Wednesday news: "Christmas at the Tennessee" this week, tour rumors, motoring memories and more...

By special request, Bucky Covington (with Ducky Medlock at right) in concert in State College, Pennsylvania; photo by Happydays. Click the image to see more of her beautiful shots from that show. Thanks again, Happydays! Bucky Covington's debut CD is in stores now, and his music videos for "It's Good to Be Us" and "A Different World" are 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 singles 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 at his official site or via his official fan club.

We'll start things off with a TV alert--GAC's Christmas at the Tennesee holiday special (starring Deana Carter, Julie Roberts, Blue County, Steve Azar, comedian Henry Cho and Bucky Covington) will be making your spirits bright for most of the rest of the week! Here are the remaining airtimes--tune in and enjoy Bucky's unforgettably soulful version of "Please Come Home for Christmas" with a friend or two:

• December 13, 2007 5:00 PM ET
• December 15, 2007 3:00 PM ET
• December 15, 2007 9:00 PM ET
• December 16, 2007 1:00 AM ET

Bucky's music video is also gracing GAC's Top Twenty Country Countdown this week on Friday ay 8 p.m.--but at what position? We can help zoom "It's Good to Be Us" to the top with a once-daily vote on GAC's Top Twenty ballot--and after voting, feel free to recruit some helpers...

Speaking of recruiting helpers, there's a little time to get in on a big way to help Bucky's new single get some much-deserved attention--and have lots of fun (and chances to win some terrific prizes) in the process. Head over to Bucky's MySpace blog for more info, then form a team with some buddies and hang on tight--but do it fast. The deadline to get in on this one is approaching soon!

Bucky's single is lookin' sweet at #25 on both the Mediabase weighted and Top 500 charts again today, and his version of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" is rocking the reindeer games at #94. Requesting both tunes at your favorite local country station is a good way to share a musical pick-me-up with your neighbors! And on the national scale, Lia, The Big Time with Whitney Allen, After Midnite or your own favorite syndicated country radio show could use a bit of Bucky this evening. And if you haven't heard Bucky and his fellow Top Five honorees on the Best of NEW! Country player at your local station's site, no worries--we've got you covered. Click the banner below to enjoy Bucky, Kellie, Jason, Luke and Lee's big hits at NEW! Discover Music, and congratulations to these rising stars...

Your next chance to see and hear Bucky's exciting live concert performance happens on Friday at Joyland in Bradenton, Florida--here's a quick overview of the show. Hope you'll be there for the party!

Friday, 12/14/07, 7 p.m.
Joyland IV
5520 14th St W
Bradenton, FL 34207

Website: http://1065ctq.com/
Ticket info: Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door at the WCTQ studios, Carl Black GMC, Joyland, Granny's Motorsports and Metro PCS.
Directions: Mapquest
Other info: This show is sponsored by WCTQ in Sarasota; tune in for more info.


There's also a bit more word about Bucky's upcoming summer festival roadtrip; he's been invited back to festivals where he was a smash hit last summer, and he'll be appearing at some very prestigious new events this year, like the 2008 Stagecoach Festival in Indio, California (ticket info's right this way) and the huge Countryfest in Cadott. But like so many good-hearted country performers, he'll be making his way out to the fans who love to see him in their smaller hometowns, too. Nothing's officially etched in stone just yet, and everything's subject to change, but if you're in the vicinity of the Porterfield Country Music Festival in Wisconsin or the Festival of the Bells near Cincinnati, you might want to bookmark those sites and stay tuned for a possible summertime delight...

In the meantime, we're in for the winter and ready to vote for Bucky from a cozy spot at home; About.com's Country Music category Top Singles poll is still going strong--feel free to give "A Different World"a round of applause there. And Bucky's video for "Its Good to Be Us" deserves a thumbs-up, too-- watch it now at CMT, and vote for it on GAC's Top 20 Country Countdown, CMT's Top 20 Countdown and at CMT's Pure Country Pure 12-Pack. The latter is especially urgent, since the voting is unlimited but the time to vote is not! Today's the last day for voting this week--click that image now to head over to the 12 Pack site.

We'll close with a few more bits and bobs found around the 'net. Those of you who went to the Labor Day celebration in Pineville, WV this past summer may have noticed a fun non-musical performer making the scene--Rik Roberts' "Barney Fife" impersonation is a hoot, and he and Bucky stopped to pose for a photo that you'll find on his Past Clients page.

And finally, a lovely memory from Rockingham Remembered--if you haven't been to this beautiful tribute to the history of Bucky and Rocky's hometown, stop in now and bring a cup of coffee. There's much to see, and it'll take time to look at it all. A fine place to start is this page of classic photos from the Rockingham Dirt Track in the 1950s; scroll down to see a priceless image of Bucky and Rocky's grandfather, "Buck" Covington, proudly posing with #14.

More soon--have a wonderful Wednesday!