Donald Lawrence

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 plus 34 members -- from the "Tri-Cities" of Spartanburg, South Carolina plus 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 next 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 a second part rumored on the horizon. Lawrence's next release, however, was titled YRM (Your Righteous Mind), when it appeared in 2011. ~ John Bush