Donald Lawrence (musical director and leader of this choir) was born on May… Read Full Bio ↴Donald Lawrence (musical director and leader of this choir) was born on May 4, 1961. He 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.[1] (NOTE: The three cities that The Tri-City Singers come from are Spartanburg, SC, Gastonia, NC, and Charlotte, NC.[2])

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,[1] 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.[5] When tri-city4.com was finally released in late summer 2000, the set peaked at #2 on Billboard's Top Gospel Charts and #13 on Billboard's Heatseekers Charts.[3] 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 waited almost two years before delivering the follow-up Go Get Your Life Back in early 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.[6]

In March 2006, The Tri-City Singers announced that they would retire, but not before one last live recording.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9]

Giants
The Tri-City Singers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Giants,
Do die.
The bigger they are,
The harder they fall.
Giants,
They die.
Just walk around
Your Jericho Wall.

Now we
Come in Your Name.
And we
Stand on Your Word.
What is
Loosed in the Heaves.
Will be
Loosed on Earth.
Now we
Come in Your Name.
And we
Stand on Your Word.
What is
Loosed in the Heaves.
Will be
Loosed on Earth.
Let God Arise-
Giants
Die.

Giants,
Do die.
The bigger they are,
The harder they fall.
Giants,
They die.
Just walk around
Your Jericho Wall.

Now we
Come in Your Name.
And we
Stand on Your Word.
What is
Loosed in the Heaves.
Will be
Loosed on Earth.
Now we
Come in Your Name.
And we
Stand on Your Word.
What is
Loosed in the Heaves.
Will be
Loosed on Earth.
Let God Arise-
Giants
Die.

Your praise,
Will bring down strongholds.
When you praise,
You will see miracles.
Just praise,
When things
Seem impossible.
And the King of Glory
Will show his glory.
Let God Arise-
Giants
Die.

Giants,
Do die.
The bigger they are,
The harder they fall.
Giants,
They die.
Just walk around
Your Jericho Wall.

Now we
Come in Your Name.
And we
Stand on Your Word.
What is
Loosed in the Heaves.
Will be
Loosed on Earth.
Now we
Come in Your Name.
And we
Stand on Your Word.
What is
Loosed in the Heaves.
Will be
Loosed on Earth.
Let God Arise-
Giants
Die.

When you praise,
When you praise.
When you praise,
They gotta come down.
When you praise,
When you praise.
When you praise,
They gotta come down.

When you worship,
When you worship.
When you worship,
They gotta come down.
When you worship,
When you worship.
When you worship,
They gotta come down.

When you shout,
Just shout.
When you shout,
They gotta come down.
When you shout,
Just shout.
When you shout,
They gotta come down.

They gotta come down.
They gotta come down.
They gotta come down.
They gotta come down.
They gotta come down.
They gotta come down.
They gotta come down.
They gotta come down.

When you shout,
Just shout.
When you shout,
They gotta come down.
When you shout,
Just shout.
When you shout,
They gotta come down.
When you shout,
Just shout.
When you shout,
They gotta come down.
When you shout,
Just shout.
When you shout,
They gotta come down.

They gotta come down.
They gotta come down.
They gotta come down.
They gotta come down.

Let God Arise-

Giants
Die.

Overall Meaning

The song "Giants" by The Tri-City Singers is a call to praise and worship God in order to overcome the giants in our lives. The lyrics remind listeners that giants, no matter how big, will fall when we come in the name of Jesus and stand on His Word. The song also references the story of Jericho, where Joshua and the Israelites were able to defeat their enemy by circling the city and shouting until the walls fell. The song encourages listeners to praise and worship God in the face of impossible situations, knowing that He is able to bring down strongholds and work miracles.

Overall, the song "Giants" is a powerful reminder of the importance of praise and worship in our daily lives as believers. The lyrics emphasize the fact that we do not have to face our problems alone, but rather can rely on God to help us overcome them. The chorus, which repeats the phrase "let God arise - giants die," is a powerful declaration of faith and a call to action for all who hear the song.

Line by Line Meaning

Giants,
Challenges or obstacles

Do die.
Will eventually be overcome

The bigger they are,
The more intimidating they seem

The harder they fall.
The greater the impact when defeated

They die.
Giants will be defeated

Just walk around
Simply trust in God's plan and guidance

Your Jericho Wall.
Your personal barriers or struggles

Now we
As followers of God

Come in Your Name.
Seeking strength and support from God

And we
With His help

Stand on Your Word.
Relying on the promises and teachings of God