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Bucky Covington is that most
remarkable of entertainers—a man known and loved as much for his
engaging personality as for his formidable talent. The talent has shone
through on three hit singles that have helped push his debut album
toward gold status; his undeniable likeability and his ability to wear
his stardom. Both come together on stage, where the long-haired North
Carolinian with the rocker's charisma and the country boy charm thrills
old and new fans alike as he criss-crosses the country.
With his first album, Bucky earned a place in the forefront of a new
generation of country singers. He became the best-selling debut artist
of the class of 2007, with the best first-week sales and highest Top 200
debut for any male country artist in 15 years. He appeared on Good
Morning America, Jimmy Kimmel Live and many others, became part of the
Country Sings Disney project, and appeared in Hannah Montana: The Movie.
Now, with his second CD scheduled for release in the spring of 2010, he leaves
behind newcomer status and emerges as one of the true standouts in
contemporary country music.
The full range of his personality finds expression in his newest record.
The project reflects his wealth of musical influences, as he brings
blue-eyed soul to "Hold A Woman" and Lionel Ritchie's Commodores classic
"Sail On," a Southern rocker's energy to "I Always Said You'd Be Back,"
a South-of-the-border feel to "Mexicoma," pure riff-rocking power to "Evel
Knievel" ("I couldn't pass up cutting a song with that title!" he says
with a laugh) and a connoisseur's sincerity to "Giants," a song that
spells out the genre's debt of gratitude to groundbreaking artists like
Dolly Parton, Hank Williams, Tammy Wynette and Johnny Cash.
The CD's debut single, "I Want My Life Back" represents Bucky at his
finest, showcasing a singer bringing true passion to a lyric that offers
up a real slice of life as well as a glimpse of hope at a time when it's
needed most. Overall, it is a project that sees Bucky more than fulfill
the promise of his first, a debut that earned him a generous supply of
accolades and milestones.
Kicked off by "A Different World," which established him out of the
chute as a great stylist and launched him into the Top 5, Bucky
Covington announced his arrival as a serious contender. Two follow-up
Top Ten hits, "It's Good To Be Us" and "I'll Walk," gave audiences a
more in-depth view of the lanky troubadour, and made him one of just
three male artists since 2005 to score three consecutive Top Ten hits
from a debut album.
Bucky has been honing his highly identifiable sound since his earliest
days growing up with his mother, stepfather and twin brother Rocky in
Laurinburg, North Carolina. His tastes in country music ran to George
Strait, Travis Tritt and Tim McGraw, and he began testing his own vocal
skills with a karaoke machine early on. He got a guitar after an album
by Canadian singer/guitarist Jeff Healey knocked him out and convinced
him to give music a serious try.
He played with rock groups for three years, then followed his passion
into a band playing "Southern rock, beach and country." It was called
Southern Country and it made him a honky-tonk hero in the area as he
packed clubs every weekend.
Friends encouraged him to try Nashville, but when his sister-in-law told
him about tryouts for American Idol, he took that route. His striking
look and smoky vocals got him into the final 8 and earned him a spot on
the Idol tour.
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www.buckycovington.com
Managers and producers began calling him, but it was a
call from Sawyer Brown front man Mark Miller that impressed him. "A lot
of them call you up and talk about the money," he says. "Mark called me
up and talked about music--what kind I wanted to make, what I wanted to
do."
The two have been in musical partnership since then, and it wasn't long
before Lyric Street Records was expressing interest. Two albums into
that relationship, he has been embraced fully by country fans.
"I did come off a big TV show," he says, "and at that point you're huge.
You feel like you're on top of the world. Then you come back to reality
and you're 'that guy that used to be...' After that it's what you make
of it, and after three top 10 hits over the past two-and-a-half years,
it's been amazing to be welcomed so big by country radio and the fans."
"It's hard to key in on just one thing," he says, asked
to name a highlight of the past three years. "I sat down with Stevie
Wonder as he played 'Superstition' and I got on stage with Queen. I've
hung out with Rascal Flatts on the bus and gone dirt bike riding with
Craig Morgan. There are so many others, still, the fans are dear to his
heart. When my album debuted at #1 or I'm nominated for an award, it's
them I have to thank. But the best thing may be when you're playing a
show and the fans sing your song louder than you. It's hard to beat
that."
Many of those fans have watched him from his first days on Idol, and
have seen him mature as an artist. As he comes into his own both
musically and personally, Bucky Covington is more than fulfilling the
promise he brought to the table initially, and he continues to establish
himself as one of the most exciting and important young performers on
the contemporary country scene.
These days his professional life is a combination of
studio art and concert stage adventure, and the latter is something he
relishes as he strives to perfect his craft in venues that range from
crowded bars to festival grounds and big-city arenas. I have an amazing
band. We're very much high-energy and we talk about every show
afterward, looking for the things we could do to make it better."
Many of those fans have watched him from his first days on Idol, and
have seen him mature as an artist and yet maintain the unspoiled outlook
that makes him the complete package—the guy next door with talent and
charisma to burn. As he comes into his own both musically and
personally, Bucky Covington is more than fulfilling the promise he
brought to the table initially, and he continues to establish himself as
one of the most exciting and important young performers on the
contemporary country scene.
Band Members
Bucky Covington
Rocky Covington - Percussion
Don Medlock - Mandolin and Guitar
Scott Saunders - Keyboard
Jeff Cease - Lead Guitar
Steve Cook - Bass
Tom Hurst - Drums |
