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Bucky anxious to see town

By R. Shawn Lewis/Richmond County Daily Journal
Friday, April 14, 2006 12:28 AM EDT

Bucky’s coming home late Tuesday.



So said the “American Idol” sensation Thursday during a conference call with international media representatives, including the Richmond County Daily Journal.

“Looks like I’ll probably be coming in about Tuesday,” Bucky said, a day after he was eliminated from “American Idol.” “Tell everybody don’t change a thing. I’ve got to come and see it.”

So what is the 28-year-old body shop worker looking forward to the most when he gets back to Richmond County?

“Scrubbing Slim on the head,” he laughed. Slim is the singer’s black lab.


The elimination

Bucky was voted off by “Idol” viewers following his performance of “Fat Bottomed Girls” during Queen week. His rendition was generally well-received by critics. Even “Idol” judge Simon Cowell predicted Ace Young, not Bucky, would be eliminated based on their performances.

Bucky said, “It’s better” to leave after a good performance than a bad one. “I’d rather leave on a high note than a low note.

“If I’m not gonna win, eighth is just as good as fourth. I feel pretty good about leaving on a good note.

He also considered singing “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” which Taylor Hicks chose, but stuck with “Fat Bottomed Girls,” noting his musical influence “Kid Rock has a version of it. It was a fun song. I had a fun time doing it.”

Last song

Bucky expressed surprise with how “Idol” producers executed the elimination round this week. Host Ryan Seacrest had the bottom three vote-getters each perform their Queen song before making the cut.

“We didn’t find that out until the last minute,” Bucky said. “Elliott (Yamin) was the very first to find out when they handed him the mike.

“What went through my head? I just kinda had a blank mind. Like I said, whatever happens, happens. I feel good about the note I left out on.

“A lot of people thought it was a pretty solid performance that I did.”

So what does go through Bucky’s mind when he’s singing?

“When I get up there and start, my mind just kinda blanks out,” he said. “I don’t know if a thousand things are moving through my mind or nothing. Things are going so fast, I just don’t remember them.”

The bar singer

Bucky said he and Taylor Hicks, a fellow bar singer, had a small advantage built up by their years of crooning in clubs.

“It gives you an edge, as far as voices being strong,” he said. “When you’re used to singing Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights in a smoky little bar room, a minute and a half every week is nothing.”

It will be a long time before Bucky returns to that circuit - if he ever does at all.

The singer is under contract to “American Idol” and will tour with the top 10 Idols this summer.

The contract means that when Bucky does come back to Rockingham, he may not be able to sing for his throng of fans.

“It’s kinda hard to say. I’m under contract now, so I’ve got to check with this and that,” he said. “I’d better not guarantee anything on that.”

His return to Richmond County will be brief.

“I plan on taking it easy a little bit and then doing this tour thing,” he said.

“I’m probably going to be looking toward Nashville trying to find some work.”

Nashville is already looking for him.

On Thursday morning, Sawyer Brown’s management team called the Daily Journal seeking help contacting Bucky. The agency said it planned to offer Bucky a job.

The singer will miss his old life at Covington’s Body Shop, where he painted anything from a refrigerator to a Mercedes. Wicker furniture, “You name it, I painted it.”

The singer addressed a myriad of topics during the 30-minute interview. Here’s a look at some of his thoughts:

On judge Paula Abdul’s antics: “Any time you’re making somebody dance it’s gonna make you feel good. If you can make Paula Abdul dance, then all the better. It’s a very comforting feeling.

“Simon’s not going to actually get up and cut a rug. If you get a judge bobbing their head, diggin’ what you’re doing, it’s a great confidence boost.

“You gotta be yourself and I think that is Paula. For her to be anything else, then she’s not being herself. I like her the way she is.”

On the “North Carolina triangle” of himself, Kellie Pickler and Chris Daughtry: “It’s a nice comforting feeling to know there are three of you out of North Carolina. There again, where other people might have a whole state voting for them, we’ve got to split it up into three.

“I’m sure it probably hurt us a bit. It’s a nice thing to show North Carolina has a lot of talent coming out of it. Hopefully, it’s helping North Carolina out.

“Actually I’d like to see a couple music labels come into Charlotte.”

On Internet fans: “It’s amazing how some people can love you so much, but somebody else can just hate your guts. Thank God people are different. But if we were all the same, we’d all live in Rockingham and love country music. But that would be too crowded for me.”

On his favorite remaining contestant: “Buddy-wise, definitely going to have to go with old Elliott Yamin.” Bucky added Elliott said he “hated to see me go,” to which Bucky joked, “I said, ‘Man don’t worry about that. I’ll see you next week.’”

On what fans are looking for in “Idol” contestants: “What’s important? The whole package is important. To some people cuteness means 100 percent. To some people, cuteness means nothing and vocal is everything.

On judge Simon Cowell: “He knows what sells the show, and so far, he’s hit the nail on the head.” He added that Simon is used to booking “boy bands.” “For him to like someone like me or Taylor, it’s out of the question. Now he doesn’t so much give advice as he tries to put people down and make the show bigger.

“You can help and then you can just sell the show. He does a good job selling the show.”

On his ability to fuse country and rock: “I don’t believe there’s no way out of that. A lot of today’s country has got a little rock drive to it. I like the route country’s going and I hope in can get into it.”

On his wife, Crystal: “She is wonderful. They say behind every good man is a good woman. Crystal, she stands in front of me. She’s been super supportive. I did a good job picking that one.”

On the “Idol” experience: It happens all very fast. There’s a lot of hours in involved. Just when you think you’ve got something figured out, it changes. It’s very confusing trying to figure out what people want.”

On leaving Idol: “It was bound to happen sooner or later. I had a good time.”

Bucky Covington "Fat Bottomed Girls"

Strengths: Bucky - although the melodic components of this song are quite repetitive, I have to say that, stylistically, this was a perfect fit for you. This is not the most complex song from Queen's catalogue of music. The singer has to work hard to make the song interesting or else the song will sound inadequate and mundane. Therefore, I congratulate you, Bucky, for allowing this song to come alive through your performance.

This song really complimented your strong country rock roots and you seemed artistically comfortable while performing this number. You successfully engaged your audience in your performance, from the hand clapping at the beginning of the number to the genuine and relaxed stage choreography throughout the 90- second showcase. Additionally, you expertly established good communication with the television camera, thus including your television audience in your Queen performance.


Vocally, we were treated to the pure head tone timbre in your voice, an element that was thankfully introduced during last week's showcase. Previously, when performing your up-tempo numbers, you were having problems implementing this vocal characteristic, but not this week. I felt that your voice thankfully exhibited less of a screaming chest tone characteristic. You seemed to be attempting to direct your vocal sound away from your throat and into the resonating cavities of your vocal masque. (face) It was wonderful to hear, Bucky, and I hope this will encourage you to stay true to the correct technique in your future performances.


You have a wonderful charisma on stage, Bucky -one that captivates your listeners. You have a natural and authentic personality that is transferred to your song performances. Never lose that. It truly is a precious attribute in securing believable performances and in acquiring the continued loyalty of your fans.


Good work once again, Bucky!


Critique: Bucky - be very careful that your access your diaphragmatic muscles consistently and rigorously when you sing these up-tempo numbers. A few times, in an attempt to move with ease around the stage, your pitch faltered because the implementation of the stage choreography overrode the correct technique for secure, pitch perfect vocal production. It is quite the trick to balance these two important components in any singer's performance, so keep working to strike a balance between the two. Practice your up-tempo numbers slowly. This will allow you to pay close attention to the areas within a song that are challenging, thus allowing you to analyze and remedy the problem.


Also, be very careful to continue to balance your chest voice and head voice when you sing your dynamically louder melodic passages. A few times during this song, particularly in the more passionate sections, your voice reverted to your customary rasp and we were left with a technically less efficient vocal sound. Always remember that the microphone will further enhance the louder dynamics if necessary, so it is very important to sing and produce your sound technically well.


However, the rasp is what identifies you, Bucky, so do not eliminate this completely. You just have to make certain that you are supporting this nuanced effect by accessing the diaphragmatic muscles. It can be done - performers the world have perfected this technique, especially Broadway performers. It adds inflection and variety in your vocal timbre. However, remember the old cardinal rule: "less is more". So, use this rustic vocal sound judiciously.


Another great week for you Bucky! Congratulations!