| The Rambos | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The Singing Rambos |
| Origin | Dawson Springs, Kentucky, United States |
| Genres | Southern Gospel, Christian |
| Years active | 1964–1979 |
| Labels | Heart Warming |
| Associated acts | Dottie Rambo, Reba Rambo-McGuire |
The Rambos were an American Southern Gospel music group that was formed in the 1960s. They were one of the most successful Gospel trios of the 20th century. The group consisted of Buck and Dottie Rambo at first along with several various people singing with them and they were joined by their daughter Reba Rambo-McGuire in 1965. They have been inducted into the Gospel Music Association's Hall of Fame.
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They signed their first record deal with Benson Records in 1964, after leaving their home in Dawson Springs, Kentucky and ending up in Nashville, Tennessee. In the beginning, the Rambos went by the name of the Gospel Echoes. It wasn't until Reba joined the group at the age of 12 that they changed their name to the Singing Rambos. Their style of singing has been described as "a harmonic blend of Buck's country-style singing and Dottie's mountain-style black soul music."[1]
The Rambos are known for their three-part harmony. They sang what many called "inverted harmony," which in the music field was not proper or accepted because all groups were supposed to have a bass singer. It wasn't until they performed one night at the Ryman Auditorium with a group called the Sons of Song that they realized that they could have a successful group without the use of a bass singer. The group went on to become pioneers in the inverted style of singing.
Buck and Dottie were divorced in the mid-1990s. Afterwards, Dottie continued to minister at churches and concerts across the nation and write and record music until her death in 2008. Buck devoted his time to painting and recording solo projects. He now lives in Franklin, Tennessee with his wife Mae, and the leader of visitation at Grace Pointe Church.[2] Reba had a successful solo career in contemporary Christian music, and is now pastoring The River At Music City with her husband, Dony McGuire in Nashville, TN.[3]
On May 11, 2008, Dottie Rambo died instantly as a result of a tour bus crash along Interstate 44 just outside of Mount Vernon, Missouri. Rambo was on a successful concert tour and her manager and staff were also injured but she would be the only fatality.[4] [5]