William Joel "Bucky" Covington III (born November 8, 1977) is an American country music

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 singer. He placed eighth on the 5th season

American Idol (season 5)

The fifth season of American Idol began on January 17, 2006 and concluded on May 24, 2006. Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell returned to judge, and Ryan Seacrest returned to host. It is the most successful season to date ratings-wise and also with 18 contestants getting record deals -...

 of the Fox Network's

Fox Broadcasting Company

Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...

 talent competition series American Idol

American Idol

American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...

. In December 2006, he signed a recording contract with Lyric Street Records

Lyric Street Records

Lyric Street Records was an American record label specializing in country music. The label was part of the Disney Music Group, owned by the The Walt Disney Company. President Randy Goodman, formerly a general manager for RCA Records, founded the label in 1997...

. His self-titled debut album

Bucky Covington (album)

Bucky Covington is the self-titled debut album of American country music artist Bucky Covington. It was released by Lyric Street Records, the country division of Hollywood Records, on April 17, 2007. The lead-off single, "A Different World", reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs...

, produced by Mark Miller of the band Sawyer Brown

Sawyer Brown

Sawyer Brown is an American country music band founded in 1981 in Apopka, Florida, by five members of country pop singer Don King's road band: Bobby Randall and Jim Scholten , both from Midland, Michigan; Joe Smyth , Gregg "Hobie" Hubbard , and Mark Miller...

, was released on April 17, 2007. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

Top Country Albums chart, and produced three hit singles on the Hot Country Songs

Hot Country Songs

Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...

 charts: "A Different World

A Different World (song)

"A Different World" is the title of a song recorded by American country musician, Bucky Covington. It was released in January 2007 as the lead single from his first album Bucky Covington. It was written by Jennifer Hanson, Tony Martin, and Mark Nesler. The song is produced by Mark Miller, and was...

" at #6, "It's Good to Be Us

It's Good to Be Us

"It's Good to Be Us" is the title of a song recorded by American country artist Bucky Covington. It was released in September 2007 as the second single from his debut album...

" at #11, and "I'll Walk

I'll Walk

"I'll Walk" is the title of a song written by Brent Wilson and Lonnie Fowler, and recorded by American country artist Bucky Covington. Released in April 2008, it is the third single released from his self-titled debut album, and the third consecutive Top 20 country chart entry of his...

" at #10. Three more singles: "I Want My Life Back

I Want My Life Back

"I Want My Life Back" is the title of a song written by Frank Myers and Anthony L. Smith, and recorded by American country artist Bucky Covington. It was released in April 2009 as the fourth single of his career, and the lead-off single to his second studio album, I'm Alright.-Content:"I Want My...

," "Gotta Be Somebody

Gotta Be Somebody

"Gotta Be Somebody" is the first official single released from Nickelback's sixth studio album, Dark Horse. Originally, the lead single from the album was set to be "If Today Was Your Last Day" but was changed instead to "Gotta Be Somebody". The song was digitally delivered to all formats on...

" and "A Father's Love (The Only Way He Knew How)

A Father's Love (The Only Way He Knew How)

"A Father's Love " is the title of a song recorded by American country artist Bucky Covington. It was released in March 2010 as his sixth single, and was intended to be included on an album titled I'm Alright.-Content:...

," were released for an unreleased second album, titled I'm Alright.

Personal life

Bucky Covington was born in Rockingham, North Carolina

Rockingham, North Carolina

Rockingham is a city in Richmond County, North Carolina, United States named after the Marquis of Rockingham. The population was 9,672 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Richmond County...

, to Gene Covington and Deborah Gates on November 8, 1977 - along with his identical twin

TWINS

Two Wide-Angle Imaging Neutral-Atom Spectrometers are a pair of NASA instruments aboard two United States National Reconnaissance Office satellites in Molniya orbits. TWINS was designed to provide stereo images of the Earth's ring current. The first instrument, TWINS-1, was launched aboard USA-184...

 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, NC. He worked at Covington's Body Shop in Hamlet, North Carolina

Hamlet, North Carolina

Hamlet is a town in Richmond County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 6,018 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hamlet is located at ....

.

At the age of 18, Covington taught himself how to play the guitar and began performing at clubs. He is also a bassist

Bassist

A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...

, drummer

Drummer

A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...

 and songwriter

Songwriter

A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

. Over the years, Covington has expanded his talents, both country

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 and rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

. 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.

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, Tennessee

Franklin is a city within and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 62,487 as of the 2010 census Franklin is located approximately south of downtown Nashville.-History:...

, 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

Legal separation

Legal separation is a legal process by which a married couple may formalize a de facto separation while remaining legally married. A legal separation is granted in the form of a court order, which can be in the form of a legally binding consent decree...

 after more than seven years of marriage. Bucky recently got engaged to his girlfriend of 3.5 years, Katherine Cook.

American Idol

In the 2005-06 season, the Covington twins auditioned for American Idol in Greensboro, NC

Greensboro, North Carolina

Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...

 individually. Of the two, Bucky advanced to the final twelve. On March 22, Bucky remained in the bottom three, along with Lisa Tucker

Lisa Tucker (singer)

Lisa Gabrielle Tucker is an American singer, musical theater and television actress who was the tenth-place finalist on the fifth season of American Idol.-Early life and career beginnings:...

 and Kevin Covais

Kevin Covais

Kevin Patrick Covais is a fifth-season American Idol finalist from Levittown, New York. He was the second finalist eliminated from the competition on March 22, 2006, making him the eleventh-place finalist. He is also an actor in the movie College....

. On April 12, when Covington was in the bottom three with Ace Young

Ace Young

Brett Asa "Ace" Young is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He came to national recognition upon appearing on the fifth season of the reality television talent show, American Idol, although he was eliminated from the competition on April 19, 2006, finishing in seventh place.-Early...

 and Elliott Yamin

Elliott Yamin

Elliott Yamin , born Efraym Elliott Yamin, is an American singer known for his hit single "Wait for You" and placing third on the fifth season of American Idol....

, 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
  Lynyrd Skynyrd
  Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
  
  
• March 1, 2006: "The Thunder Rolls" by Garth Brooks
  Garth Brooks
  Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
  
  
• March 8, 2006: "Wave on Wave
  Wave on Wave (song)
  "Wave on Wave" is a single by American country music artist Pat Green. It was the first single released from his 2003 album, Wave on Wave. It reached #3 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart in the United States, and peaked at #39 on the Billboard Hot 100. It became his first and, to date, only...
  
  " by Pat Green
  Pat Green
  Patrick Craven "Pat" Green is an American Texas Country artist. Active since 1995, he has recorded a total of ten studio albums, including several independent works, three for Republic Records and two for BNA...
  
  

Finals

• March 14, 2006: "Superstition
  Superstition (song)
  "Superstition" is a popular song written, produced, arranged, and performed by Stevie Wonder for Motown Records in 1972, when Wonder was 22 years old. It was the lead single for Wonder's Talking Book album, and released in many countries. It reached number one in the USA, and number one on the soul...
  
  " by Stevie Wonder
  Stevie Wonder
  Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
  
  
• March 21, 2006: "Oh Boy
  Oh, Boy! (song)
  "Oh, Boy!" is a song originally performed by Buddy Holly's band The Crickets. It was written by Sonny West and Bill Tilghman; the band's manager Norman Petty added his name as co-composer. The song was recorded between June 29 and July 1, 1957, at Petty Studios in Clovis, New Mexico, with Holly...
  
  " by Buddy Holly
  Buddy Holly
  Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
  
   (Bottom 2)
• March 28, 2006: "Real Good Man
  Real Good Man
  "Real Good Man" is a single by American country music singer Tim McGraw that reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was the third single from McGraw's 2002 album Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors.-Content:...
  
  " by Tim McGraw
  Tim McGraw
  Samuel Timothy "Tim" McGraw is an American country singer and actor. Many of McGraw's albums and singles have topped the country music charts with total album sales in excess of 40 million units in the US, making him the eighth best-selling artist, and the third best-selling country singer, in the...
  
  
• April 4, 2006: "Best I Ever Had
  Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning)
  "Best I Ever Had " is a song recorded by the American alternative rock band Vertical Horizon on their fourth album Everything You Want, which was released in 1999. It was released as a single in 2001...
  
  " by Gary Allan
  Gary Allan
  Gary Allan Herzberg is an American country music artist, known professionally as Gary Allan.Signed to Decca Records in 1996, Allan made his debut on the United States country music scene with the release of his single "Her Man", the lead-off to his gold-certified debut album Used Heart for Sale,...
  
  
• April 11, 2006: "Fat Bottomed Girls
  Fat Bottomed Girls
  "Fat Bottomed Girls" is a song by the English rock band Queen. Written by guitarist Brian May, the track featured on their 1978 album Jazz, and also appears on the band's compilation album, Greatest Hits...
  
  " by Queen
  Queen (band)
  Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
  
   (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

Buena Vista Music Group

The Disney Music Group is a collection of affiliated record labels all subsidiaries of The Walt Disney Company...

's country label, Lyric Street Records

Lyric Street Records

Lyric Street Records was an American record label specializing in country music. The label was part of the Disney Music Group, owned by the The Walt Disney Company. President Randy Goodman, formerly a general manager for RCA Records, founded the label in 1997...

. His debut single, "A Different World

A Different World (song)

"A Different World" is the title of a song recorded by American country musician, Bucky Covington. It was released in January 2007 as the lead single from his first album Bucky Covington. It was written by Jennifer Hanson, Tony Martin, and Mark Nesler. The song is produced by Mark Miller, and was...

," was released to country radio on January 16, 2007, coinciding with the premiere of American Idol (season 6)

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 again, and Ryan Seacrest returned as host...

. Its initial debut on radio was on Sirius Satellite Radio's New Country channel in late December 2006.

His debut album, Bucky Covington

Bucky Covington (album)

Bucky Covington is the self-titled debut album of American country music artist Bucky Covington. It was released by Lyric Street Records, the country division of Hollywood Records, on April 17, 2007. The lead-off single, "A Different World", reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs...

, was released on April 17, 2007, to positive reviews. It debuted on the Billboard 200 at #4 selling 61,000 copies. It also debuted at #1 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

William "Billy" Ray Cyrus is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist, who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon...

' 1992 debut with Some Gave All

Some Gave All

-Album:-End of decade charts:-Sales and Certifications:-Singles:-Other charted songs:- Personnel :*Billy Ray Cyrus - vocals, rhythm guitar*Greg Fletcher - drums*Corky Holbrook - bass, vocals*Michael J...

. Covington's debut surpassed the previous record held by Jason Michael Carroll

Jason Michael Carroll

Jason Michael Carroll 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 Country that year...

's Waitin' in the Country

Waitin' in the Country

-Album:-Singles:...

. 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 #6, followed by "It's Good to Be Us" at #11 and "I'll Walk" at #10.

Unreleased second album: I'm Alright

In January 2009, Lyric Street noted that Covington has been in the studio recording his second album. The lead-off single, "I Want My Life Back

I Want My Life Back

"I Want My Life Back" is the title of a song written by Frank Myers and Anthony L. Smith, and recorded by American country artist Bucky Covington. It was released in April 2009 as the fourth single of his career, and the lead-off single to his second studio album, I'm Alright.-Content:"I Want My...

" was released to radio in April 2009 and it peaked at #32. The album is expected for release on April 27, 2011. In early October 2009, Covington released a cover version of Nickelback

Nickelback

Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....

's hit single "Gotta Be Somebody

Gotta Be Somebody

"Gotta Be Somebody" is the first official single released from Nickelback's sixth studio album, Dark Horse. Originally, the lead single from the album was set to be "If Today Was Your Last Day" but was changed instead to "Gotta Be Somebody". The song was digitally delivered to all formats on...

". The song is the second single from Covington's upcoming album, I'm Alright and peaked at #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)

"A Father's Love " is the title of a song recorded by American country artist Bucky Covington. It was released in March 2010 as his sixth single, and was intended to be included on an album titled I'm Alright.-Content:...

," was released in March 2010.

In April 2010, it was announced Lyric Street Records

Lyric Street Records

Lyric Street Records was an American record label specializing in country music. The label was part of the Disney Music Group, owned by the The Walt Disney Company. President Randy Goodman, formerly a general manager for RCA Records, founded the label in 1997...

 would be closing, but Covington would be transferred to another label owned by Disney Music Group. According to his MySpace, Covington remains unsigned after Lyric Street Records closed.

In October 2011, it was announced that Bucky Covington had signed as the "premier artist" for eOne

EOne

The eOne was an all-in-one desktop computer produced by eMachines in 1999 that bore a clear resemblance to the design of Apple's iMac. It targeted buyers who liked the iMac style but wanted to use the Microsoft Windows operating system....

's Entertainment One Nashville label.

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions		Sales
		US Country	US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
Bucky Covington Bucky Covington (album) Bucky Covington is the self-titled debut album of American country music artist Bucky Covington. It was released by Lyric Street Records, the country division of Hollywood Records, on April 17, 2007. The lead-off single, "A Different World", reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs...	Release date: April 17, 2007 Label: Lyric Street Records Lyric Street Records Lyric Street Records was an American record label specializing in country music. The label was part of the Disney Music Group, owned by the The Walt Disney Company. President Randy Goodman, formerly a general manager for RCA Records, founded the label in 1997...	1	4	US sales: 427,000

Extended plays

Title	Album details	Peak positions
		US Country
Live from Rockingham	Release date: November 17, 2009 Label: Lyric Street Records	—
I'm Alright	Release date: April 27, 2010 Label: Lyric Street Records	73
Reality Country	Release date: May 4, 2010 Label: Lyric Street Records	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions		Album
		US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...	US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
2007	"A Different World A Different World (song) "A Different World" is the title of a song recorded by American country musician, Bucky Covington. It was released in January 2007 as the lead single from his first album Bucky Covington. It was written by Jennifer Hanson, Tony Martin, and Mark Nesler. The song is produced by Mark Miller, and was... "	6	58	Bucky Covington
	"It's Good to Be Us It's Good to Be Us "It's Good to Be Us" is the title of a song recorded by American country artist Bucky Covington. It was released in September 2007 as the second single from his debut album... "	11	81
2008	"I'll Walk I'll Walk "I'll Walk" is the title of a song written by Brent Wilson and Lonnie Fowler, and recorded by American country artist Bucky Covington. Released in April 2008, it is the third single released from his self-titled debut album, and the third consecutive Top 20 country chart entry of his... "	10	70
2009	"I Want My Life Back I Want My Life Back "I Want My Life Back" is the title of a song written by Frank Myers and Anthony L. Smith, and recorded by American country artist Bucky Covington. It was released in April 2009 as the fourth single of his career, and the lead-off single to his second studio album, I'm Alright.-Content:"I Want My... "	32	—	I'm Alright
	"Gotta Be Somebody Gotta Be Somebody "Gotta Be Somebody" is the first official single released from Nickelback's sixth studio album, Dark Horse. Originally, the lead single from the album was set to be "If Today Was Your Last Day" but was changed instead to "Gotta Be Somebody". The song was digitally delivered to all formats on... "	51	—
2010	"A Father's Love (The Only Way He Knew How) A Father's Love (The Only Way He Knew How) "A Father's Love " is the title of a song recorded by American country artist Bucky Covington. It was released in March 2010 as his sixth single, and was intended to be included on an album titled I'm Alright.-Content:... "[A]	23	122
2011	"I Wanna Be That Feeling"[B]			TBD
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

^ "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

The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100...

 chart at number twenty-two.

• B^ To be released.