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.
Lawrence took on The Tri-City Singers after a friend vacated his position as musical director.[1] (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.[3] The group's follow-up release Bible Stories would top those same charts when it arrived in 1995.[4] 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 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 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.
Cast Your Cares
Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To be a righteous one
You're only fooling yourself
You're no better than I am
See you looking down at me
High up on your pedestal
Point your finger at me
Three more pointing back at you
Cast your stone if your hands are clean
Cast your stone if your hands are clean
Naïve minds are fertile ground
For gossip and deceit
But you already know that
I hear the plants you seed
Like loud whispers in the wind
With intentions so evil
I will bite my tongue because I know
Hurt people hurt people
Cast your stone if your hands are clean
Cast your stone if your hands are clean
Cast your stone if your hands are clean
Cast your stone if your hands are clean
I am not my mistakes, I will make many more
Not my mistakes, I will make many more
So cast your stone at me
Only if your hands are clean
No one is without sin
And you don't know where I've been
No you don't know who I am
Only know what they are saying
But I know who I, I know who I am
Cast your stone at me
Only if your hands are clean
No one is without sin
And you don't know where I've been
So cast your stone if your hands are clean
Cast your stone if your hands are clean
The lyrics of "Cast Your Cares" by Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers explore themes of judgment, hypocrisy, and the strength to rise above criticism. The song begins by addressing someone who claims to be righteous but is actually deceiving themselves. The singer points out their arrogance and judgmental attitude, highlighting that nobody is perfect and that the person doing the judging is just as flawed. The imagery of pointing fingers and casting stones emphasizes the destructive nature of this behavior.
The lyrics also delve into the power of gossip and deceit, describing how susceptible minds can be to spreading rumors and causing harm. However, the singer chooses not to engage in this negativity, acknowledging that hurt people often hurt others. The chorus invites those who are quick to judge to cast their stones only if their hands are clean, suggesting that they should examine their own faults and imperfections before condemning others.
The song expresses the singer's resolve to not be defined by their mistakes and to keep moving forward despite the criticism. They acknowledge that everyone makes mistakes, including themselves, and that nobody should claim to be without sin. The final lines affirm the singer's self-awareness and confidence, stating that they know who they are despite what others may say.
Overall, "Cast Your Cares" encourages listeners to reflect on their own actions and attitudes, urging them to choose understanding, empathy, and self-improvement over judgment and hypocrisy.
Line by Line Meaning
Said you're trying everything
You claim to be making every effort
To be a righteous one
In order to appear morally upright
You're only fooling yourself
However, you are only deceiving yourself
You're no better than I am
In reality, you are no superior to me
See you looking down at me
I notice you condescendingly observing me
High up on your pedestal
Proudly positioned on your self-made pedestal
Point your finger at me
Accusingly directing your finger towards me
Three more pointing back at you
Remember, three fingers are pointing back at yourself
Cast your stone if your hands are clean
If you are free from fault, then go ahead and criticize
Naïve minds are fertile ground
Gullible individuals are vulnerable
For gossip and deceit
To be influenced by rumors and deception
But you already know that
Yet, you are already aware of this fact
I hear the plants you seed
I am aware of the seeds of falsehood you are sowing
Like loud whispers in the wind
Spreading like audible rumors through the air
With intentions so evil
Motivated by malevolent purposes
I will bite my tongue because I know
I will restrain myself from speaking out because I understand
Hurt people hurt people
Those who have been hurt tend to hurt others in return
I am not my mistakes, I will make many more
I am not defined by my errors, and I will inevitably make more
So cast your stone at me
Therefore, go ahead and hurl your judgment towards me
Only if your hands are clean
But only if you yourself are blameless
No one is without sin
Remember, nobody is entirely free of wrongdoing
And you don't know where I've been
Furthermore, you do not comprehend the experiences I've undergone
No you don't know who I am
In fact, you do not truly understand my identity
Only know what they are saying
You solely possess knowledge of the rumors being spread
Only want to cause me pain
You merely desire to inflict harm upon me
But I know who I, I know who I am
However, I am confident in my self-awareness and identity
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Kristina Burce
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@christinasutton8990
Verse:
Tell me why, the birds that fly
Fly so high, floating in the skky
They soar in the air
They coast, the winds they dare
They know the Creator holds them
They don't give a care
From the north to the south
The eas and the west
They dance across the waters
The breeze they gently caress
Chorus:
He never leaves them, He's there
He always feeds them, He cares
From the rising of the sun
They begun to hum
When the morning comes
'Til the day is done
If He cares that much for them
I just need to cast all of my cares on him
Lead:
Tell me why
The stari n the sky
They shine, they shine, they shine so bright
In the still of the night
If He grows the grass in the fields
He causes the grain to frow in the mill
If He causes the robin to sing
The sunshine and rain I know he brings
He causes the tree to bear fruit
From the beginning of the seed and the root
If he causes the seasons to change
From the fall, winter, summer, spring
Chrous
@reneejohnson
Anything Donald Lawrence and Tricity do!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🎤🎼 God bless them...🙏🏽
@iamnolalove
Twinkie Clark Terrell Wrote This Awesome Song
@yeslia2010Godis
Wow love it!!!!
@Shulemdior
evanhaney2109 lol i just made a comment about this. I thought it was him
@larryposley8697
@Irving Taborn Arnetta Murrill-Crooms
@25447carepear
What!! Crazy. I love this and never knew.
@ItstheGodinme_
Wow...didn't know...awesome songwriter she is🖒
@SL-dp5xb
My gracious! Lord have mercy! Those vocals are a gift! Beautiful song. I've never heard it before.
@thatgotdammntyrell9573
Still my favorite song June kills every song she puts her vocals on .., i love this 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾❤️❤️❤️❤️
@StefanieRichardson823
This song is so poetic and perfect, brings tears to my eyes- Just explains God in a way I wish all people knew him to be when you get folks try to convince you that science is behind all that God created.