Tuesday, July 1, 2008 9:03 PM CDT
Support and drive helped former 'Idol' contestant reach for the stars
By ROB STROUD, Staff Writer
rstroud@jg-tc.com
CHARLESTON — Bucky Covington rose to fame after making it to the final eight during the 2006 season of “American Idol.”
The country singer hesitated, though, in 2005 when he heard an “Idol” tryout was scheduled in his home state. of North Carolina. Covington was working for his dad at a third-generation family business that he and his brother would be taking over someday.
Covington said he talked about the audition with his dad, who was worried about their auto body shop being short-handed. Covington said he asked, ‘What do you think my odds are?,’ and his dad answered, ‘I think you stand as good a shot as anybody.’
“When he said that I knew I had to go. I can’t wake up at 40 years old kicking myself in the tail, thinking, ‘What if?’ So I went,” Covington said in his official biography
Covington went on from “American Idol” to get a deal on Lyric Street Records and a hit debut single, “A Different World.”
Music fans can hear Covington perform this hit, “It’s Good To Be Us,” and other songs at 8 p.m. Thursday during Red, White & Blue Days in Morton Park. Entry is free, and parking is available at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Field.
Covington was performing nights on the local club circuit and working days in his father’s shop when he toyed with the idea of driving 12 hours to an “American Idol” tryout in Memphis, Tenn. Then, Hurricane Katrina led to cancellation of the event.
The country singer carried on with his regular routine until hearing new tryouts were scheduled in nearby Greensboro, N.C. in October 2005.
Covington passed three tryout levels in Greensboro and went on to Hollywood, rising into the televised part of the competition and the ranks of the final eight contestants.
“Every time my turn came, I would think, ‘If you’re gonna bring it, bring it now. This is the time to put it on the table. Don’t give them a reason to say no,’” Covington said.
The country singer said being in Hollywood was really stressful, adding he probably slept nine hours total in four days during the three tryout dates.
“I was nervous a lot of the time, but Paula just liked my vocal tone from the beginning, and Randy kept saying, ‘I like you. I think you’ve got it.’ That really kept me going. I knew there was something they were seeing that I had to keep tapping into,” Covington said.
Once his run on “American Idol” ended, he was faced with uncertainty.
“The most stressful part about the show is wondering, ‘What do I do next? Is it back to the body shop? Am I going to be playing clubs or am I going to get a shot at something big?’” Covington said.
The day after Covington left the show, he heard from producers Ron Harris and Mark Miller, frontman of the country band Sawyer Brown. Their meeting ultimately led to the record deal with Lyric Street.
“There was a quality in his voice that was honest. I believed him when he sang,” Miller said.
Contact Rob Stroud at rstroud@jg-tc.com or 348-5734.
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