Dottie Rambo "Faith and Fame" (discusses marital problems between Buck and Dottie)
Sheltered in the Arms of God (Background behind the song)
This is My Valley
Tears Will Never Stain the Streets of That City
He Knows Just When to Give a Song
The 1960's were a very successful decade for Buck and Dottie Rambo in the gospel singing business. Ever since the early 60's when former Louisiana Governor Jimmie Davis paid Dottie to publish her songs, Dottie start receiving attention in the gospel music world. Many southern gospel groups started recording her songs on their albums. In 1964 after the Singing Rambos appearance at the National Quartet Convention in Memphis, Tennessee, the Rambos started singing on the concert trail. Prior to their appearance at the convention, the Rambos primarily sang in churches, with a few exceptions. They did sang in concert with the Goodmans and the Statesman. Otherwise, they traveled and sang in churches. Once they started singing on the concert trail, they started accumulating wealth. Never before had they made the kind of money they did once they were heavy on the concert trail. They were making dollar upon dollar. Prior to the mid-60's, they barely made enough to pay their bills. When the Rambos moved to Nashville in 1964, they hauled their trailer there. They lived in a trailer until probably 1966 or 1967 until they bought a nice antebellum home. In 1972 they bought some farm land to build a house. That land they bought helped afford them some solitude. According to material standards, they were living "the good life."
Buck and Dottie Rambo's Marital Problems
In the midst of the success of the Singing Rambos, there were problems in the horizon. There were internal problems in Buck and Dottie's marriage. There were rumors circulating around that Buck was having an adulterous affair. When Dottie first heard about it, she refused to believe it at first. When she finally confronted Buck about it, he admitted it nearly five hours later. Buck's confession had brought Dottie to deep despair. On top of that, they were right in the middle of a concert tour. Devastated, Dottie retreated into an ocean coastline. I don't know which state it was in but I'm assuming it was in Florida. The evening before a major storm had taken place. Dottie was seeking refuge there to sort through her feelings. She was at the coastline barefoot with her guitar. In the midst of her heartache, Dottie knew that a song would result from her heartbreak. According to Dottie, the ocean was gorgeous. As she viewed the waves of the ocean, she saw all kinds of debris washing up on the coastline as a result of the previous night's storm. Dottie was struggling with the opening words of the song. Finally, she felt the touch of five fingers on her shoulder. She said, "Thank you Jesus for I feel the touch." Hence the song begins, "I feel the touch of hands so kind and gentle . . ." It was through that experience that she composed one of the greatest songs ever in gospel music. It has been one of the top gospel hits since 1969. Numerous southern gospel groups have recorded that song on their albums over the years. I believe this song was divinely inspired. Millions of people have been touched listening to this song in the midst of the trials they were experiencing. It's great to know regardless of the trials you may go through, we're still sheltered in the arms of God.
Dottie's Father in a Major Car Accident
It was probably sometime in the late 1960's that Dottie had received a call about her father. He was in a tragic car accident. He had broken nearly every bone in his body. He had a punctured lung and he suffered a concussion. He wasn't expected to survive. Some twenty years before Dottie was driven from home by her unsaved father. Since that time Dottie was busy writing and singing gospel music and never looked back. But this time Dottie knew that she needed to see her father. So she went to visit her father in the hospital. When she arrived there he asked, "Is that you, Dottie?". Dottie replied that it was her and she stated she came because she heard about his accident. Vernon Luttrell replied, "I would sure like to meet your God." As a result of that he gave his heart to the Lord. The rift between Dottie and her father had finally been healed. Prior to her being saved at 12 years of age, Dottie and her father had been close. Now the rift had been healed since he became saved. The greatest miracle that took place was God saving her father. As great as that was, God also performed another miracle and allowed Dottie's father to live for another nine years. That accident was supposed to have been fatal but God allowed Vernon to live for several more years. For the remainder of his life, Vernon would take every opportunity he could to listen to Dottie sing the gospel wherever she sang.
Next week I'm going to elaborate further on Buck and Dottie's marital difficulties and two of the songs that were inspired as a result.
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