Third time's a charm, and another fond farewell...

I always knew that I'd be reopening Buckymania on borrowed time. The project that took me away from blogging last year ended with a (literal, label) drop; another, slated for the fall, was rescheduled, then shelved. Fortunately for my recession-dented finances--but unfortunately for any semblance of free time--the busy project I've been hired for this spring is going full speed ahead. In fact, it's started early; it was moved up from April to this month. Once again, I'm in a position where I have to face the fact that there's no way on earth I'll be able to give Buckymania the attention and care it deserves and still be able to do right by my new employers.

However, if anything, Bucky Covington's official--and unofficial--online team is busier than ever! Since we last said goodbye, the numbers at Bucky's Twitter, Facebook and MySpace have been steadily growing, enjoying news and bulletins straight from the source. (If you haven't friended and/or followed Bucky yet, do it now and hang on tight--you're in for a lot of fun!) BuckyCovington.com is still the #1 stop for the latest on Bucky's career, with a fan club full of dedicated, passionate supporters.


And of course, the grassroots graciousness that has always been a part of Bucky's unofficial fan-based network endures--from Buckytown, USA, to Buck Wild for Bucky Covington, to It's Good To Be Us, Bucky Fan Pics, Brothers Covington, the Yahoo Street Team, the MySpace Fans and MySpace Street Team, and many, many more. Since we first met Bucky in 2006, so many terrific people have taken time out of their busy days to write, vote, request, start sites, greet new listeners, share news about concerts, TV appearances and radio interviews! Bucky is truly blessed when it comes to an awesome audience, and our numbers can only increase as time goes on...

Steve Cook, Bucky Covington and Ducky Medlock on stage in Liberal, Kansas; photo by our generous friend Judy Lang. Thanks so much!

Which leads us straight into the future--where are we headed, and what's next? Now that I'm closing up shop here, I'll be a little blunter than usual and say that yep, the fall and winter of 2009 were a bit harsh. Bucky put out two excellent singles that should have done far better at radio than they did, and the postponement of the release of his second album I'm Alright was disappointing, to say the least. However (you knew this was coming, didn't you?) I firmly believe that the big picture is as bright and beautiful as it's ever been.


Bucky Covington on stage at his fan club party concert, 2009; photo by the very kind Buckaholic.

Bucky Covington is a talented, charismatic and hard-working performer with one of the most beautiful, distinctive, honest country voices ever. Recession or not, industry turbulence or none, good music endures, y'all. When someone can get up on a stage and make you laugh, rock, smile, dance or shed a tear the way that Bucky does, you know you're in the presence of something genuinely lasting. I may not be blogging about Bucky's career any longer, but I'll be listening to Bucky's music, at concerts and on my headphones, for years and years to come.

I guess the only thing more awkward than saying goodbye is saying goodbye twice--but you deserve the heartiest "thank you" in the world, even if it's an encore! It's been such an honor and a privilege to come to this space with you, to watch Bucky's musical journey begin, and to enjoy all the photos, videos, news, encouragement and fun you've shared with us all. Thanks to you; to Bucky's excellent band, friends, loved ones and his very gracious family; to Lyric Street, MSN and O-Seven; to all the media folk and fellow bloggers and radio station people who've kindly given their time and support; to the stellar songwriters who've blessed Bucky with big hits, killer album tracks and hits-in-the-making; and to Bucky Covington for all the past, present and future musical delights, good times and wild, rockin' shows. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Once again, I'll see you on the request lines, at the polls, and on the road. God bless--Winnie

(PS--Let's stay in touch! My email is BuckymaniaBlog (at) Yahoo (dot) com and my personal Twitter's right here--it's protected for now, but zap me a request and we can follow each other. Take care, everybody!)

One more video as we say goodbye; Bucky Covington, Rocky Covington, and his excellent band performed "Seven Spanish Angels" for the troops and their families during Bucky's USO tour.
Video by tbrouns at YouTube--thanks again!