Thursday news: Power Picks today, Kansas State Fair, extra WGAR photos and more...

Here's looking at you! Bucky Covington shoots a smile your way in this fun portrait taken in Jacksonville by the very gracious Hildi. Thanks so much for everything, Hildi! 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. A copy of Bucky Covington can be ordered through his official site or via his official fan club.


Bucky's video for "A Different World" will face a head-to-head challenge on today's CMT Power Picks, which begins at 12 noon ET; click here to go directly to the Power Picks main page. Bucky's matchup happens during the middle of the show, so at noon, hit the "Vote Now" button, keep that voting window open and get ready to mouse-click away...(Thanks to Laurianne for the reminder.)

Edited with results--Bucky won this one over Montgomery Gentry's "What Do You Think About That" , but I somehow missed the percentages! Congrats to Bucky, and thanks to all who clicked our way to victory today...

"It's Good to Be Us" is good to hear on the radio--and our opportunities to enjoy that delight are growing by the hour. Our friend Marzy reports that Bucky's new single took a hearty jump on the Mediabase charts today--it's now an official Top 50 tune, coming in at #48 on the weighted chart (up from #52) and #47 on the Top 500. Sixty-four stations (and counting) are on board as of post time, and the good news is that many of them have run songfights and challenges, with Bucky's latest getting lots of positive feedback. Check out this fun audio clip from KIIM-FM 99.5 in Tuscon, where Bucky's "It's Good to Be Us" was a big winner in their "Bunkhouse Brawl" playoffs. Congratulations, Bucky!

Now that the song's moving relentlessly toward Top 40 status, it's also turning up as an option on those important local "Top X at X" ballots--so if you haven't checked your hometown country station's site lately, stop in again now. You could be in for a pleasant surprise! (A friend mentioned that Bucky's new one has already been part of our local Hot 9 at 9 on WGAR; apparently his exciting Country Jam set must have made quite an impression!) Those local votes have a huge impact, y'all--it's an easy way to let your hometown DJs know how you're feeling about hearing Bucky Covington on the radio. So log on and click away...

If your local station is anywhere near the Kansas State Fair, you've got the perfect opportunity to give them a call for "It's Good to Be Us" before or after the show tonight. Here are the details about this evening's concert with Sawyer Brown:


Thursday, 09/13/2007 7:00 p.m.
Kansas State Fair (with Sawyer Brown)
2000 N Poplar St.
Hutchinson KS 67502

Website: http://www.kansasstatefair.com/
Ticket info: "Ticket price is $10 and does not include gate admission. Tickets are on-sale now and can be purchased on-line at http://kansasstatefair.tix.com, by phone at 1-800-362-3247 or 620-669-3618, by mail or in person at the Kansas State Fair Ticket Office, 2000 N Poplar St, Hutchinson, Kansas."
Directions: Available at Fair site.


And for some enjoyable memories of past concerts, stop in at WGAR.com for their listener-submitted shots of the Country Jam (including some great snaps of Bucky and a nice shot of Rocky waiting in the wings) and head over to CMT's Bucky Covington message board for Buckybaby's fun recap of the Fergie's show in Lebanon, Kentucky last weekend. (Want to be part of the live excitement? Check our "Tour Info" section in the sidebar for links to Bucky's official site, a great Gruvr concert map, our own Concert Roundup and more...)

Finally, a reminder that the banner contest at official Bucky's MySpace blog is still going strong! Some beautiful entries are already posted--stop in today to find out how to add your design and possibly win a personally-autographed photo from Bucky.

More soon!