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.
Stranger
Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There is a stranger in town
He's given sight to the blind
He is a great emancipator
He turns water to wine
He even healed the ten
Who were bound by disease
What manner of man is this whose voice can control the seasSome say He is great I Am that prophets spoke of
Some even say He's Emanuel, the Son of God
This stanger... strander... stranger from Galilee (Hey!)
The man from Galilee.
[repeat... along with improvizational leader]
[Sop & Alto] (Do you know the man, do you know the man do ya, do you know the man, do you know the man do ya, do you know the man, do you know the man do ya... do you know the man...
do you know Him.
[Tenor: Same time as sop & alto]
Do you know the man
Do you... do you know the man...
do you know him
[Each Voice Separately]
[Sop 1st, then Alto, then Tenor]
Do you know, do you know, do you know the man?
[Everone]
What a man
Who's the man
He's the man
Jesus the man
[repeat]
Do you know, do you know,
do you know the man?
The lyrics of the song Stranger by Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers featuring Brenda Waters speaks of a mysterious stranger who has come into town and has done miraculous things. He has given sight to the blind and turned water into wine. He has healed the ten people who were bound by disease. The lyrics describe the wonder and amazement felt by the people as they try to understand the true identity of this stranger. Some people believe him to be the great I Am that the prophets spoke of, while others believe him to be Emmanuel, the Son of God.
The song talks about Jesus Christ, who is often referred to as the man from Galilee. The lyrics highlight his powers and abilities, including his ability to control the seas with his voice. The song conveys the message of faith and encourages people to believe in Jesus Christ, who is the man who has the power to heal, cure, and perform miracles.
Overall, the song Stranger is a beautifully written gospel song that speaks of the greatness of Jesus Christ, who is the embodiment of love, compassion, and forgiveness. The song encourages people to have faith in Jesus and to trust in him to overcome difficult circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
There is a stranger in town
There is someone unknown who has entered the locality
He's given sight to the blind
He has performed miracles and healed people who were blind
He is a great emancipator
He is a person who has freed people from their suffering and pain
He turns water to wine
He has the ability to transform water into wine
He even healed the ten
Who were bound by disease
He has even cured ten people who were suffering from illness
What manner of man is this whose voice can control the seas
Who is this man whose voice can calm the waters of the sea?
Some say He is great I Am that prophets spoke of
Some believe that He is the same great 'I Am' that the prophets have spoken about
Some even say He's Emanuel, the Son of God
Some people also claim that He is Emanuel, the Son of God
This stanger... strander... stranger from Galilee (Hey!)
The man from Galilee.
This stranger is from Galilee and he is also known as the man from Galilee
Do you know the man, do you know the man do ya, do you know the man, do you know the man do ya, do you know the man, do you know the man do ya... do you know the man...
do you know Him.
Have you ever heard of this man and do you know him?
Do you know the man
Do you... do you know the man...
do you know him
Have you ever heard of this man and do you know him?
Do you know, do you know, do you know the man?
Do you know who this man is?
What a man
Who's the man
He's the man
Jesus the man
What a man, who is this man? It is Jesus the man
Do you know, do you know,
do you know the man?
Have you ever heard of this man and do you know him?
Contributed by Michael N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@adreanarmstrong4697
"Stranger"
There is a stranger in town
He's given sight to the blind
He is a great emancipator
He turns water to wine
He even healed the ten
Who were bound by disease
What manner of man is this whose voice can control the seas
Some say
He is great I am that prophets spoke of
Some even say He's Emanuel, the Son of God
This stranger, stranger, stranger from Galilee
The man from Galilee...
Do you know, do you know, do you know the man?
Do you know, do you know, do you know the man?
Do you know, do you know, do you know the man?
Do you know, do you know, do you know the man?
What a man?
Who's the man?
He's the man?
Jesus the man!
Yes I know, yes I know, yes I know the man!
@UIV7096
20 yrs ago I found this entire DVD in a prison facility in a chapel. The only Gospel music I saw that I believe was left there for God to minister to me and get me through that time in my life 20 + yrs ago. Mercy said no
Jesus said 🙌🏽 Yes. These songs of
Praise and Worship and Deliverance will always be my songs of Praise!
To the Glory of God.,Thank you Jesus
@MnofMusiq
I wore this cassette and VHS 📼 out! The whole album was a masterpiece!
The 90's where fun times! I really enjoyed playing these songs back in the day!
@tgd9477
I shole did too 😂😂😂
@babyjesusst7910
Dance for the LORD ALWAYS❤
@nubiansnowchic
Donald Lawrence is a musical genius!!! This whole album ROCKED!!! You couldn’t tell me nothing about praise when I played this!!!
@demartin975
💯
@KIKA-SP
SENSACIONAL, WONDERFUL, 🤍🤍🤍🫶🏻🙌🛐🛐🛐🤜🤛
@StephQueen90
I love love this song one because I really DO KNOW THE MAN. I have experience my Jesus . 🙌🏾🙌🏾Do you know the man? One of my absolute favorite 90s jams
@donnajoyner9781
I was there...that night...amazing live performance at Heritage USA!
@MnofMusiq
Recordered where? Heritage USA.,? Was that the place Jim and Tammy Baker had? I'm Just curious . I never knew where it was recorded. I always assumed it was recorded in Charlotte