Quick news: Bucky Covington interview on Fox Nashville (video), Opry, CMT and a busy weekend ahead...

Thanks to Fox 17 in Nashville for uploading this terrific news feature about Bucky Covington's new hit with Shooter Jennings, "Drinking Side of Country", at YouTube! Bucky's next Nashville performance happens on Saturday, August 4th at the Grand Ole Opry, where he'll take the stage during the 7:30 to 8:00 segment, and again between 11:00 and 11:30.  (Grab your tickets right here.) Those of us who won't be in Nashville will have the pleasure of listening to the Opry live stream on WSM Online.

Bucky's also making a fun (and tasty) television appearance this weekend--see him with the legendary Hazel Smith on CMT's Southern Fried Flicks tomorrow, August 3rd at 11/10 Central (re-airs Saturday, August 4th at 7/6 Central). And if you're anywhere near Danville, WV, tomorrow's your big night twice over--you'll be able to rock with Bucky and his band live at the Boone County Fair!  For all of Bucky's concert dates, head on over to his event calendar at eOne.

Rocky Covington and Bucky Covington on stage in West Palm Beach; thanks again to Judy Lang for her kindness.

Remember when Bucky asked his talented fans for some concert shots for his upcoming album?  He just posted a gracious note at his Facebook : "Thanks to everyone who submitted photos for the new album packaging - at least 50 made it in the package so look for it in the digital booklet on iTunes or in stores Sep 11th! And YES your names are listed in the credits."  Yet another sweet reason to look forward to the release of Good Guys.  (Did we mention that it's available for pre-order now at Amazon and iTunes, and in a Special IAFF Edition package at the HelpTheGoodGuys.com store?)

We'll close with the good news that Bucky and Shooter's hit video can now be seen on CMT.com--be sure to save that link and pass it on, y'all. Please vote for Bucky at CMT Pure's Pure 12 Pack and at GAC's Top 20 Country Countdown, and let your local country radio station know you'd like to hear him, too.  We'll see you Friday evening...enjoy the night!

Monday news: Hot Dish, warm hearts, wild charts and more...

Bucky Covington rocks the crowd at Wild Bill's in Duluth, Georgia; click here to enjoy a great set of concert photos by Happydays. 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. An autographed copy of Bucky Covington can be ordered while supplies last at his official site or via his official fan club.

It's good to see Hazel Smith back at the keyboard and sounding as enthusiastic as ever! She gives Bucky a very fleeting mention in today's Hot Dish wrapup (and I'm sure most won't quibble with her choice of adjective), but the whole column is an excellent wrap up of the CMA Fest whirlwind. It's fun reading for those of us who wish we could have been there, and a nice high-speed trip down memory lane for you lucky ones who were. (Tickets for 2008 are available at the CMA Fest site--it's a very safe bet that Bucky will make a return appearance next summer.)

Over at Mediabase, the expected "superstar polevaults" have happened, and Bucky's single "A Different World" now rests at a nicely bulleted #14 on both the weighted chart and the Top 500. Request Bucky at your favorite local and streaming country stations, (lunchtime requests and dedications are especially fun), vote for Bucky's song in those local "Top X at X" countdowns, and give your favorite nationally syndicated country radio shows a call, email or IM tonight. The bullet's looking good, and even with the wild chart conditions ahead, we've definitely got the power to make it look even better. (And be sure to give the video a boost at CMT's Top 20 Countdown and GAC's Top Twenty Country Countdown, too!)

The Hits Daily Double album sales estimates will crank up again for the week at approximately 7:30 a.m. Pacific, with the final estimates posted tomorrow afternoon. Last week, Bucky's CD moved up a notch to #9 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart--it'll be exciting to see what this week has in store.

I've got a lot to catch up on--Bucky and his fans had a busy weekend!--but here are a couple of fun shots to round out the morning update for now. Bucky and the CMT "Country Fresh" promo crew strike a cute pose in this fun (and large) CMA Fest photo; and a kind festgoer posted this shot of Bucky greeting fans at the autograph table. For lots of photographic goodness, be sure to visit the Bucky Truck Stop at Rawkhands, where Sunscreen's got things looking fantastic.

More soon--see you later today!