From my earliest memories, music was, and is, an important part of my life. From listening to the radio to singing in church, music shaped my world.

It defines my mood. You can tell exactly what’s on my mind by listening to the music playing in my truck, on my computer, or inside my head. Music says it all. Music is a heart thang!

Every singer, if they are to connect with their audience, must get in touch with something inside them. They will have to own the song. Writers, on the other hand, are different. They live the song. You hear it in their voice. You see it in their eyes. You believe what they’re saying. You can agree, or disagree, but you will feel something.

There is nothing like listening to someone belt out a song of celebration, heartache, defiance, or determination with every ounce of their being.

I grew up listening to different genres of music and watching the artist perform. Each one taught me different things. As I read the stories behind the songs, I grew to admire the person.

One such woman was Dottie Rambo. To see her on stage, you would never know her heartaches in this life. But you definitely could hear them in her music!

Just a few facts about her life:

• She was eight when she heard the lyrics of her first song.
• Began singing on country radio when she was ten.
• Gave her heart to Jesus when she was twelve.
• Her father demanded she give up her faith or leave home. Dottie left home.
• Her mom placed an address tag around her neck, in case she got lost, and kissed her good-bye.
• She sang in churches, making little money.
• She suffered excruciating pain from a ruptured disc in her back.

While on stage, she wasn’t sad. She refused to back down from her walk with God. She gave God the glory for all He did in her life. She sang of wanting to see Him. At the end of your life, her voice weak, she still sang of His goodness.

I think it is sad when we sing these songs without ever knowing the story behind the song. The story behind the song is why the song was written in the first place.

Songs

“Too Much to Gain to Lose”
“He Looked Beyond My Faults and Saw My Need”
“Mama’s Teaching Angels How to Sing”
“Remind Me, Dear Lord”
“Shelter in the Arms of God”
“If That Isn’t Love”
“Build My Mansion Next Door To Jesus”
“Tears Will Never Stain”
“I Go to the Rock”
“We Shall Behold Him”
“I Will Glory in the Cross”

Artists who have recorded her songs include:

Elvis Presley
Vince Gill
Barbara Mandrell
Johnny Cash
Dottie West
Pat Boone
Sandi Patti
Bill Monroe
The Isaacs
The Oak Ridge Boys
Whitney Houston