About the artist
Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers is the gospel choir-and-leader project through which producer and songwriter Donald Lawrence made his name in the 1990s and 2000s. The name refers to the group's roots spanning Spartanburg, Gastonia and Charlotte, and the choir became one of contemporary gospel's most commercially successful acts, regularly topping Billboard's gospel charts.
Their sound paired traditional call-and-response choral gospel with polished R&B and pop production, a combination heard on enduring songs such as «Encourage Yourself», «Deliver Me (This is My Exodus)» and «Let My People Go». Lawrence's arrangements often built from intimate spoken introductions into full choir crescendos, a style that became a template for church and radio gospel alike.
The group's catalogue, including songs like «Seasons» and «Never Seen the Righteous Forsaken», helped popularize gospel music with audiences beyond traditional church settings, and its recordings remain frequently sampled and covered within the genre.