Donald Lawrence studied at Cincinnati Conservatory, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in music. While in Cincinnati, he was also the Minister of Music at the Southern Baptist Church on Reading Road. To his credit, Donald's musicality has seen many incarnations, as vocal coach to the R&B group En Vogue, musical director for Stephanie Mills, songwriter for The Clark Sisters, and producer for a host of artists including Peabo Bryson and Kirk Franklin. Donald Lawrence has been an inspiration to many.
Lawrence took on The Tri-City Singers after a friend vacated his position as musical director.(NOTE: The three cities that The Tri-City Singers come from are Spartanburg, SC, Gastonia, NC, and Charlotte, NC.) The group debuted in 1993 with A Songwriter's Point Of View on a then-brand-new independent record label called GospoCentric Records. The set debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top Gospel Charts. The group's follow-up release Bible Stories would top those same charts when it arrived in 1995. It was the first to be billed as Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers and featured black church-ubiquitous hits such as "A Message For The Saints", "I Am God" and "Stranger". The album was released on Lawrence's newly minted label Crystal Rose Records which was distributed through Sparrow Records.
In 1997, Donald Lawrence produced the live portion of Karen Clark Sheard's Grammy-nominated Finally Karen debut. Lawrence & Tri-City also released the seasonal Hello Christmas the same year. Later, Lawrence signed a contract with the Island Records imprint Island Inspirational. Though a live recording did take place for release, the album never materialized.
In 2000, Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers signed to EMI Gospel. To promote the new album, a maxi CD of the lead single "Testify" to the mainstream. House remixes by Junior Vasquez sent the song to #33 on Billboard's Mainstream Dance Charts. When tri-city4.com was finally released in 2001, the set peaked at #2 on Billboard's Top Gospel Charts and #13 on Billboard's Heatseekers Charts. The album also got a profile boost from the all-star standout "God's Favor", featuring vocal turns from Karen Clark Sheard, Kim Burrell, and Kelly Price.
Lawrence only waited a year before delivering the follow-up Go Get Your Life Back in 2002. "The Best is Yet to Come", a song sonically much in the vein of the previous smash "Testify," was chosen as the album's lead single. This release featured guest appearances from Ann Nesby (formerly of Sounds of Blackness) and gospel pioneer Bishop Walter Hawkins. The momentum continued with the 2003 release of Restoring The Years, a greatest hits album featuring two new songs.
The next album would mark a fresh start for Donald Lawrence. I Speak Life was his first solo album, the debut for his newly inked recording contract with Verity Records, and also the first release under his new sublabel Quiet Water Entertainment. Though the album was without The Tri-City Singers, guest appearances were plenteous. Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker, Faith Evans, Richard Smallwood, and Carl Thomas all contributed to the album. Even jazz notables Ramsey Lewis and Lalah Hathaway were on hand for a remake of the Bible Stories classic "Don't Forget To Remember". The effort earned Lawrence a total of 7 Stellar Award nominations, and 6 wins.
In March 2006, The Tri-City Singers announced that they would retire, but not before one last live recording. Finale: Act One and Finale: Act Two were released simultaneously on April 4, 2006. Each release was a CD/DVD set that chronicled the audio and video of one half of the concert, with packages that locked into one another respectively. A special edition of Finale was later released with both CDs and DVDs. The blowout concert included guest appearances from Bishop Walter Hawkins, Karen Clark Sheard, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Daryl Coley, LaShun Pace, Darwin Hobbs, and many other gospel luminaries. The album's lead single "The Blessing Of Abraham" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance in December 2006. His sophomore solo album, The Law of Confession Part I was released in February 2009. Donald said in an interview that The Law of Confession, Part II will be released soon, but he's focusing on other projects.
Matthew 28
Donald Lawrence/The Tri-City Singers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Early Sunday morning as the noon day was dawning,
Came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to the tomb.
Behold! There was a great earthquake! [x2]
For the angel of the Lord descended from Heaven
And rolled, rolled
And rolled,
Back the stone.
His countenance was like lightening and his raiment was as white as snow. [x3]
And for fear of Him the keepers did shake and became as dead men.
Fear not. [x3]
For I know ye seek Jesus who was crucified.
He is not here [x4]
For He has risen as he said.
Yeah!
See the place where the Lord lay.
Fear not. [x3]
For I know ye seek Jesus who was crucified.
He is not here [x4]
For He has risen as he said.
Yeah!
See the place where the Lord lay.
Remember how He said while He was yet in Galilee
I'll rise, I'll rise, Again [x4]
Alleluia [x3]
Amen [x6]
The song "Intro: Matthew 28" by Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers is a gospel song that retells the biblical story of Jesus Christ's resurrection. The opening line, "Destroy this temple and in three days, I will raise it up," refers to Jesus' prophecy that he would be crucified and rise from the dead three days later. The song then moves on to describe the scene at Jesus' tomb on the morning of his resurrection.
The lyrics describe an earthquake and the appearance of an angel from heaven, who rolls back the stone blocking the entrance to the tomb. The angel's appearance is described as being like lightning, and the soldiers guarding the tomb are so terrified that they become "as dead men." The angel reassures the women who have come to the tomb that Jesus has risen from the dead, just as he said he would.
The song emphasizes the joy and celebration that comes with the knowledge of Christ's resurrection. It ends with the repeated lines of "Remember how He said while He was yet in Galilee, I'll rise again," followed by the exultant cries of "Alleluia" and "Amen."
Line by Line Meaning
Destroy this temple and in three days, I will raise it up [x3]
Jesus spoke of the destruction of his physical body and the resurrection after three days
Early Sunday morning as the noon day was dawning,
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the tomb at the break of dawn
Came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to the tomb.
The two women went to the tomb together
Behold! There was a great earthquake! [x2]
An earthquake happened at the tomb twice
For the angel of the Lord descended from Heaven
An angel came down from heaven
The angel of the Lord descended from Heaven [x3]
An angel from God came down to the tomb thrice
And rolled, rolled
The angel moved the stone covering the tomb
And rolled,
The angel moved the stone covering the tomb
Back the stone.
The angel pushed the stone away from the entrance of the tomb
His countenance was like lightening and his raiment was as white as snow. [x3]
The angel's appearance was bright and pure and it shone like lightning three times
And for fear of Him the keepers did shake and became as dead men.
The guards that were there were afraid and shook so much that they became paralyzed
Fear not. [x3]
Do not be afraid
For I know ye seek Jesus who was crucified.
The angel knew that they sought Jesus Who was crucified
He is not here [x4]
Jesus was not in the tomb
For He has risen as he said.
Jesus resurrected as He prophesized
Yeah!
Indication of affirmation or an agreement
See the place where the Lord lay.
The angel pointed out the place where Jesus was
Remember how He said while He was yet in Galilee
The reminder that Jesus prophesized His resurrection while in Galilee
I'll rise, I'll rise, Again [x4]
Jesus prophesized that He will rise again four times
Alleluia [x3]
A cry of jubilation, praising God three times
Amen [x6]
A declaration of affirmation or agreement said six times
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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