Jennifer Holliday

Though it's her powerful Houston, Texas-bred voice that most people remember, Jennifer Holliday first emerged on the scene as an actress with a role in 1980's Broadway musical Your Arms Too Short To Box With God. It was her Tony and Grammy-Award-winning turn as Effie in Dreamgirls that sent her star into the stratosphere and turned her character's signature song, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," into a talent show staple. Holliday parlayed her onstage success into a recording career, with both gospel and pop projects in her discography. She has also appeared on several television shows, including Ally McBeal and Touched By An Angel.