Monday news: Bucky Covington on TrackChic.com, chartgazing and a little bit of inspiration...

Bucky Covington sings on stage at the Ryman in Nashville during the Grand Ole Opry, 1/12; photo by the very generous Buckems. Thanks so much for the terrific concert shot! 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.


If you love country music and NASCAR as much as Bucky Covington does, a new video-clip site was unveiled today that might be a permanent pitstop in your Favorites folder. Track Chic TV is aimed toward "enthusiastic female racing fans of NASCAR®, Formula 1®, Motorcycle, Karting, Champ Car®, NHRA®, INDY Racing League®, IHRA®, SCCA ®, ARCA®, Dirt Track, etc., that share their passion for Speed, Style and Sisterhood", and their Sound and Speed update is posted this morning:

Track Chic TV’s coverage of Sound and Speed includes coverage of the Sound and Speed Charity Auction Red Carpet with hostess, Mindy Lawrence, interviewing Country Music Stars: Danielle Peck, Bucky Covington, Brent Keith, Josh Gracin, Craig Morgan, Julie Roberts, Jason Michael Carrol and Bryan White. Also included are: NASCAR owners and drivers: Kyle and Richard Petty, Michael Waltrip, Richard Childress, Clint Bowyer and Bobby Hamilton, Jr.

You can check out the interviews and more at Track Chic's News video section--have fun!

Chart news: Bucky's "It's Good to Be Us" still has a firm grip on the #20 position on both the Mediabase weighted and Top 500 listings once again this morning--and as an anonymous commenter mentioned, those bullets are in need of a bit of plumping again. With over a week on the Top 20, a call for Bucky's song will very likely be greeted with a lot more enthusiasm at the other end of those request lines...so we'll all keep picking up those phones this week!

And if you needed any more inspiration, this beautiful, thoughtful personal journal entry by a listener--not a big fan, just someone who shared a lovely moment with Bucky's lovely song--will remind you of an important reason to support the tune. Yes, it's fun to watch Bucky's star rise on the charts and on the stage (we're thinking Top 10 next, and of course there are those upcoming CMT Music Awards to consider), but we also support "It's Good to Be Us" because it's an excellent song. Bucky's lent his distinctive vocals to an exhilarating, positive celebration of life, love and togetherness--and that joyful message deserves to be heard on a much wider scale. Vote, call, email, request and have fun with this, y'all...fun is what the song's all about.

Bucky Covington, Rocky Covington and Ducky Medlock on stage at the Ryman in Nashville during the Grand Ole Opry, 1/12; photo by the very kind Danna. Thanks again!

Upcoming shows: Lots of us are sighing at the changes on Bucky's revised concert schedule that didn't work in our favor (the show I was hoping to attend in Cleveland in March is now off the list--I'm still bummed) but The Covington Times points out the bright side in this morning's edition. There are more open dates in 2008, and if your city, like mine, is no longer on the updated list, the future might bring a pleasant surprise or two. In the meantime, you can enjoy Bucky and his terrific band at the Pullo Performing Arts Center in York, PA on Friday, the 25th (tickets may still be available here), and opening for Trace Adkins at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell, MA on January 31 (see ad in sidebar).

On the tube and around the net: Check out Bucky's video for "It's Good to Be Us" at 2:35 p.m. ET today on GAC-TV. Bucky's interview is likely to be a part of GAC Nights' Sound and Speed segment, which begins tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. ET , with re-airings this week. (Thanks again to Buckems.) Watch "It's Good to Be Us" online at CMT.com, and vote for Bucky at GAC's Top 20 Country Countdown, CMT's Top 20 Countdown. and CMT Pure Country Pure 12-Pack.

The Covington Times has a fun photo for you today (taken by BuckyCrazed during Bucky's very first nationwide tour with his Idol companions), along with links to a great Rocky Covington performance on video and a heads-up on a cute photo thread at the AmericanIdol.com Season 5 forums. Stop in at the Times now for details!

More soon--have a beautiful Monday!