Cyrus went on to form the band Sly Dog in the early 1980s, and later found success as a solo artist, signing a recording contract with Mercury Records in 1990. His first album, Some Gave All (1992), hit the top of the pop and country charts, driven in part of the success of the single “Achy Breaky Heart.” The up-tempo song about heartbreak became a huge sensation, inspiring its own dance. His follow-up album It Won’t Be the Last (1993) also had strong sales, but no big crossover hits like his first recording.
Subsequent albums fared well on the country charts, reaching the top 20 with Storm in the Heartland (1994), Trail of Tears (1996), and Southern Rain (2000). But Cyrus was unable to shake the expectations that came with “Achy Breaky Heart” as he struggled to prove himself to be more than a one-hit wonder. In 1999, he began acting, making a guest appearance on The Love Boat and later landing a small part on David Lynch’s television film, Mulholland Drive.
In 2001, Cyrus took on the lead role in the medical drama Doc. He played Clint Cassidy, a country doctor who moves to New York City for love, only to experience heartbreak. Even after being dumped, he decides to stay in the city and work for an HMO. The series aired on the PAX television network and this family-friendly show earned its share of fans. Some of Cyrus’s music also found its way on to the program as well, including tracks from his 2000 album Southern Rain. The show ended in 2004.
Cyrus wasn’t off television for long. He returned in 2006 in the role of Robby Stewart, the father of two in the Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana. The show features a young teenager named Miley Stewart—played by Cyrus’s own daughter Miley—with a secret life as a pop music sensation known as Hannah Montana. The father-daughter team recorded the song “I Learned for You” for the show’s soundtrack. They also recorded a song together for his latest album, Wanna Be Your Joe (2006).
In 2007, Cyrus joined the ranks of such celebrity competitors as Olympic speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno, singer Joey Fatone, and actor Ian Ziering on the popular series Dancing with the Stars. While he struggled with his dance routines, he lasted for eight weeks of the competition, which was eventually won by Ohno.