Quick Monday news: Vote for Bucky! (again), concert calendar, Buckytown USA and more...

Bucky Covington (with Jeff Brown and Steve Cook) rocked the crowd in West Palm Beach a few weeks ago--click the image to see the start of Bucky's 2010 concert schedule. Thanks to the talented Judy Lang for this terrific photo.

Now that the holidays are over and the first real workweek of 2010 is in full swing, Bucky Covington and his stalwart supporters (that'd be us) are getting ready for a busy--but rewarding--late winter. Bucky and his band's next scheduled show happens on January 15th at the 8 Seconds Saloon in Indianapolis, and all indications are that it'll be a hot one. (They're rested and ready to rock!) Get your seats at Ticketmaster soon.

Bucky, Chris Young and Easton Corbin play Luckie's Tavern in Baltimore the following night; the WPOC for Kids benefit for St. Jude's Children's Hospital takes place on the 16th, and doors open at 5 pm. (This is a 21-and-over show for a worthwhile cause--hope you can be there...)

Yesterday's buzz about the status of Bucky's excellent single, "Gotta Be Somebody", continues this morning--Steve Cook's Shiny Bass Journal entry indicates that the song has been pulled by the label, but we're not sure if "pulled" means pulled for a remix, pulled for an immediate new single, pulled for a break between singles...yep, it's a mystery. However, there's no mystery about Bucky's status on the video voting ballots--both GAC's Top 20 Country Countdown and CMT's Pure 12-Pack have him listed as of post time, and his video is rising on both countdowns.

With that rich slab of good news in mind, and with the frustrating (let's be honest) awareness that we have no direct "vote" in the corporate boardroom, it's pretty clear that our next move is to make sure those video voting ballots and radio request lines are absolutely hot this week. Keeping Bucky's videogenic charms in front of the country fans watching GAC and CMT is something we can do directly, and it helps both Bucky and I'm Alright immensely. If your local country station is playing Bucky's music--whether it's "Gotta Be Somebody" or one of his past Top Ten hits--keep on requesting him, and give your neighbors an opportunity to enjoy him, too.

Bucky Covington and Rocky Covington harmonized for their fans in Florida--thanks again to Judy Lang for this terrific shot.

No matter what's going on behind the scenes, letting the world know (with our votes, our voices and our presence at the gigs) that Bucky Covington is a talented guy with a very supportive audience can only be a good thing in the long run. And the long run is what it's all about, y'all--it's bigger than one single, one season, one show. Bucky's 20-year career plan is still very much on target, and despite all the slings and arrows of this past year, when it comes to a solid (and growing) core of loyal and active listeners, he's off to an excellent start.

Finally--if you haven't already been to Buckytown USA this morning, hop on over now! Fran and Renee have posted their always-delightful weekly update, complete with two exclusive New Year's Eve concert photos by Happydays. Enjoy!

Updated: Thanks to everyone who wrote in to let us know about KGRT's 104 Greatest Country Songs of the Decade countdown--Bucky's debut hit, "A Different World", made it onto this prestigious list at #92. Congratulations! More soon...