Donald Lawrence facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Donald Lawrence
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Lawrence in 2018
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| Background information | |
| Born | May 4, 1961 |
| Genres | Gospel music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, record producer, choir director, record producer, actor |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | GospoCentric, Reprise, Crystal Rose, Star Song, Island, EMI Gospel, Quiet Water Entertainment, Verity |
| Associated acts | The Tri-City Singers, Dewayne Woods, The Murrills, The Clark Sisters, Kierra Sheard Hezekiah Walker, Sheri Jones-Moffett, Ricky Dillard, O'landa Draper, Natalie Grant, Paul S. Morton |
Donald Lawrence (born May 4, 1961) is an American gospel music artist. He is a talented songwriter, music producer, and singer. He is famous for his songs "The Blessing of Abraham" and "Encourage Yourself," which were nominated for Grammy Awards.
Donald Lawrence studied music at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He earned a special degree in music there. Throughout his career, he has won many important awards, including Grammy Awards and Stellar Awards. He has also helped other artists, like coaching the R&B group En Vogue and working as a music director for Stephanie Mills. He has written songs for The Clark Sisters and collaborated with many stars, such as Mary J. Blige.
Contents
Donald Lawrence's Musical Journey
Donald Lawrence started his amazing music career in 1992. He became well-known for his work in gospel music.
Starting with The Tri-City Singers
Donald Lawrence took over a group called The Tri-City Singers. A friend had left his position as their music director. The group's name comes from three cities: Spartanburg, South Carolina, Gastonia, North Carolina, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
In 1993, Donald Lawrence and The Tri-City Singers released their first album, A Songwriter's Point Of View. It was released on a new record label called GospoCentric Records. This album quickly became popular, reaching number 2 on the Billboard Top Gospel Charts.
Reaching New Heights
Their next album, Bible Stories, came out in 1995. This album was a huge success and reached number 1 on the Billboard Top Gospel Charts. It was the first album to be called "Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers." It featured popular songs like "A Message For The Saints" and "I Am God." This album was released on Donald Lawrence's own new label, Crystal Rose Records.
In 1997, Donald Lawrence helped produce Karen Clark Sheard's first solo album, Finally Karen. This album was also nominated for a Grammy. In the same year, Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers released a Christmas album called Hello Christmas.
New Labels and Hit Songs
In 2000, Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers signed with EMI Gospel. To promote their new album, they released a special CD of their song "Testify." This song became very popular and even reached number 33 on Billboard's Mainstream Dance Charts.
Their album tri-city4.com was released later in 2000. It reached number 2 on Billboard's Top Gospel Charts. The album also featured a famous song called "God's Favor," which included vocals from Karen Clark Sheard, Kim Burrell, and Kelly Price.
Solo Work and Farewell Concerts
Donald Lawrence released his next album, Go Get Your Life Back, in 2002. The song "The Best Is Yet to Come" was the main song from this album. This album featured special guests like Ann Nesby and gospel legend Bishop Walter Hawkins. In 2003, he released Restoring The Years, which was a collection of his greatest hits with two new songs.
His next album, I Speak Life, was a new beginning for Donald Lawrence. It was his first solo album and the first release on his new record label, Quiet Water Entertainment. Even though The Tri-City Singers were not on this album, many famous artists joined in. These included Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker, Faith Evans, and Richard Smallwood. This album earned Donald Lawrence 7 Stellar Award nominations and he won 6 of them!
In March 2006, The Tri-City Singers announced they would stop performing together. But first, they held one last live concert. Two albums, Finale: Act One and Finale: Act Two, were released at the same time on April 4, 2006. These albums captured the audio and video of the concert. The concert featured many gospel stars like Bishop Walter Hawkins and Karen Clark Sheard. The song "The Blessing Of Abraham" from this album was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2006.
Donald Lawrence released his second solo album, The Law of Confession Part I, in February 2009. He has also hosted Verizon's "How Sweet The Sound Choir Competition."
Donald Lawrence's Music
Albums
- 1993 A Songwriters Point Of View (The Tri-City Singers)
- 1995 Bible Stories (Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers)
- 1997 Hello Christmas(Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers)
- 2000 tri-city4.com (The Tri-City Singers)
- 2002 Go Get Your Life Back (Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers)
- 2003 The Best of Donald Lawrence & the Tri-City Singers: Restoring the Years
- 2004 I Speak Life (Donald Lawrence & Co.)
- 2006 Finale: Act One (Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers)
- 2006 Finale: Act Two (Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers)
- 2009 The Law of Confession, Part I(Donald Lawrence & Co.)
- 2011 YRM (Your Righteous Mind)(Donald Lawrence & Co.)
- 2013 20 Year Celebration, Vol. 1: Best for Last (Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers)
- 2018 Goshen- Donald Lawrence and The Tri-City Singers Reunion album
- 2023 Donald Lawrence Presents Power: A Tribute to Twinkie Clark - Donald Lawrence
Singles
- "Don't Give Up" with Kirk Franklin, Hezekiah Walker, and Karen Clark Sheard (1996)
- "Testify (Remixes)" (The Tri-City Singers) (2001)
- "Never Seen The Righteous" (The Tri-City Singers) (2002)
- "The Best Is Yet To Come" (The Tri-City Singers) (2002)
- "The Blessing Of Abraham" (The Tri-City Singers) (2006)
- "Back II Eden" (Donald Lawrence & Co.) (2009)
- "YRM (Your Righteous Mind" (Donald Lawrence & Co.) (2010)
- "Spiritual" (Donald Lawrence & Co.) (2011)
- "The Gift" (Donald Lawrence & Co.) (2013)
- "Goshen 432HZ" (The Tri-City Singers) (2019)
Awards and Recognition
Donald Lawrence has received many awards for his contributions to gospel music.
Stellar Awards
- 2006: He won Artist of the Year, CD of the Year, and Producer of the Year for his album I Speak Life. He also won Group/Duo of the Year, Contemporary Group/Duo of the Year, and Contemporary CD of the Year for the same album.
- 2007: He won Artist of the Year, Choir of the Year, and Producer of the Year for Finale: Act One. He also received awards for Contemporary CD of the Year, Contemporary Choir of the Year, Special Event CD of the Year, and Music Video of the Year for Finale: Act One.
Grammy Awards
- Won:
- Best Traditional Gospel Album (2007) for Live - One Last Time
- Nominations:
- Best Gospel Album by a Choir of Chorus (1995) for Bible Stories
- Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album (2000) for Tri-city4.com
- Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album (2002) for Go Get Your Life Back
- Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album (2005) for I Speak Life
- Best Gospel Performance (2006) for The Blessing Of Abraham
- Best Gospel Song (2006) for The Blessing Of Abraham
- Best Traditional Gospel Album (2006) for Finalé Act One
- Best Gospel Song (2007) for Encourage Yourself
- Best Traditional Gospel Album (2007) for The Grand Finalé: Encourage Yourself
- Best Traditional Gospel Album (2009) for The Law Of Confession, Part I
- Best Gospel Song (2011) for Spiritual
- Best Gospel Song (2012) for Released
- Best Gospel Album (2013) for Best For Last: 20 Year Celebration Vol. 1 [Live]
- Best Gospel Performance/Song (2014) for Sunday A.M. [Live]
- Best Gospel Album (2019) for Goshen
