Trail of Tears (CD - 1996)

Personnel: Billy Ray Cyrus (vocals); Michael Joe Sagraves (acoustic, electric, slide & steel guitars, dobro, mandolin, harmonica); Terry Shelton (acoustic, electric & 12-string electric guitars, keyboards, drums, percussion); Don Von Tress (acoustic & electric guitars, mandolin, bass, background vocals); Wanda Vick (fiddle); Mark Douthit (saxophone); Barton Stevens (keyboards, background vocals); Corky Holbrook, Bob Workman, Jeff Cox, Lee Hendricks (bass); Greg Fletcher (drums); Ava Aldridge, John Griffiths (background vocals).

Recorded at Screaming Woo Music and Secret Sound, Nashville, Tennessee.

Personnel: Billy Ray Cyrus (background vocals); Terry Shelton (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar, keyboards, drums, percussion); Michael J. Sagraves (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar, steel guitar, dobro, mandolin, harmonica); Don Von Tress (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, bass guitar, background vocals); Wanda Vick (fiddle); Mark Douthit (saxophone); Barton Stevens (keyboards, background vocals); Bob Workman, Jeff E. Cox, Corky Holbrook, Lee Hendricks (bass guitar); Greg Fletcher (drums); John Griffiths, Ava Aldridge (background vocals).

Recording information: Screaming Woo Music; Secret Sound, Nashville, TN.

Photographers: Trish Cyrus; Tish Cyrus; Dean Dixon.

Trail of Tears is the most personal and most accomplished album Billy Ray Cyrus has recorded to date. Cyrus' elaborates his pop-oriented country with some rootsy production flourishes -- the album sounds edgier and grittier than any of his previous records. Furthermore, Cyrus delivers both his originals and the covers with conviction, far more conviction than could have been believed possible from his first two albums. In fact, Trail of Tears suggests that he may be able to carve out a successful career for himself, after all. ~ Thom Owens minimize