The Obion County Fair has announced that country singer Bucky Covington will be its main entertainment attraction at this year’s fair — scheduled for Aug. 13-18.
Covington is a man known and loved as much for his engaging personality as for his formidable talent.
The talent has shone through on three hit singles that have helped push his debut album toward gold status; his undeniable likeability and his ability to wear his stardom as comfortably as his jeans has done the rest. Both come together on stage, where the long-haired North Carolinian with the rocker’s charisma and the country boy charm thrills old and new fans alike as he criss-crosses the country.
With his first album, he earned a place in the forefront of a new generation of country singers. He became the best-selling debut artist of the class of 2007, with the best first-week sales and highest Top 200 debut for any male country artist in 15 years. He appeared on “Good Morning America,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and many others, became part of the Country Sings Disney project, and appeared in “Hannah Montana: The Movie.” Now, with his new album “I’m Alright,” he leaves behind newcomer status and emerges as one of the true standouts in contemporary country music.
His sophomore project reflects the added depth and maturity Covington brings to the table.
“I’ve definitely grown in the past few years,” he said. “I’m a little wiser when it comes to the things around me. I’m more tuned in to the world and what’s going on, and I’m growing as a person. As all of those things affect my life, they’re bound to affect my music.
“Still, the success I’ve had hasn’t changed my basic nature. I’m still a very approachable person,” he added.
That approachability is evident in the fact that he is the same easy-going guy with hometown friends, with fans on the road — and with his fellow musicians in the studio.
The full range of his personality finds expression in his newest record. “I’m Alright” reflects his wealth of musical influences, as he brings blue-eyed soul to “Hold A Woman” and Lionel Ritchie’s Commodores classic “Sail On,” a Southern rocker’s energy to “I Always Said You’d Be Back,” a South-of-the-border feel to “Mexicoma,” pure riff-rocking power to “Evel Knievel” (“I couldn’t pass up cutting a song with that title!” he said, with a laugh) and a connoisseur’s sincerity to “Giants,” a song that spells out the genre’s debt of gratitude to groundbreaking artists like Dolly Parton, Hank Williams, Tammy Wynette and Johnny Cash.
The latter is Covington’s nod to country music history as he begins to make his own mark on it.
“Going into my second album, I think it’s something I definitely understand and appreciate even more. You’ve got to pay heed to those who came before you,” he said.
“I Want My Life Back,” a track off his new album “I’m Alright,” represents Covington at his finest, showcasing a singer bringing true passion to a lyric that offers up a real slice of life as well as a glimpse of hope at a time when it’s needed most.

Published in The Messenger 6.27.12