Dottie Rambo, Songwriter and Southern Gospel Singer, Dies
This is awful news for those of us who love Dottie Rambo and her music. She was a wonderful part of the large Southern Gospel music family, and has brightened our home with her music for years. Her songwriting was nothing short of incredible. Rambo has had more than 2,500 published songs, including gospel classics such as “He Looked Beyond My Fault and Saw My Need” and the 1982 Gospel Music Association Song of the Year, “We Shall Behold Him.”
Dottie was on her way to a singing event in Texas when 50mph winds blew her bus off the road into a ditch in Missouri. Dottie was sleeping in the back lounge when the accident occurred. She was active in the role of changing hearts in our society. It was a role she never strayed from.
Last Thursday Dottie performed in Wisconsin Rapids. We had planned months ago to see her Wisconsin show, but with the high cost of gasoline, and not wanting to travel back home at night, we did not attend.
She had many rocky moments in her life, but never seemed to forget that she traveled life’s road with a most trustworthy friend. Her message of hope was transmitted through her music, and as many have described, her ability to pen a song was nothing short of a gift.
Gospel singer-songwriter Joyce “Dottie” Rambo died early Sunday when the bus she was in ran off a road in southwest Missouri and struck an embankment.
Rambo, 74, of Nashville, Tenn., died in the crash about two miles east of Mount Vernon on Interstate 44, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said. Seven other people in the bus were injured, and were hospitalized in Springfield with moderate to severe injuries, the patrol said.
It was unclear if the accident, which occurred about 2 a.m., was weather-related, the patrol said. Severe storms and tornadoes hit the region about 6 p.m. Saturday, killing 14 people. Sustained winds and storms swept through the area later in the night, according to the National Weather Service.
“She was a giant in the gospel music industry,” said Beckie Simmons, Rambo’s agent. “Dolly Parton recorded some of her songs.”
She was on her way to a Mother’s Day performance in Texas, according to her Web site.
Below is one of my favorite ones she wrote and sang.
Technorati Tags: DottieRambo, SouthernGospelMusic, GospelMusic
Dottie was one of my favorite songwriters way before i even knew her as i would sing her songs in church. Love “We Shall Behold Him” signing along on TBN was wonderful too. Will always remember that. Will miss her but she is with her Lord and how wonderful to know that one day we all will see her again………
I miss you Dottie, your singing was the best I grew up on your musuc, your family was the best so go and teach the angels how to sing, and don’t be so quiet about it.
well here it is 9-10-08 i just read where dottie rambo died im so grieved that i started singing her song’s in 1967 i was 17yrs old and i fell in love with her music my mama passed in 78- and her special song was ‘mama is teaching angels how to sing and sheltered in the arms of god my heart aches for her family and my love grew for her thru the years and music always touched my life and heart, i first heard her sing when i was 18 and gotten married and we went to all night sing’s . i know that dottie was a blessing where ever she went i pray that she is resting in the arms of our saviour may her music live on in our heart’s. god bless you all there will never be another dottie rambo.
I am so sad to here of Dottie… I did now know she had gone home… Bless her… this earth lost a wonderful women, but it is Heavens gain. I watched her on TBN meany times… she is a beautiful Soul
I AM SO GLAD I RAN ACROSS THIS SITE.
I ADORED DOTTIE RAMBO. MY HUSBAND AND I BOUGHT OUR 1ST ALBUM 29 YEARS AGO WHEN WE FIRST GOT MARRIED. IT WAS THERE 25TH SILVER ANNIVERSARY ALBUM. WE LEARNED AND SANG EVERY SONG ON THAT ALBUM. WE SANG THE SONGS IN CHURCH AS WELL AS AT HOME.
WE TAUGHT THEM TO OUR 2 SONS AND WE ALL SANG THEM IN THE CAR NO MATTER WHERE WE WENT. DOTTIES SONGS WERE SURELY ANOINTED AS WAS HER VOICE. MY MOM PASSED AWAY IN 2005 BUT SHE DIDN’T GET SAVED UNTIL JUST BEFORE SHE PASSED. THERE IS ONE THING I MUST SAY THOUGH. MY MAMA WE MAKE ME SING NEW SHOES NO MATTER WHERE WE WERE.
THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT THAT SONG THAT TOUCHED HER. WELL SHE’S MEETING WITH DOTTIE NOW AND MY MAMA IS DANCING IN HER NEW SHOES ALONG WITH MY DADDY WHO PASSED EXACTLY 1 YEAR LATER AFTER MY MOM.
THERES NO MORE PAIN FOR DOTTIE, SHE IS SHELTERED IN THE ARMS OF GOD AND SHE LIVES IN OUR HEARTS AS HER MUSIC LIVES ON.
DOTTIE,WAS ONE OF THE BEST
Rick told me of your posting while I was gone when I mentioned Dottie Rambo. I’m a Dottie fan, too!
I met Dottie, Buck & Reba a few times in the 1970s. After one of their concerts in Alabama, Buck asked me if I would pick up some dinner from McDonalds while they loaded up their bus, so that they could eat it on the road.
Dan
A an 8yr old child – I remember the first album bought- to play on our record player. It was Buck,Reba and Dottie. I would sit for hours and listen to the songs she wrote-over and over. As a teen I began to sing her songs in my church and while visiting other churches in my area.. She was so annointed by the spirit of God and had such a “kind” tongue. It always blessed me to hear her say_”isn”t she/he sweet.” She never failed to give God all the glory for all the blessings in her life. “WE SHALL BEHOLD HIM” is one of my favorites–oh-there are so many good ones. What a gift given to us-now home with our Lord. We will see her again one day in the home she so beautifully reflected in her song writing. My heart felt prayer goes out to Reba and Donnie and her beautiful grandchildren. “THE LADY IS HOME AT LAST”–
I remember growing up singing Dottie Rambo’s song and listening to her music. I know that she is in heaven and my heart goes out to this precious family. May God bless her soul. Rest in Peace little angel. The Lord took you home. I finnaly got to meet her several years ago at our UPCI conference in Nashvill, TN and she was so humnble.
I live in Enid, OK and read this in my local paper and though long I hope you will allow it here.
http://www.enidnews.com:80/features/local_story_137233858.html
In the arms of God now
By Patsy Sorrels, Commentary
As a young girl, Dottie Rambo fell in love with country music while listening to the “Grand Ole Opry” in her Morganfield, Ky., home. She started writing songs at age 8 and by age 10 she was singing on a local radio station.
At age 12, she became a born-again Christian, a decision her dad abhorred. He ended up kicking her out of the house, and thus began the Christian career of one the most respected and beloved gospel songwriters in the world. She has written more than 2,500 songs, many of which have been recorded by greats such as Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston and Porter Wagoner, just to name a few.
In 2007, Dottie was inducted into Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. She was one of only 10 women to enter the hall.
Last Sunday morning, May 11, at 2:19 a.m. Joyce “Dottie” Rambo fell asleep on her 1997 Prevost tour bus and woke up in the arms of God. High, gusty winds pushed the bus down an embankment into a median on I-44 near Mount Vernon, Mo. She was 74. Seven other people on the bus, including her manager, were injured.
When I heard what I hoped was a terrible rumor, I Googled her name and found the legendary queen of gospel music was indeed dead.
My heart just broke, and I have grieved all week, searching the Internet, watching her sing on You Tube videos I know came straight from the heart of God.
Jennifer Hewlett, staff writer with the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader newspaper, wrote Dottie was perhaps the most prolific songwriter of her time and the greatest songwriter to come out of Kentucky. She said, “Dottie wrote songs with verses that would make Shakespeare smile.”
If you can’t quite put your finger on who Dottie Rambo was, I know you’ll recognized songs like “In the Valley He Restoreth my Soul,” “He Looked Beyond my Faults and Saw my Need,” “If That Isn’t Love,” “Tears Will Never Stain the Streets of That City,” “I Go to The Rock,” “Build My Mansion” and so many more.
I have spent the last few hours on You Tube watching, tearfully, as Dottie sings with such anointing and conviction, listening to the words of so many timely songs, songs that tell my story, and yours. I can only imagine that right about now there’s a whole lot of rejoicing taking place on those holy hills of Heaven. She’s reunited with family and some of her closest and dearest friends, saints like Vestal Goodman, Tammy Faye Baker, Porter Wagoner … yep, they’re all singin’ it better now. What a concert! What a reunion!
Porter Wagoner sang this song just before his death, and I know she’s singing now.
Sheltered
in the Arms of God
I feel the touch of hands so kind and tender. They’re leading me in paths that I must trod.
I’ll have no fear for Jesus walks beside me, for I’m sheltered in the arms of God.
So let the storm clouds rage high, the dark clouds rise. They don’t bother me.
For I’m sheltered in the arms of God.
He walks with me and naught of earth shall harm me.
For I’m sheltered in the arms of God.
Soon I shall hear the call from heaven’s portals, come home my child, it’s the last mile you must trod.
I’ll fall asleep and wake up in God’s sweet Heaven.
For I’m sheltered in the arms of God.
a,
Knowing Dottie is in Heaven takes the sting out of death, but to lose a loved one so suddenly and tragically is difficult, to say the least. Please remember her daughter, Reba, and her family, and all those who loved and worked closely with her in your prayers.
A Dottie Rambo home-going celebration will be 1 p.m. Monday at Christ Church, 15354 Old Hickory Blvd., Nashville, Tenn., and is open to the public.
Donations in Dottie’s memory may be made to Dottie Rambo Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 50508, Nashville, TN 37205
Keep the faith, hug a loved one today and worship somewhere tomorrow.
Sorrels is News & Eagle editorial assistant.
WORDS WOULD CHEAPEN TO ADD OR TAKE AWAY FROM THIS WOMAN OF GOD THIS LEGEND. SHE WAS FAMILY IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE. A GOOD FRIEND TO MY GRANMOTHER DURING HER LIFE AND SO MANY GODLY MEMORIES.. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR WHAT THE WONDERFUL MUSIC SOUNDS LIKE AT THIS MOMENT FOR SURE YOU HAVE YOUR SHOUTING SHOES AND YOUR MANSION NEXT DOOR TO JESUS.. SING ON MAMA DOT
My prayers are with the family at their time of lose. I believe that that Dottie is up in heaven with the Lord praising with the angels and all the saints.
I can’t think of anyone who will be missed more than earth’s heavenly angel Dottie Rambo. My, what a woman of faith. She was determined to spread the word of God in song and word even through her pain and suffering. I loved that woman and her talents more than anything. Now she’s ‘teaching angels how to sing.’
I sang many of her songs in church services and they always hit the heart. Very singable songs and I wish I could find some of them again that has gone out of print.
Dottie told me one time that when she was born and in her early years as a child she was so little that her father made the remark that she was no bigger than a dot…..so, he started calling her little Dottie….
I am Dottie’s sister-in-law and lived with Dottie in 1992 as her care-giver…She was like a sister to me and she will be greatly missed by my family and my children….Betty F. Rambo, Dawson Springs, Ky.
Can anyone tell me how Joyce Reba became “Dottie”?
I feel saddened & shocked! BECAUSE of Dottie Rambo’s many testimonies of victories, her prodigious faith in God, & thousands of songs she’s written, lots of lives have been transformed! I watched her on TBN. All of a sudden, she’s been promoted to the land of the living! She left her candle still burning! As we stay awhile longer in this land of the dying, beloved Dottie is already missed. A void she leaves. Thank God for the legacy of her inspiring GOSPEL MUSIC encouraging us all to be ready when our inevitable day comes.
Dottie Rambo, just the name brings a smile to Southern Gospel Music fans of any level. I recall my first introduction to the Rambo music was during a summer I lived with a wonderful Nazarene family in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her songs brought a warmness to my young Christian heart, and the sincerity of her words have stuck with me to this day. My strongest connection with Dottie was in 1980, in Brevard, North Carolina. I was Minister of Music at that time at FBC, Brevard, and I was connected with a music festival in Brevard called “Discovery Festival”. A friend of mine and I were attempted to tap into the Jesus Festivals happening in a big way during this period and bring some variety to Christian music to the area. We booked Dottie for a concert, and I had the privilege of backing her up on the stage with my adult choir on two of her famous pieces, “I’ve Never Been This Homesick Before”, and “We Shall Behold Him”. I recall a precious time at supper before the concert with Dottie. She was such a gracious lady. She had a fever blister just beginning and was concerned whether or not her lipstick would cover it well enough. Such a “human” moment for such a mega star. Dottie Rambo, an icon that will be sorely missed in the gospel music field. Thank you Lord for allow the medium of recorded music which allows us to be blessed over and over again by her ministry. God speed my friend. Lenny
I was saddened and shocked to read about this in the news today. I grew up in the late 70s and 80s listening to her music and as a kid was always impressed by the lyrics, how close to the scriptures they were, and how she matched the melodies with those lyrics to encourage people in their walk with Christ in both good and bad times in life.
She will definitely be missed.
A man who likes Southern Gospel can’t be all bad.
I like Dottie’s songs also and got the chance to sing one or two in church. My personal favorite of her songs is “If that isn’t love” but they were all good.
I’m glad the Gaither Videos have done so much to help more people see and appreciate the greats from years gone by.
Her tears are over and another voice joins the chorus. God bless her family.
What can you that hasn’t been said over the years about. I only got to see the Rambos 4 times while they were singing together as a family.
I saw them at THE WORLDS LARGEST ALLNITE SING in Bonifay, Fl. in 1971. They were riding the charts with BUILD MY MANSION at this time.
The first time I saw them was at The Centennial field in Bainbridge, Ga in July of 1970. Dottie had hurt her ankle someway and they had to lift her up on the stage. I had just moved to the Bainbridge, Ga. area at that time and I was a little let down at the promoters when Buck let it be known that Dottie had hurt her ankle and had contacted the promoters and they were suppose to have a ramp built so Dottie could have been put on the stage decently. They had just purchased a brand new bus and they said they paid $78,000 back in 1970. That’s not much for buses now days. The Oak Ridge Boys also Had purchased one just like it.
It was also at this sing that I found out Reba and I had almost the same birthdate, except she was a year older. Mine is 10/19/52 and hers 10/17/51. I thought she was a pretty young lady.
The next time I saw them was 1974 at NQC in Nashville,Tn.
The final time I saw them was the 1ST ASSEMBLY OF GOD in Tallahassee, Fl. on a Sunday Night. Buck Rambo was gracious enough to give this country DJ an interview and I imagine he laugh at me after the interview, because I was dumbfounded the whole interview, because I didn’t have my notes, because I had picked up the wrong notebook when I left the house and Buck help me out a lot on that interview. I wish I still had it, but I have lost it over the years. Reba had just release LADY this was the 1st weekend she had it with her. They always put on a good program.
We will miss you DOTTIE. I heard her say she wrote most of her songs when she had pain an sorrow and tragedies. She is probably writing her best one yet there in HEAVEN where there is no night, no pain and no sorrow.
She is home with the LOVER that wrote her LOVE LETTERS IN RED where she is SHELTERED IN THE ARMS OF GOD and she has NEW SHOES.
Scotty
What a tragedy and sad day for the music world. Her beautiful voice, whether lifted in prayer or song, will be greatly missed. She is singing with Elvis now. My prayers and condolences go to her family and I pray that God give them the peace that passes all understanding.