The biography of country music superstar Billy Ray Cyrus, “Hillbilly Heart,” was voted by the Tennessee House of Representatives to be the official book of Tennessee.
The GOP-led effort, spearheaded by Representative Jerry Sexton, originally sought to make the Bible the official book of Tennessee but ran into resistance from those who claimed it violated the concept of separation of church and state.
After the bill was amended to change the Bible to “Hillbilly Heart,” it found support among Republicans and Democrats, and if it passes in the state Senate, it would join other state symbols including the official state songs “Tennessee Waltz” and “Rocky Top” and the official state amphibian, the Tennessee cave salamander.
“‘Hillbilly Heart’ tells the story of a hard-working musician that everyone can relate to,” said Sexton. “He has had so many different well-known, beloved hits, from ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ to ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ and superb acting roles in films like ‘Mulholland Drive’ and ‘Sharknado 2: The Second One.'”
State representatives celebrated after the unanimous vote by line-dancing the “Achy Breaky” in the State Capitol building in Nashville.
