Wednesday news: Michigan State Fair, chartgazing and more...

By request (again!) Bucky Covington on stage at Turning Stone Resort, 7/27; photo by the very kind Janie, who had a great time at this memorable show. You can enjoy more of her fantastic concert shots here . Thanks so much, Janie! Bucky'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.

Looks like the forecast calls for a chance of rain near Detroit, Michigan today--but there's a 100% probability that the band shell at the Michigan State Fair will be rockin' tonight! Bucky Covington and Tracy Lawrence will both be there to sing for the lucky fairgoers this evening, and the concert is happening rain or shine. Here's a quick run-down of the details if you're planning to go:

Wednesday, 08/22/2007, 7:00 p.m.
Michigan State Fair
1120 W. State Fair Ave.
Detroit, MI
(with Tracy Lawrence)

Website: http://www.michigan.gov/mistatefair
Ticket info: buy concert tickets ($10) online at Star Tickets or at Fair box office.
Directions: Available at Fair site.

"Detroit's Best Country" 99.5 WYCD has a great page full of information about the fair on their website; at the very bottom, there's a notice that we're shamelessly hoping some of Bucky's camera-carrying fans will heed: "Send us your favorite Michigan State Fair Photo! Share with us the great time you are having at the Michigan State Fair! Or perhaps you had a priceless Kodak Moment at the fair in years past! Simply fill out the form inside and submit your photo!"

By all means--please do, y'all! It would be fantastic to see your photography (and Bucky's smiling face) on WYCD.com.

(Lyric Street ad for "It's Good to Be Us"; click image to enjoy a preview of Bucky's entire album.)

It's also fun to hear Bucky on WYCD, and if you're a local listener, you might have had the fun of enjoying Bucky's current hit, "A Different World" and his upcoming September release "It's Good to Be Us". WYCD is one of the stations that's given Bucky's next hit a bit of airtime in advance, according to Mediabase. We're not sure of the context--was it a songfight, a pick-or-flick, a preview of tonight's fair concert, or simply a case of a great station being among the first to play a fresh new tune? Whatever the reason, we're glad to hear it popping up on the radio--and if you hear it, feel free to give them a call afterwards and tell them you enjoyed the new tune! (Out of towners and/or local cubicle-bound fans can catch the station via the WYCD live stream.)

Bucky's homestate buddies at WKML are at the top of that "starters" list, naturally--as a matter of fact, we'd say it's safe to bet that "It's Good to be Us" will be part of that WKML "Top 5 at 6" countdown before too long. Want to listen in and see? WKML offers streaming audio (linked from the front page) and this notably Bucky-friendly bunch will probably be fine with advance requests, too. You can write them at country@wkml.com and let them know what's on your mind...

For the vast majority of us who'll have to wait a while longer before our local stations add "It's Good to Be Us" to their playlists, the best thing to do is hang on tight for now and keep requesting Bucky's first big hit. "A Different World" is currently gracing a place in the Top Ten after at total of 31 (!) weeks on the charts overall. (That is a hit, folks!) The song is #8 on the Mediabase weighted chart and #7 on the Top 500, and it's still a big favorite with your fellow radio listeners. Give Bucky's debut a little love at GAC's Top Twenty Country Countdown and CMT's Top Twenty Countdown, and remember those great syndicated country radio shows tonight, as well.

As we mentioned before, far-in-advance requests for a single that hasn't quite been released yet can be a slippery slope, if your station isn't playing the "It's Good to be Us" early--see comments here for details. Bucky and his fans have a great relationship with radio so far, and we're looking to keep it that way for decades to come. Patience is a virtue...

We'll wrap it up for now with this link to two freshly posted video clips by the very kind Lisa/letusjudge--hop on over to YouTube and check them out. (We're on the lookout for more photos and clips from past shows, so c'mon back.)

Sorry about the late post, y'all--thanks for bearing with me through the latest Blogger tech glitches! Have a wonderful Wednesday, and I'll see you soon--Winnie