Bucky Covington
News (Page 3)

Last week, we posted the first Bucky Covington message to his fans. Here's the latest installment:

It was very exciting to see everybody's response to my first blog entry. I hope you guys realize how much help it is and how great it looks when you go to these websites or listen to my radio interviews on the Internet. I couldn't do all this without you, so thanks for your help.

I just had dinner with a very big guy in radio, Coyote Calhoun, the program director at WAMZ in Louisville. When we went out to dinner, he said that after my on-air interview that afternoon he had more e-mail comments about me than he had ever seen before. I can't tell you how much that means to me. It's priceless.

We're still out doing a lot of radio interviews, getting ready for my album to come out on April 17. We've been hitting the Midwest and North regions recently, going everywhere from Wisconsin to Kentucky.

Sometimes, we'll do these American Idol viewing parties. I'll go up and play for 30 minutes or so, then I'll sign autographs and take pictures. It's neat, because everybody will watch the show and every time it goes to commercials, they've all got questions like "What it's like backstage?" It's neat being able to tell people how it goes.

Of course, I always get asked, "Who's your favorite judge?" It's just my personal opinion, but I listened to Randy Jackson the most, because he's been there and worked with all styles of music — country, pop, rock, whatever. He's produced, played bass. He's done it all.

Paula's a complete sweetheart — I love her to death. And Simon is an excellent TV personality. Sometimes he can give you constructive criticism, but sometimes he says things just to get the viewers. And thank God he does. A lot of people tuned it to see [Simon Cowell] and, because they did, they saw us.

Bucky Covington isn't letting a little divorce get him down. Through his music label, the American Idol finalist recently posted the following message for fans to enjoy:

Hey there, Bucky Covington here. You may have been one of the 30 million people who watched Idol last year, and if so, you saw me as one of the finalists in last season. I just signed a record deal with Lyric Street Records, home to Rascal Flatts and Josh Gracin from Idol Season 2. I’m keeping pretty busy with recording my album, radio visits, media appearances and tour dates, but in between I’m going to be keeping a blog here at Idol Chatter, so check back every week to find out the latest.

I bought a house not too long ago. It's not a real big mansion - you haven't seen the album go to No. 1, so you can understand that. But it's nice and roomy and it's out in the Franklin area, just outside Nashville.

My brother, Rocky, and my sister-in-law are moving in with me. He'll be my drummer on the tour, but right now we're out visiting radio stations, so there's nothing for him to do. There ain't no sense in him paying rent, so I just said, "Man, I got a house that I'm never in. Y'all would be doing me a favor by coming up and moving in with me."I thought I had it made, because they were going to move me in and I wouldn't have to do any of the moving. But when I got to thinking about it, I think I just bought them a house.

Most everybody knows that Rocky and I are identical twins. The funny thing is, my manager, Ron Harris, he's also an identical twin. Each of us was each born three minutes apart. Rocky looks a lot like me – the hair and everything else is just alike. So a lot of people come up to him and, thinking he's me, they’ll say something like, "Hey, are you Bucky?" Then, when he goes, "No, I'm actually his brother," they'll say something like, "You should've said you were Bucky. That way, you could've signed my kid's autograph."

I think we're going to be on this radio tour for three or four weeks. Last week, we were in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Before that, it was Memphis, Arkansas and Texas. Hobie Hubbard and Shayne Hill from Sawyer Brown are going out to some of the stations with me to play guitar and keyboard. (Mark Miller, the group's singer, is producing my album.)

I hope to get my album done this week. Better hurry since it’s coming out April 17. Mark and I are going down to West Palm Beach in Florida this weekend, and we'll try to finish it there. Shayne, who plays lead guitar for Sawyer Brown, and Joe Scholten, the group's bass player, are both on it. All the music and everything's already laid down.

I've just got to go put the vocals on. I heard the four songs we've already finished, including the first single A Different World - and you can hear those on my Myspace page - and I thought, "Man, it's going to be tough to find seven more songs to compete with these." But I think it's going to be a really good album. I'm excited about it.

Sad news for American Idol fans:

Season 5 finalist Bucky Covington and his wife Crystal, a nurse, have separated after seven years of marriage. In a statement issued through his record label, Covington said: "This is a difficult time for both of us and I would ask that everyone respect our privacy."

The couple has no children.Covington, who won fans over with his unapologetic country-boy style, released his first single, "A Different World," in January and has a debut album due April 17.

While some American Idol contestants might fear the bite of Simon Cowell, at least one alum is grateful for it.

"Because of him being mean, millions of people watch that show," said Bucky Covington, who finished eighth last season. "So I say 'thank you' for being mean. You turned on a lot of people to this show, and because of that a lot of great things happened to me."

Cowell and fellow judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson have been accused of being nastier than usual this year on News Corp.'s Fox network talent show, pouncing on some of the more awful Idol wannabes during auditions.

Covington, 29, says he doesn't agree.

"I didn't see them being really nice to me - no pushovers, you know," the Rockingham, N.C., native said recently. "I never knew Simon to be nice. If you said, 'Hey, Simon is being nice this year,' you would have caught my attention. But being mean is just what I expect. It's what he does. It's his job."

Covington's self-titled debut album on Lyric Street Records will be released April 17. The first single, "A Different World," is rising on the country charts.

Bucky  said he got everything he wanted from his America Idol experience.

"I didn't really think I was gong to win it. I wanted to be heard and get noticed," he said. "The most stressful thing for me was after this show is over, what's next? Is it back to painting cars? Is it playing clubs? Or is it a career starter?"

Some of our favorite American Idol also-rans appeared on Larry King last week.

The most talkative and seemingly intelligent? Bucky Covington, who's single - "A Different World" - is climbing the country charts.

Also on the show, near the end of this clip? William Hung. Apparently, the awful singer has made over $1 million so far during his post-Idol run. In other words: You don't need to sound like Sundance Head in order to bring in the bucks.

Keep those chins up, Sundance Head, Porcelana Patino and other American Idol Six contestants: Even if you don't win this season, there are big things ahead.

Just ask former, supposed losers on the show.

Bucky Covington (pictured) said he likes to think he wasn't "kicked-off" as a finalist on the fifth season of American Idol. He described it as being "invited to leave."

"I definitely got the boot, hard. But, hey, you know, the good thing about American Idol is you don't have to win it to do something with it. I think that's the biggest thing about the show is that a lot of people that don't win still end up [with entertainment] careers," Covington said during Thursday night's broadcast of CNN's Larry King Live.

Kimberly Caldwell said when she was eliminated from the second season of Idol as one its finalists, it took a while to sink in.

"When it first happened, I just thought, you know, I'll go back to the house and I'll just, you know, practice my song and come back next week and sing Cher. But that didn't happen," Caldwell told King. "So, I mean, yes, it was sad at first. It really was. And then I realized, listen, I can take this opportunity and I can make it into something for myself or I can decide to go back to Katy, Texas and sit there and try to sing at like a local pub. And that's not what I wanted for myself. So I decided to take the bigger step and stay in Los Angeles and really pursue everything."

Caldwell said she's been "really lucky" since that day she left Idol, first landing a job on Fox Sports' 54321 television show and later as co-host of the TV Guide Channel's Idol Tonight. She's also working on a "country rock" album, just filmed a movie in Vancouver and is the new spokesmodel for Michael Antonio shoes, the catalogue of which just came out and was seen by original runner-up Justin Guarini.

"It looks good. It looked very good," said Guarini about Caldwell's appearance in the catalogue.

Guarini said although he finished second to Kelly Clarkson during Idol's inaugural season, the experience was definitely worth it. He's currently working on his third album, just finished filming the movie Fast Girl and will be co-hosting the upcoming second season of Idol Tonight alongside Caldwell.

"Honestly, [American Idol] gave all of us the keys to a career. I mean you can't buy the sort of exposure that we got on that show," Guarini told King. "And, I mean, the fact that this is a reality TV show that is based on talent, not about stabbing some teammate in the back...It's not about some wacky family versus some other wacky family. It's about talent and it's about America choosing who they want to hear and see on the radio."

Continue Reading...

• Bucky Covington debuts this week at No. 57 on Billboard's Country Tracks chart with his first single, "A Different World."

• Elliot Yamin will be released his first CD through an independent label on March 20. It will preceded by a single, "Movin' On," set for air play on February 13.

It's safe to assume hopefuls from last night's auditions in Memphis, such as Sundance Head, hope to enjoy such endeavors in the future.

Lyric Street Records is a young country music label. It's major signing so far has been the top-selling band, Rascal Flatts.

Until now.

In December, Bucky Covington, a North Carolina artist who made it to American Idol top 12 finalists this year, signed with Lyric Street. The label expects to hit the ground running in January with Covington's first single.

Here's some information we've come across from around the world of American Idol. There's certainly a lot going on with our favorite stars, and we try our best to keep you updated! Below is our breakdown...

CARRIE UNDERWOOD

As you’ve probably heard, Carrie Underwood will perform at the Charleston Municipal Auditorium December 9. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m.

Speaking of Carrie, we caught her video for "Before He Cheats" the other day. Though she’s come a long way from her simpler American Idol days, it is still not easy to believe she's the kind of girl who would bash her boyfriend’s headlights in with a baseball bat.

Look at her! She's just too sweet! We don't buy the vengeful angle... we will, however, buy her music!

KELLIE PICKLER

Kellie Pickler’s CD, Small Town Girl, is in stores as of today! Be sure to check out our review in a separate post, coming very soon. Kellie will perform her first single, "Red High Heels" on The Tonight Show Friday.

BUCKY COVINGTON

Bucky Covington and his wife are moving to Nashville today. We hear he plans to go straight to the studio to record some tunes. Good luck, Bucky!

ACE YOUNG

The new single from Ace Young, “Scattered,” is officialy available for download on iTunes. We thought it was a little cheesy, to be sure, but it grows on you. And yes, his falsetto is on full display. As far as we know, though, Ace has not signed with any record label.

KATHARINE MCPHEE

Looks like Katharine McPhee’s a little gutsier than I gave her credit for. Katharine was scheduled to sing “Over the Rainbow” at the Carousel of Hope Gala, but when she saw Whitney Houston in the audience, she changed to “I Have Nothing.”

Considering the performance of that song that she gave on American Idol, it was certainly a testament to McPhee's courage to get up there and try it a second time. It paid off, though, as Whitney nodded her head in approval at the performance.

You might remember that Katharine (seen here with beau Nick Cokas, right, at the event in Beverly Hills) was roundly criticized by the judges after performing "I Have Nothing" On American Idol. The viewing audience, however, disagreed and voted her into the Top 2. Simon Cowell apologized to her on that week's results show.

TAYLOR HICKS

Taylor Hicks’ CD release date has been moved to December 5, which means he will be after Katharine (November 28) and on the same date as Fantasia. According to GrayCharles.com, he continues to work on his upcoming album, 75 percent of which is complete.

The producers are beginning to mix some of the songs. If you, like many of his fans, are eagerly looking forward to seeing Taylor Hicks in concert, the Soul Man will start a three-month tour in February and plans to "play lots of different size towns, even smaller ones."

Hopefully, that's going to be a town near you.

CHRIS DAUGHTRY

Chris Daughtry’s release date is still set for November 21, but he's ditching the first name thing... the release will come from Daughtry -- the Bon Jovi-esque name of his new band. Howard Benson, who worked with All-American Rejects and My Chemical Romance, is the producer. Chris says he realizes not winning Idol was better for him.

According to a blurb posted on puretonemusic.com, here are all 12 confirmed song titles (in sequence): It's Not Over, Used To, Home, Over You, Crashed, Feels Like Tonight, What I Want (featuring Slash), Breakdown, Gone, There And Back Again, All These Lives, and What About Now.

The site also reported that the song, "Sorry" will be exclusive to iTunes and the newly recorded acoustic versions of "Home" and "Crashed" will be exclusive to WalMart.

JOSH GRACIN

Josh Gracin’s next CD, All About Y’all will be released in early 2007. I was a little worried about Josh since his original release date came and went and his website had not been updated in months. His new single, "I Keep Coming Back" is from the same songwriting team that wrote "What Hurts the Most."

KIMBERLEY LOCKE

The second CD released by Kimberley Locke, Based on a True Story, will hit the shelves of record stores in March 2007. It will be great to hear what the Supawoman has in store for us then!

CLAY AIKEN

The one and only Clay Aiken is scheduled to appear on The Megan Mullally Show this Thursday, November 2.

And, as we reported last week, Clay will also appear on Days of Our Lives as himself December 22, serenading Steve and Kayla with “Everything I Have.” Clay’s version of “O, Holy Night” will also be featured in the episode.

FANTASIA BARRINO

Fantasia Barrino's single, "Hood Boy" is being released to radio. Her album is set to be released on December 12. You can listen to a stream at her MySpace. Lastly, Season 5 semi-finalist Patrick Hall releases his single "One For the Ages" tomorrow. The album, One For the Ages, will be available February 2007.

Yesterday, we reported that Taylor Hicks (right), Bucky Covington and Elliott Yamin skipped out on their American Idol tour after-party in L.A. to hit up a more serious music scene -- and pick up some industry cred.

The trio snuck away to perform at the notorious Hollywood rock club Viper Room. According to TMZ.com, Taylor jammed with the Little Memphis Blues Orchestra, along with members of his own band, playing harmonica while taking shots on stage in front of a sold-out crowd.

This crowd wasn't interested in hearing any pop covers or standards, and Taylor Hicks proved he's more than a gimmick, drawing raves from the audience. Nice!

Elliott and Bucky (below, left) also got in on the action to the delight of the packed house which included tons of screaming fans... ones slightly older than the audience at the Staples Center earlier in the night.

Bucky hung with his wife Crystal, while Yamin was joined by his model girlfriend, Jamie (below, right).

As far as Taylor, when he wasn't on stage or fending off members of his Soul Patrol, he retreated to the confines of the closed-off VIP room.