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| ‘Idol’ finalist on stage tonight |
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Posted: Thursday, August 16, 2012 10:00 pm
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Bucky Covington
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Bucky Covington, who was on Season 5 of Ameri-can Idol, will be performing at the Obion County Fair tonight.
He has been honing his highly identifiable sound since his earliest days growing up with his mother, stepfather and twin brother, Rocky, in Laurinburg, N.C. His taste in country music ran to George Strait, Travis Tritt and Tim McGraw, and he began testing his own vocal skills with a karaoke machine early on.
Still, he lived a normal teenage life, spending time on his dirt bike and picking up experience in his father’s body shop. He got a guitar after an album by Canadian singer and guitarist Jeff Healey knocked him out and convinced him to give music a serious try.
He played with rock groups for three years, then followed his passion into a band playing “Southern rock, beach and country.” It was called Southern Country and it made him a honky-tonk hero in the area, as he packed clubs every weekend.
Friends encouraged him to try Nashville, but when his sister-in-law told him about tryouts for American Idol, he took that route. His striking looks and smoky vocals got him into the final eight and earned him a spot on the Idol tour. Managers and producers began calling him, but it was a call from Sawyer Brown front man Mark Miller that impressed him.
“A lot of them call you up and talk about the money,” he said. “Mark called me up and talked about music — what kind I wanted to make, what I wanted to do.”
The two have been in musical partnership since then, and it wasn’t long before Lyric Street Records was expressing interest. Two albums into that relationship, he has been embraced fully by country fans.
“I did come off a big TV show and at that point you’re huge. You feel like you’re on top of the world. Then you come back to reality and you’re ‘that guy that used to be...’ After that it’s what you make of it, and after three top 10 hits over the past 21⁄2 years, it’s been amazing to be welcomed so big by country radio and the fans.”
These days his professional life is a combination of studio art and concert stage adventure, and the latter is something he relishes as he strives to perfect his craft in venues that range from crowded bars to festival grounds and big-city arenas.
His highly-anticipated new album “Good Guys” is set to release on Sept. 11, with proceeds from the first week of sales going to “Help the Good Guys,” which is an organization providing immediate financial relief to firefighters who have been injured on the job and their families. Covington is a spokesman for the organization.
Covington will take the Reelfoot Bank Stage at 8:30 after Stormy Montana warms up the crowd beginning at 8.
The singer, songwriter and guitarist was born Stormy Montana Hosey on Sept. 20, 1993. She completed her first fully produced project titled “Someone Like Me” in September 2008. It includes songs from her favorite writers, among them James Slater, Dave Pahanish, Kris Bergsnes, Marcus Hummon, Casey Kessell, Randy Newnam, Liz Rose and Monty Criswell.
The other scheduled events for tonight are the junior and open beef show in the Hunter Miller Livestock Barn at 6 and the FairShow musical at 7 and 9 in the Whitney Cozart Pavilion. There will also be pig races throughout the evening.
Tonight is Pay-One-Price night where everyone, regardless of age, is admitted for a $10 fee. It includes admission and unlimited carnival rides, as well as all shows. Season tickets will be accepted for admission, but will not include rides. Season tickets are $25 per person and include the nightly drawing, which will be worth $2,000 on the first selected ticket tonight. If more than one ticket number has to be selected, then the prize will be $500. A total of $6,000 will be given away during the week. Wednesday night’s money winner, Greg Heuer of Troy, collected $500.
Friday’s schedule includes the junior and open beef show at 6 p.m., FairShow at 7 and 9 and a truck and tractor pull at 7.
For more information, visit the fair’s website, www.obioncountyfair.net. Published in The Messenger 8.16.12 |
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