Jennifer Holliday

Texan Jennifer Holliday gained national recognition when she had the lead in the Broadway musical Your Arm's Too Short to Box with God. Her performance led to her star-making performance in Dreamgirls, an adaptation of The Supremes' saga. The show featured her show-stealing take on "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," which became a hit single in 1982. That led her to a career in pop music, although she never recaptured her initial success. She returned to the stage in 1985, appearing in Sing, Mahalia, Sing; she continued to release pop music albums while starring on Broadway. In either setting, she's a hardy, throaty, soul belter who chews on every lyric, infusing them with emotional statements. ~ Bil Carpenter