Donald Lawrence

Donald Lawrence is a Grammy-nominated gospel artist, songwriter, and producer known for hits like "The Blessing of Abraham" and "Encourage Yourself." A native of Gastonia, NC, he rose to prominence with The Tri-City Singers before launching a successful solo career in 2004, and has collaborated with the likes of Kirk Franklin, Peabo Bryson, and Mary J. Blige.

One of the most popular gospel choirs of the 1990s, Donald Lawrence and the Tri-City Singers also managed to make waves with the secular media, similar to a handful of other Christian acts during the decade. Comprised of Lawrence and 34 members -- from the "Tri-Cities" of Spartanburg, South Carolina, and Gastonia and Charlotte, North Carolina -- the choir debuted with the 1993 album A Songwriter's Point of View on the tiny GospoCentric label. The album eventually reached number two on the gospel charts. At the end of the year, the Tri-City Singers had become one of Billboard's Top Ten Gospel Groups, as well as the recipient of several Stellar Awards and a nomination for the NAACP's Image Award. Second album Bible Stories followed in 1995 on Crystal Rose/Chordant Records, and the choir released a holiday LP, Hello Christmas, in 1997. Lawrence and the Tri-City Singers signed to EMI Gospel in 2000, releasing the album tri-city4.com that same summer. Go Get Your Life Back followed in 2002. Restoring the Years, a greatest-hits album with two new tracks, appeared in 2003.

The following year saw the release of Lawrence's first solo album, I Speak Life. The Tri-City Singers announced the group was calling it quits in the spring of 2006, and recorded one last concert, which was released that same year as two albums, Finalé: Act One and Finalé: Act Two. Lawrence's second solo album, The Law of Confession, Part I, arrived in February of 2009, with the chart-topping YRM (Your Righteous Mind), appearing in 2011. Lawrence reunited with the Tri-City Singers in 2018 and issued the powerful Goshen, inspired by the protected biblical land of the same name. In 2023, Lawrence released Donald Lawrence Presents Power: A Tribute to Twinkie Clark, honoring the legendary Clark sister with a set of re-imagined songs from her 1981 solo album, and in 2025, he unveiled Global Love Alive (London), a concert LP recorded with a 300-voice international choir. ~ John Bush & James Christopher Monger