Only once have I seen Miley Cyrus in person, and she was topless at the time.
It was during my days as managing director of Balmur Ltd. (Anne Murray’s company). Anne’s manager, Leonard Rambeau, and I were visiting our office in Nashville, one rented floor of a residence on Music Row in which another floor was occupied by the agency that represented Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley’s father.
There was a deck at the back of the house that led to the parking area out back where Leonard had parked our rented car.
It was a beautiful, warm sunny day and when we were leaving, the steps down to the parking area were blocked by a baby carriage with an infant in it. About ten feet away from the carriage, a young woman was sitting on the bench that ran around the deck while she fished for something in her huge purse. When she noticed the carriage was in our way she said, “Sorry, just push her over here.” Leonard was carrying a briefcase and a carryall so I pushed the carriage over. While doing so I noticed that the little girl in it, who was wearing only a diaper, was beaming as if she were the happiest kid in the world.
Leonard clearly knew the young woman and walked over with me saying, “Hi, Tish. Is this your new daughter?” “It is; this is little Smiley,” she proudly replied. I couldn’t help but think how appropriate the nickname was.
Leonard didn’t introduce me to Tish, but as we were getting into our car he informed me that she was Billy Ray Cyrus’ wife.
In the early 90s Billy Ray was as big a country music star as there was. He had two monster hits: Achy Breaky Heart and Some Gave All. He had another half dozen or so that reached very high on the country charts, including my favourite, Where’m I Gonna Live When I Get Home, a very clever song about a wayward husband whose wife had thrown him out.
Miley’s real name is Destiny Hope Cyrus; and, no, I didn’t make a typo in the earlier paragraph. The story, corroborated by my experience, is that because she was such a happy baby, always beaming like she did the day I pushed her in the carriage, her parents gave her the nickname Smiley, which later got shortened to Miley.