Donald Lawrence

Quick facts about Donald Lawrence

Starting Out

Donald Lawrence was raised by his aunt in Gastonia, and she taught him all of the spiritual principles that he still holds today by taking them to their local Pentecostal church. His parents weren’t around much, so his aunt made sure that he would go up to be strong and independent. He grew up as a fan on Walter Hawkins and Thomas Whitfield’s music and taught himself the piano at 15 because of his ever-growing passion for music. He worked hard to earn a place at the prestigious Cincinnati Conservatory of Music to major in musical theatre. In 1986 he and his professor, Worth Gardner, wrote “Sing Hallelujah!” that became popular across America. He also wrote an off-Broadway musical that was praised by the New York Times.   

Donald joined Jim and Tammy Baker’s PTL Club television program, as a part of the music staff. As word spread of his talent in the music industry, he was eventually recruited as En Vogue‘s vocal coach, as well as the music director for Stephanie Mills. His skills as a producer allowed him to work with a diverse range of talented artists such as Mary J. Blige, Ramsey Lewis, the Clark Sisters, and Hezekiah Walker & the Love Fellowship Choir. He also spent a lot of time working towards his own music career. 

Rise In Fame

Donald joined a group called the Tri-City Singers which was a group of just under 40 members from the “tri-cities’ of Spartanburg (South Carolina), Gastonia, and Charlotte (both in North Carolina). Donald Lawrence and the Tri-City Singers debuted in 1993 with their album, ‘A Songwriter’s Point of View’ on the newly created GospoCentric Records label. The album managed to debut at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Charts. In 1995, they followed it up with their release of ‘Bible Stories’ which was met with similar success. In 1997, the group released their first seasonal album, ‘Hello Christmas.’  

In 2000, the Tri-City Singers signed with EMI Gospel and released the lead single, “Testify,” of their upcoming album in order to promote it. The single was given a house remix by Junior Vasquez, sending the song onto Billboard’s Mainstream Dance Charts, where it peaked at No 33. Later that year, when the album, ‘tri-city4.com’ was released, it managed to peak at number 2 and 13 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Charts and Heatseekers Charts, respectively. In 2002, the group released their ‘Go Get Your Life’ album, followed by ‘Restoring The Years’ in 2003.   

In 2004, Donald Lawrence’s career in Gospel Music, started an entirely new chapter, as he released his first solo album, ‘I Speak Life.’ Although it wasn’t with the Tri-City Singers, several of the groups member’s still made guest appearances. The notable jazz artists Ramsey Lewis and Lalah Hathaway were also featured on the album in a remake of “Don’t Forget To Remember” from ‘Bible Stories.’ 

In 2006, the Tri-City Singers decided to retire, following the recording of a two-part final live album titled, ‘Finale: Act One’ and ‘Finale: Act Two.’ The lead single from a combined version of the albums, “The Blessing of Abraham” was nominated for a Grammy Award later that year.  

Goshen

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Bible Stories

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Law of Confession

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