Teddi and Bobby Cyrus

Bobby Cyrus is no stranger to the many facets of the music industry, having quite literally grown up with it all around him in the little town of Louisa, Kentucky. His father, Bobby “Bob” Glenn Cyrus, is who Bobby says influenced him as an artist and songwriter more than anyone else. 

“Music was a dream my dad aspired to, but never got to chase,” Cyrus reveals. “He chose to work and raise his four kids, and that in itself showed me what’s required of a man if he’s going to call himself a man. He encouraged and influenced me to do what I do, as well as to take care of my responsibilities. I learned to write songs by listening to his songs.”

Bobby remembers watching closely and listening to his father and other musical family members at family reunions. The reunions included the Cyrus family cookouts, gathering around campfire jams, picking and singing well into the evening.

"That's how I learned to play... in the hollers," said Cyrus. "I would sometimes sit there banging on that guitar, and no one seemed to mind. I guess they figured I would catch up one day."

He also pays Waylon Jennings, Ricky Skaggs, Larry Cordle, Kris Kristofferson and Keith Whitley, his respect among his professional influences, as well as the one individual that has had a particularly profound and personal impact in Cyrus’ life: the legendary Tom T. Hall. 

The story of how Bobby Cyrus and Tom T. Hall met is fascinating. It was near the end of Bob’s life, when Cyrus approached Tom T. about cutting a demo recording of one of the songs his father had written nearly two decades before. Hall graciously obliged, and a friendship was born that resulted in Bobby writing for the iconic songwriter’s publishing company, Good Home Grown Music, for many years.

Both Hall and Bobby’s dad make an appearance on Homeplace. Tom T. guests on the haunting “A Rose For Marie,” a song written by Hall and his wife, Dixie, and handpicked specifically for the debut project. The personal and reflective title track includes a poem recitation, recorded years earlier by Cyrus’ father, which inspired the song. Part of that recording is heard in the spoken word introduction to “Homeplace,” which Bobby counts among his favorites on the record.

Cyrus is well aware his famous surname raises eyebrows. Cyrus is the younger cousin to Billy Ray, and second cousin to Miley Cyrus. Due to an age difference Cyrus never made a musical connection with his cousin until after Billy had recorded his hit "Achy Breaky Heart."

"Billy is 9 years older than me," said Cyrus. "As a kid I saw him at reunions and I always knew him but we never really connected. At the time I was catching tadpoles and he was breezing in and out and doing whatever he was doing. Later on when I started performing, we connected. In the early 90s, I was playing nightclubs and anywhere I could play, and he was shooting to the top. I was proud and tickled to death for him."

A former heavy-machinery sales and management executive in the coal mining and construction industry, Bobby Cyrus took advantage of his time behind the wheel on long business trips to sharpen his songwriting craft and refine his smooth, hill-country delivery. He had already experienced some minor successes as a songwriter, with cuts being recorded in the Country, Christian and Bluegrass genres, but it wasn’t until he and cousin Billy forged a bond in the mid-2000s that Bobby began seriously considering a career in Nashville. 

“Both of our fathers died within about eight months of each other back in 2005,” notes Cyrus. “That really brought us closer, in a way. Billy and I had performed together a few times in the past, but when he heard some of the songs I had written and was singing, he was really supportive.” 

The first single and music video from the “Homeplace” album, is a track Cyrus cut with Billy Ray, a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek duet called “Milkman’s Eyes.” The video, shot by acclaimed filmmaker John Lloyd Miller, gives an entertaining glimpse into the chemistry between the Cyrus cousins.

Over the years Bobby Cyrus has traveled the country performing with the late Johnny Paycheck and Charlie Daniels, among others. All the while continuing on with his passion for songwriting and performing his own music.

Cyrus has also spent time performing at various live music venues. Not long ago, he opened the Cyrus Family Theater in Pigeon Forge, TN. The entertaining variety show featured the music he was raised on such as Glen Campbell, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and George Jones.

Bobby performed at his theater on the weekends and had numerous acts that came through as well, including The Van Dells, Jamie O' Neill, Mark Collie, Andy Griggs and Ronnie Bowman.

"It was like a family reunion," said Cyrus. "You never knew who would show up at the Cyrus Family Theater. It was a show where we could jam and have a good time. Then when the show was over, we invited our guests to come meet with us on the back patio and join us in a cookout. We’d grill out with our guests, just like being at home."

Now a new year and another new door has opened in the opportunity to not only record, but perform with his lovely and very talented vocalist wife, Teddi Leigh Cyrus, for Pinecastle Records. Both Bobby and Teddi come from bluegrass roots and can’t wait to see what the future holds for them with Pinecastle. The couple is looking forward to sharing their ‘labor of love’ with a brand new single and accompanying video, “My Wedding Day” expected in late 2020.