Don Lawrence (born 1945) is an American vocal coach and musician from New York City.
Don Lawrence | |
|---|---|
| Born | Don Lawrence 1945 New York City, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Juilliard School |
| Known for | Vocal Coach |
| Children | Max Lawrence |
| Parent | Martin Lawrence |
Career
editDon Lawrence grew up in Manhattan, and his father, Martin Lawrence, set the professional stage for his career in music. Martin Lawrence was the lead tenor with the Philadelphia Opera Company. In the early 1950s, Martin Lawrence made the transition to teaching, opening his vocal studio at the Ansonia Hotel on West 73rd Street. Martin’s students included Annie Lennox, Dion DiMucci, Bobby Rydell, Buddy Greco, Jerry Vale, Jane Morgan, Connie Francis, Vikki Carr, The Spinners, and The B-52's.[1]
After being the personal vocalist for the Commanding General of the Third Army and Band and performing at the Copacabana in New York City, Don Lawrence joined his father at the Lawrence Vocal Studio, founded in 1948. He studied voice at the Juilliard School.[2] Lawrence and his father, Martin Lawrence, created the Lawrence technique, a modern version of Bel canto, a classical opera technique supporting vocalists in popular music. His son, Max Lawrence, is carrying the torch as the studio's third-generation vocal coach.[3]
Lawrence has worked with Lady Gaga,[4] Whitney Houston, Mick Jagger, Axl Rose, Bono, Bette Midler, Alicia Keys, Billy Courtman, Mark Ronson, and Christina Aguilera. The Wall Street Journal dubbed him "The most experienced coach at the Super Bowl" for his work in preparing Lady Gaga for her Super Bowl Halftime show and Academy Awards performances. In addition to being with her while filming A Star Is Born and her tours including The Monster Ball Tour, Joanne World Tour, and The Chromatica Ball.[5][6][7][8]
He supported The Rolling Stones as their vocal coach on their Shine a Light Tour and Forty Licks World Tour.[9]
References
edit- ^ Benjamin, Claudie (December 15, 2022). "Caring for the Artist, the Performer, the Creator Within". Landmark West.
- ^ "Our Faculty | Music Academy of Kansas City |". MusicAcademyKC. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
- ^ Gardner, Chris (2016-04-04). "Lady Gaga Disses Fame, Money, Celebrity in Favor of Music: "That Stuff Ain't S— Compared to Records"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
- ^ Sullivan, Lindsey (2015-12-19). "Lady Gaga's Mom at Billboard Women in Music: Read Cynthia Germanotta's Touching Speech". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
- ^ Shah, Neil. "Meet the Coach for Lady Gaga, Super Bowl Halftime Star". WSJ. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
- ^ Pinckney, Darryl (2016-10-17). "Lady Gaga on Her New Album — and Everything That Came Before". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
- ^ Montalti, Victoria. "15 surprising things you might not know about Lady Gaga". Insider. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
- ^ "The Story of How Lady Gaga Became Famous Will Make You Like Her Even More". Mic. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
- ^ "Don Lawrence". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-05-11.