The Shadow
“American Idol” performer, Bucky Covington, who drew 1,700 fans to the River Rock Amphitheatre at the Jackson River Sports Complex on Sept. 16, 2007, is pursuing an acting career.
The headline on the front page of “Virginian Review” on Sept. 17, 2007, read “Bucky Rocks Covington.”
A colored photo of Bucky and his fellow guitarist, Shawn Bayles, was published above the headline.
Nearly two decades later, little has been heard from the country musician and vocalist who gained wide popularity by appearing on the 5th season of “American Idol,” the TV show in which he made the top 10, only to finish in 8th place.
In fact, the last song that he has recorded and released is “Probably Won’t” in 2018, and that was after a three year recording drought from one of his most productive recording years in 2015 when he released “I Feel Ya,” “Buzzin,’” “Girl You Get Me” and “Somewhere Looking Beautiful.”
The 2015 songs came after his most productive recording year which was 2012 when he released “Only Got So Much,” “A Father’s Love,” “I Want To Be That Feeling,” “Drinking Side of Country,” Hold a Woman,” “Mexicoma,” “Mama Must Be Prayin’,” “I Always Said You’d Be Back,” “Sail On” and “I’m Alright.”
“Baby Run” was the only recording that Covington released in 2010, and he only released one in 2008, “You’ll Be in My Heart.”
Using his appearance on “American Idol” as a springboard for his career, Covington signed a contract with Ron Harris of O-Seven Artist Management. Harris, the manager of Sawyer Brown who once performed at Boys’ Home of Virginia, helped Covington who signed with Lyric Street Records in Dec. of 2006.
His most productive year was 2007, the year he performed in Covington. With Lyric Street Records behind him, Covington recorded “Different World,” “I’ll Wait,” “It’s Good To Be Us,” “I Want My Life Back,” “Ain’t No Thing,” “Ole Kentuck,” “Carolina Blue,” “Hometown,” “Be Somebody,” “I’m Good,” “The Bible and the Belt,” “Empty Hands” and “Back When We Were Gods.”
Riding the wave of his popularity that songs from his first album helped create, Covington’s performance in Covington was to help Highlands Community Bank celebrate its 5th anniversary.
Covington’s 8th place finish on “American Idol” qualified him to perform on the “American Idol Tour,” and his subsequent signing with Harris helped him even more via his first album that features 11 country songs rendered with his southern rock influence.
Covington wrote one of the 11 songs on the album self-titled, and “A Different World,” charted on “Billboard Hot Country 100” at No. 6.
At the time of his performance on stage in Covington, “It’s Good To Be Us” was holding down the 54th spot on “Billboard Hot Country 100,” a rating system that was debuted by “Billboard Magazine” in 1958.
After Covington signed with Lyric Street Records, his first album brought him more success and recognition as a rising country music star. In fact, he was considered to be the hottest newcomer in country music in 2006.
However, his career took a turn for the worse after Lyric Street Records folded the very next year after his first album was released, and Covington was left without a record label to promote him for the next five years. In the meantime, he traveled across the country performing with his band in order to stay relevant.
Caught in a contractual bind because the parent company of Lyric Street Records was still operating, it took five years for Covington to finally find a way to release his second album, “Good Guys,” on Sept. 11, 2012 under the E1 Label.
The video that accompanied the release of his second album received more than a million views during the first 24 hours following its release. Also, his second album was a success with Shooter Jennings singing a duet with Covington on the hit, “Drinking Side of Country.”
The video featured Kellie Pickler as Daisy Duke, and Covington’s involvement in producing the videos for his two albums inspired him to pursue an acting career just as Dwight Yoakam did once his country music career vaulted him to fame and led Yoakam to see his star added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame on June 5, 2003.
Millions of country music fans have viewed Covington’s music videos, and after returning to his hometown in Rockingham, N.C., where his father owned a body shop, Covington took a time out and worked with his twin brother, Robert David Covington, to run his father’s business.
By then, his success in the music business had given him the wherewithal to purchase a 90-acre farm near the family business. He had been married to Crystal Callahan from 1999 till they separated in 2007.
He became engaged to Katherine Cook in 2011, and on Oct. 10, 2014, Kennedy Taylor Covington was born.
Bucky’s real name is William Joel Covington, and his nickname, Bucky, rhymes with his twin brother’s nickname, Rocky.
After deciding to pursue an acting career, Bucky has appeared in a TV commercial for True Value, acted on an episode of “Doctors,” and portrayed Coach Lemley in “Under the Stadium Lights,” a 2021 film starring Laurence Fishburne and Milo Gibson.
It remains to be seen if Bucky, whose worth is listed as $2 million, will ever see a star with his name on it added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
