Bucking The Ex-Idol Stereotype

Final sales figures from 2007 have been tabulated, and Bucky Covington wins the year with the best-selling debut CD. Released in April 2007, Bucky Covington debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Country Album chart with the biggest first week sales for any debut country artist that year. Since then, consistent sales and near non-stop touring have helped Bucky amass three consecutive Top 10 hits and album sales totals over 400,000.
Bucky remains one of only three male country artists since 2005 to have three consecutive Top 10 singles – “It’s Good To Be Us” breaking into single digits, “A Different World” and “I’ll Walk” reaching charted positions in the Top 5. Bucky is currently in the studio with producers Mark Miller and Dale Oliver working on the second collection of hits; the first single is expected to arrive at The Country Station in coming weeks. Meanwhile, Bucky will be undertaking his first USO tour next month, and will make an appearance in Hannah Montana: The Movie, which opens April 10th.

+ 14,000 more = 2. Plus 62,000 more, still equals number one, times eight! This is the 8th week in a row that Taylor Swift has kept Fearless at the top of the current album charts, and her self-titled debut CD is still selling well enough to grab second place.

Dierks Bentley is going to try to give Taylor a run for her money when his 4th studio album, Feel That Fire, comes out on Tuesday. The media gamut includes tonight’s hour-long GAC special on Dierks’ life on and off the road; the Dierks Bentley CMT Supercharged Weekend on 1/30 – 2/1; the NBC Today show on Tuesday for the big release; next Thursday (2/5) it’s Live with Regis and Kelly on ABC; a pre-race concert on FOX at NASCAR's Bud Shoot Out at the Daytona International Speedway on Saturday (2/7); and finally, Dierks hits the The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on February 11th.

More Appearances
February 3rd: The Zac Brown Band sings “Chickenfried” on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.
February 8th: Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and Kid Rock at the 2009 Musicares Person of the Year Tribute to Neil Diamond.

News From Around The Country
Billy Powell, keyboard player for the legendary Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, died at his home in Jacksonville, Florida at the age of 56. The cause of death has not been announced. Troy Gentry went solo to Montgomery Gentry’s number one party for “Roll With Me” because Eddie Montgomery was stuck at home in Kentucky without power and bad road conditions. He is one of 35-thousand people in Kentucky that hasn’t had power for over a day in a half. And John Rich has revealed scant details about his recent wedding to long-time girlfriend, Joan. His wedding band has a large diamond in the middle surrounded by a row of diamonds on either side. He said he had to get the large ring to “set off” the diamond studded Muzik Mafia ring he wears on his right hand. As for his wife’s ring, it’s eight carats - one carat for each year they dated.