Guy Hovis
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Guy Lee Hovis Jr. (born September 24, 1941) is an American-born singer who was one of the featured performers of television's The Lawrence Welk Show, but is best known as one half of the singing couple Guy & Ralna.
Born and raised in Tupelo, Mississippi, the same hometown of rock icon Elvis Presley, he was the son of an officer from the Mississippi Highway Patrol. He originally planned to be an accountant and graduated with a bachelor of science degree from the University of Mississippi at Oxford. After a two-year stint in the Army, Hovis decided to utilize the musical skills he learned at a young age, which included both singing and playing the guitar, in Hollywood the following summer.
His first break came with an appearance on the House Party television program hosted by Art Linkletter on CBS, then he teamed up with David Blaylock as the singing duo of Guy & David, which led to a recording contract with ABC Records.
After the duo broke up, Hovis was a soloist again, performing in Los Angeles nightclubs such as The Horn in Santa Monica; it was there he met his future wife and singing partner Ralna English. They were married in January 1969.
Later that year, Ralna joined the Lawrence Welk Show as a solo singer; it wasn't until the show had its Christmas episode that she convinced Welk to have Hovis on the show to sing a duet with her. He agreed, and the initial appearance, singing Little Toy Trains, led to more appearances. Eventually, Guy & Ralna became a regular member of the Musical Family.
For the next twelve years, until the show ended in 1982, the act of Guy & Ralna was one of the most popular acts on the show since the Lennon Sisters. Part of the appeal was the singing talents of both Guy and Ralna as well as the portrayal of a happily married couple. After the show's run, he continued to perform and added the duties of songwriter and record producer. He even sang the title song for the movie Benji the Hunted.
Since 1990, he has served as state director for U.S. Senator Trent Lott, a Mississippi Republican and his party's Senate minority whip. The two have been friends since their college days at Ole Miss. On his days off, Hovis still continues to perform; either at the Welk Resort in Branson, Missouri, for pledge specials on PBS, or with now ex-wife Ralna (divorced since 1984) at state fairs, concert halls, and casinos.
Hovis sang Let the Eagle Soar, a song written by then Attorney General John Ashcroft, at the second inaugural of President George W. Bush on January 20, 2005. In 2002, Hovis married Sarah "Sis" Lundy, and the couple resides in Jackson.
