William Joel "Bucky" Covington III (born November 8, 1977) is an American
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
singer. He placed eighth on the
5th season of the
Fox Network's talent competition series ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
''. In December 2006, he signed a recording contract with
Lyric Street Records
Lyric Street Records was an American country music record label. It was owned by the Disney Music Group and founded in 1997 by Randy Goodman. The label had its first successes in 1998 with singles by Lari White and Aaron Tippin, both formerly ...
. His self-titled
debut album, produced by Dale Oliver and Mark Miller of the band
Sawyer Brown
Sawyer Brown is an American country music band. It was founded in 1981 in Apopka, Florida, by Mark Miller (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Gregg "Hobie" Hubbard (keyboards, vocals), Bobby Randall (lead guitar, vocals), Joe "Curly" Smyth (drums), and ...
, was released on April 17, 2007. The album debuted at number one on the ''
Billboard''
Top Country Albums
Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales a ...
chart, and produced three hit singles on the
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...
charts: "
A Different World
''A Different World'' is an American sitcom (and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show'') television series that aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987 to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) a ...
" at number six, "
It's Good to Be Us" at number eleven, and "
I'll Walk" at number ten. Three more singles: "
I Want My Life Back
"I Want My Life Back" is a song written by Frank J. Myers, Frank Myers and Anthony L. Smith, and recorded by American country music artist Bucky Covington. It was released in April 2009 as the fourth single of his career, and the lead-off single ...
," "
Gotta Be Somebody
"Gotta Be Somebody" is the first official single released from Canadian rock band Nickelback's sixth studio album, '' Dark Horse''. It reached number 10 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming their sixth and final top-10 hit.
Background
...
", and "
A Father's Love (The Only Way He Knew How)
"A Father's Love (The Only Way He Knew How)" is a song written by Liz Hengber, Thom Shepherd and Steve Williams, originally released by Shepherd in 2007 on his album ''Texas Girls,'' and was re-recorded by American country music artist Bucky Covi ...
," were released for an unreleased second album, titled ''I'm Alright'', and later included on his 2012 album, ''
Good Guys.''
Biography
Personal life
William Joel “Bucky” Covington was born in
Rockingham, North Carolina
Rockingham is a city in Richmond County, North Carolina, United States, named after the Marquess of Rockingham. The population was 9,558 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Richmond County.
The city is the home of Rockingham Speedway, f ...
, to Gene Covington and Deborah Gates on November 8, 1977 - along with his identical
twin
Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...
brother, Robert David "Rocky" Covington.
Bucky is the nickname derived from his grandfather "Buck". He graduated in the class of 1996 from Scotland High School in
Laurinburg, North Carolina
Laurinburg is a city in and the county seat of Scotland County, North Carolina, United States. Located in southern North Carolina near the South Carolina border, Laurinburg is southwest of Fayetteville and is home to St. Andrews University. ...
. He worked at Covington's Body Shop in
Rockingham, North Carolina
Rockingham is a city in Richmond County, North Carolina, United States, named after the Marquess of Rockingham. The population was 9,558 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Richmond County.
The city is the home of Rockingham Speedway, f ...
.
At the age of 18, Covington taught himself how to play the guitar and began performing at clubs. He is also a
bassist
A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...
,
drummer, and
songwriter
A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...
. Over the years, Covington has expanded his talents, both
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
and
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
. After some time, he elected to perform both original and cover material in a cross-genre vein. Rocky is also a musician and is the former lead singer of the North Carolina band ''Swamp Cat'' currently Rocky is in a super group of rising stars called “The Scarecrows”.
In 1998, when the Covington twins were 20 years old, they were in a minor automobile mishap. Bucky allegedly pretended to be Rocky. They were arrested for confusing the authorities. The plaintiff failed to identify which twin was driving, since the twins were identical.
After ''Idol'', Bucky bought a house in
Franklin, Tennessee
Franklin is a city in and county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020, its population was 83,454 ...
, near Nashville, which he shared with Rocky and his wife Terra. Rocky also joined Bucky's band as a drummer. On February 13, 2007, he and his wife Crystal
separated after more than seven years of marriage. Covington became engaged to Katherine Cook in 2011.
On October 10, 2014, Covington's fiancee, Katherine Cook, gave birth to their daughter, Kennedy Taylor Covington.
''American Idol''
In the 2005-06 season, the Covington twins auditioned for ''American Idol'' in
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...
, individually. Of the two, Bucky advanced to the final twelve. On March 22, Bucky remained in the bottom three, along with
Lisa Tucker and
Kevin Covais
Kevin Patrick Covais (; born May 30, 1989) is an American actor, singer and songwriter. He was a finalist on the fifth season of ''American Idol''. Covais appeared in the films ''College'' and '' Transformers: Age of Extinction,'' and television ...
. On April 12, when Covington was in the bottom three with
Ace Young
Brett "Ace" Young (born November 15, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He gained national recognition while appearing on the fifth season of ''American Idol''. Young is married to ''American Idol'' season-three runner-up Diana ...
and
Elliott Yamin
Efraym Elliott Yamin ( he, אפרים אליוט ימין; born July 20, 1978) is an American singer known for his hit single " Wait for You" and for placing third on the fifth season of ''American Idol''.
His self-titled album, released Marc ...
, the votes went to the latter two. In the Top 8 results show of season six of American Idol, he appeared in one of the front rows.
;Performances during ''Idol''
;Semi-finals
*February 22, 2006: "Simple Man" by
Lynyrd Skynyrd
*March 1, 2006: "
The Thunder Rolls
"The Thunder Rolls" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released in April 1991 as the fourth and final single from his album ''No Fences''. The song became his sixth number one on the country cha ...
" by
Garth Brooks
*March 8, 2006: "
Wave on Wave" by
Pat Green
Patrick Craven Green (born April 5, 1972) is an American Texas Country artist. Active since 1995, he has recorded a total of seven studio albums, including several independent works, three for Republic Records and two for BNA. Fifteen of his si ...
;Finals
*March 14, 2006: "
Superstition
A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and ...
" by
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...
*March 21, 2006: "
Oh Boy" by
Buddy Holly (Bottom 2)
*March 28, 2006: "
Real Good Man" by
Tim McGraw
Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has released 16 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, four for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those album ...
*April 4, 2006: "
Best I Ever Had" by
Gary Allan
Gary Allan Herzberg (born December 5, 1967) is an American country music singer. Signed to Decca Records in 1996, Allan made his country music debut with the release of his single " Her Man", the lead-off to his gold-certified debut album '' U ...
*April 11, 2006: "
Fat Bottomed Girls
"Fat Bottomed Girls" is a song by the British rock band Queen. Written by guitarist Brian May, the song appears on the band's seventh studio album ''Jazz'' (1978) and later on their compilation album ''Greatest Hits''. When released as a single ...
" by
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
(Bottom 3, Eliminated)
Debut album: ''Bucky Covington''
In November and December 2006, Bucky Covington performed on the GAC Country Music Christmas tour, making him the first Idol from the 5th season to be part of a major non-American Idol concert tour.
Covington negotiated with
Buena Vista Music Group
Disney Music Group (DMG) is the music recording arm of Disney Platform Distribution, a division of The Walt Disney Company. It is located at the studio's headquarters in Burbank, California. The division's subsidiaries consist of two owned record ...
's country label,
Lyric Street Records
Lyric Street Records was an American country music record label. It was owned by the Disney Music Group and founded in 1997 by Randy Goodman. The label had its first successes in 1998 with singles by Lari White and Aaron Tippin, both formerly ...
. His debut single, "
A Different World
''A Different World'' is an American sitcom (and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show'') television series that aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987 to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) a ...
," was released to country radio on January 16, 2007, coinciding with the premiere of
American Idol (season 6)
The sixth season of ''American Idol'' premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company as a two-night, four-hour premiere special on January 16 and January 17, and ran until May 23, 2007. Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returned to judge once ...
. Its initial debut on radio was on Sirius Satellite Radio's ''New Country'' channel in late December 2006.
His debut album, ''
Bucky Covington
William Joel "Bucky" Covington III (born November 8, 1977) is an American country music singer. He placed eighth on the 5th season of the Fox Network's talent competition series ''American Idol''. In December 2006, he signed a recording contract ...
'', was released on April 17, 2007, to positive reviews. It debuted on the Billboard 200 at number four selling 61,000 copies. It also debuted at number one on the Top Country Albums chart, making the album the best opening week for a debut album by a male on the chart since
Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus (born August 25, 1961) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, and is known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and ...
' 1992 debut with ''
Some Gave All
''Some Gave All'' is the debut studio album by American singer Billy Ray Cyrus. It was his first album for Mercury Records in 1992 and became the best selling album of that year in the United States, selling over 9 million copies in the first 12 mo ...
''. Covington's debut surpassed the previous record held by
Jason Michael Carroll
Jason Michael Carroll (born June 13, 1978) is an American country music artist. After being discovered at a local talent competition in 2004, Carroll was signed to the Arista Nashville label in 2006, releasing his debut album '' Waitin' in the ...
's ''
Waitin' in the Country
''Waitin' in the Country'' is the debut studio album by American country music artist Jason Michael Carroll. It was released on February 6, 2007 by Arista Nashville. The album has produced three singles on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Songs cha ...
''. He performed selections from his album during a nationwide tour in 2007, and the track "Empty Handed" appeared in NASCAR 08 as part of the in-game soundtrack. Overall, ''Bucky Covington'' accounted for three singles. "A Different World" peaked at number six, followed by "It's Good to Be Us" at number eleven and "I'll Walk" at number ten.
Unreleased second album: ''I'm Alright'' and ''Good Guys''
In January 2009, Lyric Street noted that Covington has been in the studio recording his second album, ''I'm Alright''. The lead-off single, "
I Want My Life Back
"I Want My Life Back" is a song written by Frank J. Myers, Frank Myers and Anthony L. Smith, and recorded by American country music artist Bucky Covington. It was released in April 2009 as the fourth single of his career, and the lead-off single ...
" was released to radio in April 2009 and it peaked at number 32. In early October 2009, Covington released a cover version of
Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian Rock music, rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta. It is composed of guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan Peake, bassist Mike Kroeger, and drummer Daniel Adai ...
's hit single "
Gotta Be Somebody
"Gotta Be Somebody" is the first official single released from Canadian rock band Nickelback's sixth studio album, '' Dark Horse''. It reached number 10 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming their sixth and final top-10 hit.
Background
...
" which peaked at number 51 in December 2009 after spending only three weeks on the chart. The album's third single, "
A Father's Love (The Only Way He Knew How)
"A Father's Love (The Only Way He Knew How)" is a song written by Liz Hengber, Thom Shepherd and Steve Williams, originally released by Shepherd in 2007 on his album ''Texas Girls,'' and was re-recorded by American country music artist Bucky Covi ...
," was released in March 2010, and peaked at number 23.
The album was expected for release on April 27, 2010. However, in April 2010, it was announced
Lyric Street Records
Lyric Street Records was an American country music record label. It was owned by the Disney Music Group and founded in 1997 by Randy Goodman. The label had its first successes in 1998 with singles by Lari White and Aaron Tippin, both formerly ...
would be closing, but Covington would be transferred to another label owned by Disney Music Group. However, Covington remained unsigned until October 2011 when it was announced that he had signed as the "premier artist" for
E1 Music
MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had ...
's Entertainment One Nashville label.
Covington released his second studio album, ''
Good Guys'', on September 11, 2012. Two singles — "I Wanna Be That Feeling" and "Drinking Side of Country" — were released by E1 Music in promotion of the album.
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
;Notes
*A
^ "A Father's Love (The Only Way He Knew How)" did not enter the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 but peaked on the
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...
chart at number twenty-two.
Guest singles
Music videos
Other appearances
*"
Superstition
A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and ...
" from ''
American Idol Season 5: Encores'' (2006)
Filmography
See also
*
List of twins
This is a list of notable twins, siblings resultant from a multiple birth.
Actors
* Kaya and Sarp Akkaya (1980–)
* Shawn and Aaron Ashmore (1979–)
* Conrad (1923–2013) and Bonar Bain (1923–2005)
* Gayle and Gillian Blakeney (1966–) ...
*
American Idol (season 5)
References
External links
Bucky Covington Official WebsiteBucky Covington at CMT Music.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Covington, Bucky
1977 births
Living people
American country singer-songwriters
American male singer-songwriters
American Idol participants
Lyric Street Records artists
Singer-songwriters from North Carolina
Country musicians from North Carolina
People from Rockingham, North Carolina
21st-century American male singers
21st-century American singers