Ralna English
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ralna English | |
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 singer Ralna English of the Lawrence Welk Show
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ralna Eve English |
| Born | July 19, 1942 |
| Origin | Haskell, Texas, United States |
| Genre(s) | Southern Gospel, Big Band, Popular, Country |
| Occupation(s) | vocalist |
| Years active | 1969-present |
| Website | Ralna English.com |
Ralna Eve English American born singer (born June 19, 1942) was born in Haskell, the seat of Haskell County, north of Abilene, Texas. She was famous as part of the husband & wife singing duo of Guy & Ralna with then-husband Guy Hovis both of whom were featured performers on The Lawrence Welk Show.
English was reared in Lubbock, where as a teenager, won a local battle of the bands competition with her group "Ralna and the Ad-Libs". One of her competitors was legendary rock star Buddy Holly, a Lubbock native.
After attending Texas Tech University, and singing jingles for television commercials in Dallas, she relocated to California in the late 1960s where she performed regularly at The Horn nightclub in Santa Monica.
It was there that she met fellow aspiring performer Guy Hovis, a native of Mississippi. They were married on January 25, 1969.
Later that year, she joined Lawrence Welk on his television program originally as a soloist. In the first year, husband Guy joined the program, and for the next thirteen years, until the show ended its run in 1982, Guy & Ralna became one of the most popular acts on the show.
Although they divorced in 1984, they are still good friends and often perform together in concert venues. They are the parents of a daughter Julie (born 1977). English is single, but Hovis has remarried.
In March 2007, Ralna's solo TV special, "Ralna English: From My Heart" premiered nationally on PBS stations across the US. In it, she performed with a 75-piece orchestra and 100 voice choir. The show was a fundraiser for public television and viewers can pledge for a DVD or CD of the program.
In 2007, Ralna also published a "Ralna English Family Cookbook" that was offered with her TV special. Recipes are from her two sisters, Sharon and Jane, as well as her aunts, grandmother, mother and other relatives.
Now living in Scottsdale, Arizona, she still maintains a busy concert schedule, either performing as a solo act, or with Guy Hovis, (Guy & Ralna) who was an aide, based in Jackson, Mississippi, to his longtime friend, former U.S. Senator Trent Lott, a Republican.
