Maps of Music

Storm in the Heartland (1994)

Where the lyrics of Storm in the Heartland take you, and where it was really made.

Billy Ray Cyrus's third album was certified gold, yet the New Country review that gave it 2 out of 5 said the memorable hooks were gone.

Key places

Sound Stage Studios, Nashville (1994)

Recording site Sound Stage Studios — Sound Stage Studios in Nashville is listed with the Music Mill and Screaming Woo studios as a recording location for this album. The pin marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Storm in the Heartland: third studio album by American country music artist Billy Ray Cyrus
• Released in 1994 on Mercury Records
• Three singles: the title track 'Storm in the Heartland', 'Deja Blue', and 'One Last Thrill'
• The first two entered the Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts
• Certified gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 copies
• Standard track listing of 14 songs
• Credited producers and engineers include Jim Cotton and Joe Scaife

Background

• AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine considered it an improvement over the previous album It Won't Be the Last
• 'How Much' was co-written by Gregg Sutton and Danny Tate; Danny Tate first recorded it on his 1992 self-titled album
• 'Only God' was later recorded by Chris Ward on his 1996 album One Step Beyond
• Lari White recorded it as a duet with Toby Keith on her 1998 album Stepping Stone
• Canadian country band Emerson Drive recorded it on their 2002 self-titled album, and their version was released as a single in 2003

Recording

• Recorded at The Music Mill in Nashville, Tennessee, according to the Discogs credits
• Mixed at The Castle Recording Studios and The Music Mill, Nashville
• Credited band name is Sly Dog, with Billy Ray Cyrus on lead vocals and rhythm guitar
• Other band members listed: Greg Fletcher (drums), Corky Holbrook (bass), Terry Shelton (lead guitar), and Barton Stevens (keyboards)
• The Oak Ridge Boys provide background vocals on 'I Ain't Even Left'
• Mark Collie and Danny Shirley appear on 'Redneck Heaven'
• Dave Loggins provides background vocals on 'One Last Thrill'

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Artist

Career

• Born William Ray Cyrus on August 25, 1961, in Flatwoods, Kentucky; American singer, songwriter and actor.
• Debut album Some Gave All (1992) topped the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums; certified 9× multi-platinum in the US and sold over 20 million copies worldwide.
• Lead single "Achy Breaky Heart" topped the Hot Country Songs chart and became a global hit, spreading the line dance into the mainstream.
• Moved from Mercury Records to Monument Records in 1999, then to New Door/UMe, Walt Disney Records and Lyric Street Records.
• Starred in the PAX series Doc (2001–2004), Disney Channel's Hannah Montana (2006–2011) with daughter Miley Cyrus, and CMT's Still the King (2016–2017).

Old Town Road

• Featured on the remix of Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road", which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 19 consecutive weeks there.
• The song won Grammy Awards for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Music Video.

Personal life

• Married Cindy Smith (1986–1991), then Leticia "Tish" Finley; the couple raised several children together.
• Married Australian singer Firerose in 2023; divorce finalized in August 2024.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said he considered the album an improvement over It Won't Be the Last
• Chris Dickinson of New Country magazine gave it 2 out of 5
• Dickinson wrote that Cyrus kept the pop, the rock, the bombast, and the bluster, but tossed out the memorable hooks
• Dickinson thought the album lacked personality and had cluttered production
• Dickinson praised 'A Heart with Your Name on It' and 'Roll Me Over' as fun, and 'Patsy Come Home' as sentimental but moving
• Alanna Nash of Entertainment Weekly gave it a C
• Nash wrote that Cyrus sticks to the tried-and-true, and that the yahoo factor figures heavily on 'Redneck Heaven'
• Nash said Cyrus misses his notes by a mile on 'The Past'

Records

• Certified gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 copies
• Two singles, 'Storm in the Heartland' and 'Deja Blue', entered the Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• 'How Much' was first recorded by co-writer Danny Tate on his 1992 self-titled album.
• 'Only God' has several later recordings, including Chris Ward (1996), Lari White with Toby Keith (1998), and Emerson Drive (2002).
• The track 'Only God Could Stop Me Loving You' is credited to Robert John 'Mutt' Lange in the original track listing.
• The Oak Ridge Boys sing background vocals on 'I Ain't Even Left'.
• Emerson Drive's version of 'Only God' was released as a single in 2003.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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