Overview
Donald Lawrence
Grammy-winning producer, composer and recording artist Donald Lawrence is one of the most influential figures in modern gospel music. After a stint as music director for soul legend Stephanie Mills, Lawrence made a splash in the gospel world by reshaping the regional Tri-City Singers in the 1990s and transforming them into an internationally acclaimed choir. As a producer, Lawrence has collaborated with artists as diverse as Mary J. Blige and jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis, Hezekiah Walker and the legendary Clark Sisters. Now, Lawrence is producing himself again (along with Daniel Weatherspoon) for his sophomore solo CD The Law of Confession Part 1 (Quiet Water/ Verity Gospel Music Group).
Inspired by the forthcoming book “The Law of Confession” by Bill Winston (Lawrence’s pastor at Chicago’s Living Word Christian Center), Lawrence has crafted an epic recording that features a ten-plus member backing ensemble, The Co. (which backed him on his Grammy-nominated 2004 I Speak Life solo CD debut).
The Charlotte native was raised by a church-going aunt in Gastonia where he sang in the Mills Chapel Fire Baptized Holiness Church’s choir. He grew up on the music of gospel icons like Thomas Whitfield. He taught himself to play piano and organ while beginning to write songs at the age of sixteen. He put himself through the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and was staging plays such as “Sing Hallelujah” (which opened at New York’s storied Village Gate) when R&B star Stephanie Mils tapped him as her music director circa 1989. Aside from his duties with Mills, he was a member of an inspirational R&B group, The Company. Their single “Angel” was an R&B hit in 1993, the same year that Lawrence produced the first Tri-City Singers album, From A Songwriter’s Point of View.
Lawrence had been feeding his songs to the Tri-City Singers (comprised of singers from the Carolina cities of Charlotte, Gastonia and Spartanburg) through his pal Richard Odom, who was a member of the choir. The choir’s members enjoyed the songs so much that Lawrence was eventually asked to shepherd the group. Over the next fifteen years, Lawrence guided the choir into superstar status in the gospel world with hits such as “The Best is Yet to Come”, “Encourage Yourself” and “The Blessing of Abraham” which was #1 on the Radio & Records for a then-record breaking 18 weeks in 2005. After a very successful Finale CD/DVD release and farewell concert tour with the Tri-City Singers, Lawrence retired from the group in 2007 to focus on personal and solo pursuits such as hosting Verizon Wireless’ successful “How Sweet the Sound” choir competition in 2008.
