Marvelous Grace
I Have Hope
Dottie Rambo Speaks of Reba's Healing and her singing "Oh How I Love Jesus"
I Love the Name
One evening after Buck and Dottie Rambo came home from a meeting, their daughter Reba had a very high temperature. I believe her temperature was around 102 degrees. The doctors diagnosed her having spinal meningitis. The doctors weren't expecting her to live. She was also in a coma. If Reba did live, the doctors said, she more than likely would have to be diapered the rest of her life. Things didn't look well for Reba naturally. However, God hadn't spoken yet. Jimmy Russell, Buck and Dottie Rambo's pastor, had only heard about Reba's condition. Dottie mentioned in an interview on a show entitled, "Faith & Fame", that Bro. Rusell was whistling with his hat in his hand. As much as Dottie loved Bro. Russell, said to her mother how could he be whistling when Reba was dying? Bro. Russell said he had spoken to the Great Physician and said that wasn't so. So he prayed a prayer that was approximately five minutes long. As he prayed, as told by Dottie, a fog had lifted the room. People couldn't see from their waist down. Many people in the hospital room were stunned. All of a sudden Reba woke up and her temperature dropped very quickly. As Reba awoke she asked what she was doing in the hospital. She asked why she was in the hospital. She said she was so hungry and asked her mother to cook her some beans. They kept Reba in the hospital overnight. The doctors ran tests on her. The doctors were stunned themselves. God had indeed performed a miracle. Reba was back to normal health. The only effect of her sickness was the high fever burned off all her hair on her head. As a result, she would have to wear wigs until her hair grew back.
On a quick note, I want to mention that the old song Dottie wrote entitled, "There's Nothing That My God Can't Do" was written a few weeks before Reba became sick which was around 1962. God had proven that nothing is too hard for him when he performed a miracle on Reba. Even when Reba was on the jaws of death, God had shown nothing was impossible with him. As of this day, Reba Rambo-McGuire is still alive and is currently 59 years old.
Dottie Rambo Becomes Acquainted With Former Governor Jimmie Davis
It was through that song I just mentioned that led to Dottie meeting the former governor of Louisiana at the time, Jimmie Davis. Jimmie Davis was a non-consecutive two-term governor of Louisiana. He was governor of Louisiana the first time from 1944-48. Then Davis ran for the gubernatorial spot several years later in 1959 and later became governor in 1960. Davis was not only the governor of Louisiana but he was also known for his singing. During his early years he used to sing country music. At that time, country music was a far cry from what it is today. He was famous for his country songs entitled, "You Are My Sunshine" and "Nobody's Darlin'". During his early years from the 1930's until sometime in the 50's he used to sing country music. Then afterwards he sang primarily gospel music. He was known for such gospel ballads as "Suppertime", "One More Valley", etc.
From the time she started singing in the churches at age 12 until the early 1960's, Dottie Rambo wasn't a household name in the gospel music industry at the time. During she and Buck's early years of their marriage, they would travel and sing in churches exclusively. They had their own group which was called the Gospel Echoes. Singers such as Judy Russell, "Little Joe Hatfield" and Shirley Bivins sang with the group during the years the Gospel Echoes was in existence. Dottie did write many songs during this time, but there weren't many that were nationally known at the time. I just mentioned that she wrote "There's Nothing That My God Can't Do" around 1961 or 1962 a few weeks prior to Reba's illness. She said during her early years of songwriting she wrote a lot of immature "gospel" songs. However, as time progressed she wrote songs that withstood the test of time. She mentioned in a filmed Homegoing Tribute that her grandson Israel Anthem McGuire produced, about a song she wrote many decades ago. She said there was a preacher in his late 80's preaching one day. She didn't know the message he preached. He had silver grey hair. As he was mounting the pulpit he made a statement that caught Dottie's attention. He said, "Thank you Jesus for my home on the sunny banks of sweet deliverance where God's clock never strikes one but one eternal day". (I believe that's the correct quote.) She took a pen and a piece of paper and penned the song "On the Sunny Banks." That's an old song that I've heard the Inspirations sing years ago and the late Evangelist Billy Kelly sang that song as well. I'll speak about Dottie's encounter with Governor Jimmie Davis on next Sunday's post.
The filmed Homegoing Tribute to Dottie Rambo on May 19, 2008. (funeral service)
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