Dusty

Gospel Legend Dottie Rambo Killed in Accident

Gospel singer and songwriter Joyce “Dottie” Rambo died early Sunday morning when the tour bus she was traveling in ran off the road and hit an embankment. En route to a Mother’s Day concert in Texas, the 74-year-old was the only fatality in the crash that occurred about two miles east of Mount Vernon, Mo. Six others sustained moderate to severe injuries, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Authorities said they were uncertain whether the accident was caused by severe storms and tornadoes in Missouri and Oklahoma, which killed more than a dozen people over the weekend, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

Born in Kentucky, Rambo began writing songs at age 8 and launched a full-time music career at age 12. Married to Buck Rambo at age 16, she toured widely with her husband and their daughter, Reba, as The Rambos for several decades.

Through the course of her career, the Dove and Grammy Award winner wrote more than 2,500 published songs, including the classics "He Looked Beyond My Fault and Saw My Need," "We Shall Behold Him” and “I Go to the Rock,” which was recorded by Whitney Houston in the 1996 movie The Preacher's Wife. In 2006, Rambo was inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007.

Singers such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Barbara Mandrell and Larry Gatlin recorded Rambo’s songs, and in 2003 well-known country and gospel music artists performed her songs for We Shall Behold Him—A Tribute To Dottie Rambo. Dolly Parton, who recorded “Stand by the River” with Rambo in 2003, sent condolences to "everyone involved in this terrible tragedy," the AP reported. "I know Dottie is in heaven in the arms of God right now, but our earth angel will surely be missed," Parton said in a statement. "Dottie was a dear friend, a fellow singer, songwriter and entertainer, and as of late my duet singing partner."

Rambo faced a string of difficulties beginning in the early 1990s, including a 1994 divorce from Buck Rambo and two ruptured disks that led to numerous back surgeries. As her health improved, she became more visible in recent years, appearing on Christian television and performing in concerts such as Bill Gaither’s Homecoming tour.
In a message posted on their Web site, Bill and Gloria Gaither called Rambo a beloved friend and gospel music legend. “In this time of profound sadness, what a wonderful consolation it is to know that Dottie Rambo is face to face with her Savior right now, undoubtedly realizing that everything she wrote about Him is truer than she ever would have dared to imagine,” the couple said.
Note from Stephen Strang, founder and publisher of Charisma: I first met Dottie Rambo in 1976--the year after Charisma was started. We covered her music ministry through the years .

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