Thursday news: Power Picks 'till noon, Michigan State Fair memories and more...(updated)

Bucky Covington rocks out with the wind (top) and with bandmate Shaun Bayles (below) at his recent Indiana State Fair show; click here to enjoy a lovely Flickr photoset of concert photos by the very kind Buckybaby01. (Thanks again, Buckybaby!)
Bucky Covington's debut CD is in stores now, and his music video is available for online viewing at CMT.com and Yahoo Music. You can buy Bucky's album at Amazon, Best Buy , iTunes, WalMart Music and Target, hear the full version of his single "A Different World" at CMT and GAC, or enjoy samples of songs from the CD at Bucky's official MySpace. An autographed copy of Bucky Covington can be ordered while supplies last at his official site or via his official fan club.

First things first--if you haven't popped over to CMT's Power Picks page and cast your vote for Bucky in the all-night matchup, there's no time like the present! Bucky's video for "A Different World" is a contender for today's lead-off Power Picks song; the vote goes on until the start of the show at 12 noon ET. Click here to go directly to the Power Picks main page, hit the "Vote Now" button as often as you like, and tune in later today to see how Bucky did. Have fun and keep clicking...

(Edited with results: Bucky won this one and kicked off the show in style. Congratulations to Bucky, and many thanks to all who gave their mouse-clicking fingers a workout!)

Bucky, Rocky, Shaun, Hans and Don and their delighted fans sure had fun at the Michigan State Fair last night--here's a beautifully enthusiastic recap by our friend Tara Leeanne, who got a chance to say hi to Bucky and Rocky and got a much-longed for photo with both of the Covington brothers! If you were there too, and you've got gorgeous photos to share, the good folks at 99.5 WYCD in Detroit would love to hear from you. The station's very kind webgoddess Nanci dropped by yesterday to say hello in comments, and she left us a link for all your great Michigan State Fair shots. Click right here for a handy form that'll allow you to upload the photos directly from your hard drive; then check WYCD.com soon for your favorite images. Huge thanks to Nanci for the info and for stopping in!

The latest Billboard and Radio & Records charts are in, and Bucky Covington's staying power cannot be denied, y'all. (Talk about tenacious!) "A Different World" graces both the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Radio & Records/BDS country singles charts at #6 for the week, and Bucky's album keeps its strong steady Top 20 streak going with a #18 finish at Billboard's Top Country Albums. At Mediabase, Bucky's first hit single holds the #13 spot on the weighted chart and is #8 on the Top 500; and his next hit, "It's Good to Be Us", is causing a bit of a buzz even before its official September release. This morning, the new tune is #113 on the weighted chart and #109 on the Top 500, with WYCD in Detroit, WKML in Fayetteville, KSD in St. Louis and KDRK in Spokane hopping on board bright and early. (If you hear Bucky's new single on your local station, call them up and let them know you loved it--and leave a note in comments here and let us know all about it, too!)

And if you haven't heard it yet, keep your ears out and your local country radio station tuned in-- songfight and challenge time is nearly here. A friend reports that her local station's MySpace sends out bulletins and posts notices of upcoming "new song challenges"--if you're not a "friend" of your local country station's MySpace, add them now! (And be sure to add Bucky Covington's official MySpace, too--it's a fun way to keep up with what's going on as Bucky and the guys criss cross the country, and it's got one of the most happening-- and most commented-upon --blogs of any artist ever. Bucky and his label have created a very popular hangout--join the excitement!)

As a matter of fact, we'll wind things down with a link to the beautiful "concert reviews and photos" post at Bucky's MySpace blog, where there are some excellent shots of past performances posted already. "Friend" Bucky and add yours, soon!

Here's your opportunity to hear (and photograph) Bucky and the band tonight:

Thursday, 08/23/2007, 7:00 p.m.
Mountain Lakes Ampitheater
Flatwoods Exit, I-79
Flatwoods, WV

Website: http://www.mountainlakesmusic.com/
Ticket info: Buy tickets online at the venue's website or charge by phone at 866-433-4589. Prices are as follows:

$35 Rows A-F in the Center, Right Center & Left Center Sections
$25 Rows A-F in the Far Right and Far Left Sections
$15 All other Seats
(seating chart here)

Directions: Available at venue's site.

Be sure to bookmark the tour page at Bucky Covington's official website for his full schedule and meet and greet information. Hope to see you at a show soon...

(Updated to send get-well goodness to our friend kgator--here's wishing you all the best! )

More later--have a totally awesome Thursday!