Rambo, 74, was known as the queen of gospel music. Not only was she widely known for her own recordings, but some of the more than 2,500 songs she wrote were recorded by artists such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Whitney Houston, Vince Gill and Dolly Parton. It has been said that there's hardly a modern hymnal that doesn't have at least one Dottie Rambo song in it.

"It was hard to sing gospel music and not record a Dottie Rambo song," said gospel singer Kenny Bishop, adding that his family's first album included Rambo's song Too Much To Gain To Lose.

"Everybody knew Dottie's music," he said. "I've been around Dottie when there were bigger celebrities in the room and she didn't have to make her way to them -- they made their way to her."

Christian songwriter and comedian Aaron Wilburn said that Rambo broke barriers.

"She took gospel into country; she took it into pop ... I know in the Christian field she's the greatest female writer, probably of all time," Wilburn said.