American Singer Jennifer Holliday - Top 5 Facts

Learn all the top facts you need to know about the American singer and actress Jennifer Holliday.

Jennifer Holliday is best known for her debut single, the Dreamgirls number and rhythm-and-blues/pop hit, 'And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going,' for which she won a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1983. For Dreamgirls, she also won a 1982 Tony Award.

Jennifer Holliday began her career on Broadway in musicals such as Dreamgirls (1981–83), Your Arms Too Short to Box with God (1980–81), and later became a successful recording artist. Below, we listed the top facts you need to know about the famous singer, so you get to learn more about her.

Jennifer Holliday's Broadway Career

Jennifer Holliday was born on October 19, 1960, in Houston, Texas. She landed her first big role on Broadway in 1979 at the age of 19. She earned numerous acclaims for her performance in the musical, and she also received a 1981 Drama Desk nomination for that.

Jennifer Holliday was born in Houston, Texas.
Source: The Daily Beast

Jennifer's main role came when she was 21 years old, which was the role of Effie Melody White in the Broadway musical Dreamgirls. For her incredible performance, she received several awards in 1982, including the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, a Grammy Award for her recorded version of the song and Drama Desk and Theater World awards for her acting performance.

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Jennifer Holliday's Career As a Recording Artist

Jennifer Holliday's version of the song 'And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going' rose her fame to new heights. In 1982, a pop version of the song was released as a single, which rose to immediate success. It peaked at number-one on the Billboard R&B chart and number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Jennifer Holliday enjoyed her successful time as a recording artist in the 1980s.
Source: Celebrity Net Worth

Jennifer Holliday continued her success as a recording artist through the rest of the '80s. Another song 'I Am Love' also became a major hit in 1983. Her other R&B hits throughout the decade include 'Hard Time For Lovers' (1985), 'No Frills Love' (1985), 'I'm On Your Side' (1991), and 'A Woman's Got the Power' (2000).

Jennifer Holliday Was One of the First People to Undergo Gastric Bypass Surgery

Jennifer Holliday underwent gastric bypass surgery in the 1990s, becoming one of the first people to do so as the procedure was in its experimental phase. After the operation, she lost a substantial amount of weight and talked about her health struggles with depression during promotional interviews.

Jennifer Holliday underwent gastric bypass surgery in the 1990s.
Source: Variety

Jennifer Holliday's decision to lose weight came after her failed attempt to take her own life. She initially tried to lose weight through strict dieting, but it was not effective enough, which is why she opted for weight loss surgery.

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Jennifer Holliday's Married Life

Jennifer Holliday married twice in her life. She met her first husband keyboardist Billy Meadows in 1991, in a nightclub where she was singing. They got married just two months after they met in March 1991. But the marriage did not last long, and the couple divorced in December 1991, just nine months later.

Jennifer Holliday married twice in her life.
Source: Aussie Celebs

Jennifer Holliday's second husband was Rev. Andre Woods, a minister in Detroit. They tied the knot on March 21, 1993, and Jet magazine covered the marriage in their April 19, 1993 issue. The marriage also lived for a short period of time and ended in 1994.

Jennifer Holliday's Television Appearances

Jennifer Holliday also made some appearances on primetime television during her career. She made appearances on American fantasy drama television series 'Touched by an Angel' and NBC sitcom 'Hang Time.' Additionally, she made a half dozen appearances in a recurring guest star role on 'Ally McBeal,' where she acted out the role of choir director Lisa Knowles, often singing popular ballads.

Jennifer Holliday also made some appearances on primetime television during her career.
Source: ABC News

Jennifer Holliday has appeared on 'The Wendy Williams Show,' where she was interviewed and after that, she performed on the show. Additionally, she has also made appearances on 'American Idol' (for performance), WWE, and many other TV shows.

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