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Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Studio album by Billy Ray Cyrus
Released	August 20, 1996
Recorded	1995
Studio	Screaming Woo Music and Secret Sound (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre	Country
Length	42:45
Label	Mercury
Producer	Billy Ray Cyrus; Terry Shelton
Billy Ray Cyrus chronology
Singles from Trail of Tears
	"Trail of Tears"; Released: August 31, 1996; "Three Little Words"; Released: February 8, 1997;

Trail of Tears is the fourth studio album from country artist Billy Ray Cyrus. It was released on August 20, 1996, and two singles were released: the title track and "Three Little Words", which respectively peaked at number 69 and number 65 on the country charts.

The album debuted at number 125 on the U.S. Billboard 200, and at number 20 on the U.S. Top Country Albums.^[1] The album has sold more than 250,000 copies worldwide. Despite low sales the album was the first to receive widespread critical acclaim from music critics for Cyrus, earning him industry respect from Nashville.

Content

Included on Trail of Tears are covers of "Harper Valley PTA", originally recorded by Jeannie C. Riley, "Sing Me Back Home", originally recorded by Merle Haggard and The Strangers, and "Crazy Mama", originally recorded by J. J. Cale.

Cyrus is a credited writer on all other tracks, except for the album's second single, "Three Little Words".^[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
Entertainment Weekly	B^[3]

AllMusic's Thom Owens called it Cyrus' "most personal and [most] accomplished album", pointing out the "rootsy production flourishes" that added grit and edge to the overall sound and Cyrus having more conviction in his delivery, concluding that: "In fact, Trail of Tears suggests that he may be able to carve out a successful career for himself, after all."^[2] Alanna Nash of Entertainment Weekly called it "a rapidly maturing, bleeding-heart blend of roots rock and country classics wrapped in bare-bones production." She added that "Need a Little Help" and the title track had the potential to turn Cyrus into an "artistic contender".^[3]

Track listing

*Trail of Tears* track listing
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Trail of Tears"	Billy Ray Cyrus	3:41
2.	"Truth Is, I Lied"	Cyrus Don Von Tress Carl Perkins	3:18
3.	"Tenntucky"	Cyrus Mark Collie	2:23
4.	"Call Me Daddy"	Cyrus Von Tress Michael Joe Sagraves	5:08
5.	"Sing Me Back Home"	Merle Haggard	3:37
6.	"Three Little Words"	Wayne Perkins Jim Collins	4:14
7.	"Harper Valley PTA"	Tom T. Hall	4:10
8.	"I Am Here Now"	Cyrus Sagraves Corky Holbrook Terry Shelton	3:28
9.	"Need a Little Help"	Cyrus Von Tress	5:08
10.	"Should I Stay"	Cyrus	4:38
11.	"Crazy Mama"	J.J. Cale	3:00
Total length:			42:45

Personnel

Credits adapted from the Trail of Tears media notes.^[4]

Sly Dog

Billy Ray Cyrus – lead vocals, background vocals, acoustic guitar
Greg Fletcher – drums
Corky Holbrook – bass guitar
Michael J. Sagraves – dobro, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, steel guitar, harmonica, mandolin, slide guitar
Terry Shelton – drums, 12-string guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, percussion
Barton Stevens – keyboards, background vocals

Additional Musicians

Ava Aldridge – background vocals
Jeff E. Cox – bass guitar
Mark Douthit – saxophone
John Griffiths – background vocals
Lee Hendricks – bass guitar
Wanda Vick – fiddle
Don Von Tress – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, background vocals
Bob Workman – bass guitar

Production

Billy Ray Cyrus – co-producer
Terry Shelton – co-producer, mixing
John Jaszcz – mixing
Chuck Linder – assistant engineer
Michael Joe Sagraves – assistant engineer
Hank Williams – mastering

Chart performance

Album

Chart (1996)	Peak position
Canadian Top Country Albums	14
Swiss Music Charts	50
U.S. Billboard 200	125
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums	20

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions
Year	Single	US Country	CAN Country
1996	"Trail of Tears"	69	59
1997	"Three Little Words"	65	61

References

^ Katie Hasty, "'NOW 25' Fends Off 'Hairspray,' Prince To Remain No. 1", Billboard.com, August 1, 2007.
^ ^a ^b ^c Owens, Thom. "Trail of Tears - Billy Ray Cyrus". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
^ ^a ^b Nash, Alanna (August 23, 1996). "Trail of Tears". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Archived from the original on December 18, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
^ Trail of Tears (media notes). Billy Ray Cyrus. Mercury. 1996. P2 32829.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)