Nas X)
Frequently Asked Questions Billy Ray Cyrus
Did Billy Ray Cyrus write his own songs?
Yes, in part. He co-wrote several tracks across his catalog, including 'Wher'm I Gonna Live?' and the title track 'Some Gave All' on his 1992 debut, and wrote or co-wrote nearly every song on later albums like Trail of Tears and Change My Mind. His signature hit 'Achy Breaky Heart,' however, was written entirely by Don Von Tress.
Who wrote 'Achy Breaky Heart'?
Don Von Tress wrote 'Achy Breaky Heart' in 1990. Billy Ray Cyrus recorded it for his 1992 debut Some Gave All, where it became his breakout hit. Cyrus did not write the song himself, though Von Tress went on to co-write many songs with him.
Did Billy Ray Cyrus write 'Old Town Road'?
No. 'Old Town Road' was written and originally released by Lil Nas X. Billy Ray Cyrus appeared on the official remix and is credited as a featured artist, not as a writer of the original song.
How many albums did Billy Ray Cyrus release?
He released 16 studio albums between 1992 and 2019, starting with Some Gave All. Over that span he also charted dozens of singles on Billboard's country charts.
Is Billy Ray Cyrus related to Miley Cyrus?
Yes. Billy Ray Cyrus is the father of pop singer Miley Cyrus, who was born in 1992. The two also acted together on the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana and duet on 'Ready, Set, Don't Go.'
What is Billy Ray Cyrus best known for?
He is best known for 'Achy Breaky Heart,' the lead single from his 1992 debut Some Gave All. Decades later he reached a new audience through the 'Old Town Road' remix with Lil Nas X.
How successful was his debut album Some Gave All?
Some Gave All is RIAA 9x multi-platinum and sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. It spent 17 consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 and remains one of the best-selling debut albums ever.
Did Billy Ray Cyrus win any Grammy Awards?
Yes. He won two Grammy Awards in 2020 for the 'Old Town Road' remix with Lil Nas X: Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Music Video. These came nearly three decades after his 1992 debut.
Which of his albums did he write the most of himself?
His most self-written albums are Trail of Tears (1996), where he wrote all but one track, and Change My Mind (2012), where his name appears on all ten songs. Time Flies (2003) also carries his writing credit on about half its tracks.
Did Billy Ray Cyrus act as well as sing?
Yes. He starred as Robby Ray Stewart on Disney Channel's Hannah Montana from 2006 to 2011 alongside his daughter Miley, and appeared in other film and television roles. Music, however, remained his primary career.
Billy Ray Cyrus