In 1971, Laws journeyed to Los Angeles, California to embark upon a musical career. He started off by performing with trumpeter Hugh Masekela. In 1972, Laws joined the band Earth, Wind & Fire where he played saxophone and flute on their album Last Days and Time. After 18 months working with Earth, Wind and Fire, he decided to become a solo artist. In 1975, Laws issued his debut album entitled Pressure Sensitive on Blue Note Records. The album reached No. 25 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart. In 1976, Laws went on to release his second LP Fever. The album reached No. 13 on the Billboard Top Soul LPs chart.

His third album, Friends & Strangers, was issued in 1977 on United Artists Records. The album has been certified Gold in the US by the RIAA. Laws’ fourth studio LP, entitled Flame was released in September 1978 on United Artists. The LP reached No. 16 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart.

His follow up album Every Generation was issued in 1980 by United Artists Records. The album reached No. 4 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart.

Laws produced and sang on Debra Laws’ 1981 album Very Special. He later played saxophone on Ramsey Lewis’ 1983 album Les Fleurs, Sister Sledge’s 1983 LP Bet Cha Say That to All the Girls, Deniece Williams 1984 album Let’s Hear It For The Boy and Jeff Lorber’s 1984 LP In the Heat of the Night. Laws also performed on Alphonse Mouzon’s 1985 album The Sky Is the Limit and 1988 LP Early Spring. He later guested on Howard Hewett’s 1988 LP Forever and Ever, Norman Brown’s 1992 album Just Between Us and Earth, Wind & Fire’s 1993 LP Millennium.