About
Jennifer Holliday (born October 19, 1960) is an American singer and actress. She has been referred to as the “Original Dreamgirl”. Holliday began her career as an actress in several Broadway productions. Her signature and breakout role as “Effie White” as well in the original Broadway musical Dreamgirls in 1981, led to numerous accolades including a recording contract with Geffen Records. Her debut single “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”, released on the Dreamgirls: Original Broadway Cast Album (1981), became an number-one R&B hit and earned her a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1982.
She released her first album Feel My Soul on Geffen Records in 1983, to moderate success. The album’s lead single, “I Am Love”, peaked at number two on the US R&B chart. Her follow-up album, Say You Love Me (1985), produced a single titled “No Frills Love” which topped the US Hot Dance Club Play chart. The album also featured a rendition of “Come Sunday” which earned a Grammy Award for Best Inspirational Performance in 1986. She was subsequently dropped from Geffen after the release of third album Get Close to My Love (1987) as the label deemed her unmarketable due to her weight…
Awards & Recognition
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