Editing Billy Ray Cyrus (section)

==Early life==
Billy Ray Cyrus was born on August 25, 1961, in [[Flatwoods, Kentucky]], to [[Ron Cyrus]], a steelworker who became a politician,<ref name="mileycyrusbio-2009">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QkPzCfr2Ei0C&pg=PA2|title=Miley Cyrus: A Biography|last=Dillon Summers|first=Kimberly|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|year=2009|isbn=978-0-313-37848-5|pages=2–4|access-date=November 28, 2015}}</ref> and his wife, the former Ruth Ann Casto.<ref name="BioEp">{{cite episode |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1163439 |title=Billy Ray Cyrus Biography |series=A&E Biography |series-link=Biography (TV series) |airdate=December 20, 2007 |access-date=November 28, 2015 |df=mdy-all}} Birth certificate shown shows name Billy Ray Cyrus</ref><ref name="ref094">{{cite news|title=THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO BILLY CYRUS|newspaper=Lexington Herald-Leader|date=February 14, 1993|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LH&s_site=kentucky&p_multi=LH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB73E67FAF104FC&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|access-date=April 15, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120413024059/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LH&s_site=kentucky&p_multi=LH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB73E67FAF104FC&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|archive-date=April 13, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Bio">{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.filmreference.com/film/12/Billy-Ray-Cyrus.html
 |title        = Billy Ray Cyrus Biography (1961–)
 |access-date   = July 22, 2008
|date         = July 22, 2008
|publisher    = filmreference.com
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080415110347/http://www.filmreference.com/film/12/Billy-Ray-Cyrus.html
 |archive-date = April 15, 2008
|url-status     = live
 |df           = mdy-all
}}</ref> Cyrus started singing at the age of four. His parents divorced in 1966. His grandfather was a [[Pentecostal]] [[preacher]]. Growing up he was surrounded by bluegrass and gospel music as his family are musicians. His right-handed father played guitar, however left-handed Cyrus tried to play his father's guitar, but could not. He attended [[Georgetown College (Kentucky)|Georgetown College]] on a baseball scholarship before changing to music. He dropped out of Georgetown during his junior year, realized he wanted to become a musician after attending a [[Neil Diamond]] concert, and set a 10-month goal to start a career.<ref name="mileycyrusbio-2009" /> In the 1980s, he played in a band called Sly Dog, before signing a record contract with [[Mercury Nashville]] Records.<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|last1=Roland|first1=Tom|last2=Erlewine|first2=Stephen Thomas|title=Billy Ray Cyrus > Biography|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p1571|pure_url=yes}}|website=allmusic|access-date=July 10, 2010}}</ref> Sly Dog was named after a one-eyed dog that Cyrus owned.<ref name="mileycyrusbio-2009" />