Miley admitted that it was "weird" at first having her real-life father play the role of her television dad, but later described the situation as "really good.

According to the Hannah Montana backstory, Robby was born on July 6, 1968[citation needed] and grew up in fictional Bufford County, Tennessee.

[6] Soon afterwards, he moved the family from Crowley Corners, Tennessee, to California where Miley became famous as Hannah Montana.

[11][12] As Hannah's manager, Robby wears a fake moustache to hide his identity to keep Miley's secret and sometimes disguises his voice.

This ruse, along with his sudden abandonment of his career, may have led one fan (Maddie Fitzpatrick's mother) to believe that he was dead.

[6] However, this disguise is often ineffective at preventing his fans from recognizing him, and several times he even publicly identifies himself as Robby Ray, the father of Hannah Montana.

[14] Also, the depiction of Robby Ray as a has-been country star is meant to poke fun at Cyrus's own music career, which by some was labeled a one hit wonder before the popularity of Hannah Montana.