Gospel Music Legend Dottie Rambo Killed in Bus Accident

Posted on May 14, 2008

CMT Music reports that Dottie Rambo was killed in a bus accident early Sunday morning. She was 74-years-old. Dottie Rambo was a prolific songwriter and a legend in the gospel music industry. The Kentucky Herald-Leader says Rambo was the queen of gospel music. She wrote over 2,500 songs during her lifetime and her songs were recorded by some of the biggests stars of country and rock including Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton and Whitney Houston.

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.

You can sign Dottie's guestbook here on Legacy.com. Her official website can be found at dottierambo.net.

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