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.
The Blessing of Abraham
Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who health thee.
Oh that you only trust in Me
You are the seed my faith receive
The blessings of Abraham
The blessings of Abraham
[Chorus]It's your inheritance
Get your inheritance
You are the seed
My faith receive
The blessings of Abraham
The blessings of Abraham
I am the Lord
Who health thee.
Oh that you only trust in Me
You are the seed my faith receive
The blessings of Abraham
The blessings of Abraham
[Chorus]
Whatever you are
Wherever you go,
Whatever you touch anointed to grow
You are the seed by faith receive
The blessings of Abraham
The blessings of Abraham
[Chorus]
It's yours
Get your inheritance
The head not the tail
Above not beneath a lender
(both hands)
Not a borrower
Get your inheritance
Get your inheritance
You are the seed
My faith receive
The blessings of Abraham
The blessings of Abraham
You are the seed
My faith receive
The blessings of Abraham
The blessings of Abraham
Ammmm
Get your inheritance
The Blessing of Abraham by Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers is a gospel song that expresses how God promises to bless His people. The song bases its message on what is found in scripture, specifically referencing Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3 where God promises to bless him and make him a great nation. The lyrics start with “I am the Lord who health thee” which emphasizes that God can and will provide for His people. The song urges the listener to trust in God, to recognize that they are the seed of faith and that they too can receive the blessings of Abraham.
The song is a reminder that the blessings of Abraham go deeper than just material possessions or financial gains. The blessings of Abraham encompass God’s promises for a prosperous and blessed life. The lyrics encourage the listener to have faith, to recognize their worth and receive their inheritance with open arms. The song then ends on the repetition of “get your inheritance” which further reinforces that the blessings of Abraham are available to all who believe and trust in God.
Line by Line Meaning
I am the Lord
I am the deity who guides and protects you
Who health thee.
Who heals you and looks after your well-being
Oh that you only trust in Me
If only you have complete faith in Me
You are the seed my faith receive
You are the offspring that receives my blessing through faith
The blessings of Abraham
The good fortune that Abraham was granted
The blessings of Abraham
The good fortune that Abraham was granted
[Chorus]
Reiterating that the blessings are the listener's inheritance
Whatever you are
No matter who you are
Wherever you go,
Wherever you travel to
Whatever you touch anointed to grow
Anything you come in contact with will prosper by divine intervention
You are the seed by faith receive
You are the offspring that inherits through faith
The blessings of Abraham
The good fortune that Abraham was granted
The blessings of Abraham
The good fortune that Abraham was granted
[Chorus]
Reiterating that the blessings are the listener's inheritance
It's yours
You own it
It's yours
You own it
Get your inheritance
Claim your rightful possession
The head not the tail
To lead rather than to follow
Above not beneath a lender
Not to be a borrower or a debtor
(both hands)
Symbolizing a gesture of receiving the blessings
Not a borrower
Emphasizing that one should not owe money
Get your inheritance
Claim your rightful possession
Get your inheritance
Claim your rightful possession
You are the seed
You are the offspring
My faith receive
Receiving my blessing through faith
The blessings of Abraham
The good fortune that Abraham was granted
The blessings of Abraham
The good fortune that Abraham was granted
Ammmm
A sound of affirmation and agreement
Get your inheritance
Claim your rightful possession
Lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: Donald Lawrence
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@THzoelove
( Here are the lyrics if you are like me and wanna sing along 😂😂 )
I am the God
Who health thee.
Oh that you only trust in Me
You are the seed
By faith receive
The blessings of Abraham
The blessings of Abraham
Whatever you are
Wherever you go,
Whatever you touch is anointed to grow
You are the seed
By faith receive
The blessings of Abraham
The blessings of Abraham
It's your inheritance
Get your inheritance
You are the seed
By faith receive
The blessings of Abraham
The blessings of Abraham
Whatever you are
Wherever you go,
Whatever you touch is anointed to grow
You are the seed
By faith receive
The blessings of Abraham
The blessings of Abraham
(2 times)
It's your inheritance
Get your inheritance
You are the seed
By faith receive
The blessings of Abraham
The blessings of Abraham
( 4 times )
It's yours
It's yours
Get your inheritance
The head not the tail
Above not beneath
A lender
Not a borrower
(4 times)
Get your inheritance!!!
Get your inheritance!!!
The head not the tail
Above not beneath
A lender
Not a borrower
(12 times )
Get your inheritance!!!
Get your inheritance!!!
(2 times )
You are the seed
My faith receive
The blessings of Abraham
The blessings of Abraham
You are the seed
By faith receive
The blessings of Abraham
The blessings of Abraham
Get your inheritance!!
@princeekpemandu2553
This song stole my spirit this morning and this is January 2024. Truly the word of God never grows old. Even in 2024 it is still as powerful. Thank you Donald Lawrence for such revelation.
@kikigraves4763
A year ago, I was on a bus on my way to my contract job with no benefits. Praying my 90 day contract would extend. Today I'm omw in my car to a full-time job with benefits at a prominent law firm. I got it got it. If you believe it you shall receive it! No matter what I went through, I knew the blessings of Abraham was on my life
@sugardonna
The song gets more meaning when you are actually reading the book of Genesis and see how God blessed Abraham, and then you wonder what He has in store for you, seeing that you’re the heir of Abraham! Powerful!
@mylifeasjessio
exactly!
@tiffanyminnis1628
Right but how do we know we are from his seed though?
@wisdomscall
@@tiffanyminnis1628it’s not about bloodline it’s whether you have received Christ or not. As the scripture says “ if you are in Christ then you are an heir, an heir according to the promise God made Abraham”!
@svann1001
@@mylifeasjessiopp
@donniathompson1975
Absolutely!
@MegaTanice
I AM THE SEED OF ABRAHAM. BY FAITH I RECEIVE THE BLESSING OF ABRAHAM. IT IS MY INHERITANCE. IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST. AMEN. TO GOD ALL THE GLORY. AMEN
@dwayneharris1458
"The head not the tail....above not beneath...a lender not a borrower!" Amen!