best new artist. The Broadway sensation 35 Years Ago then partnered with for her first , Feel My Soul. The 'S single "I Am Love" climbed to No. 2, but momentum stalled as, she claims, her record label, Geffen, refused to promote 'GOING' WENT TO NO.! the singer with music videos. "My record ATony Award-winning turn in made the actress apop company told me they were not going to spend adime on me because Iwas unat- star before personal crises and label troubles hobbled her career tractive and unmarketable," she says. ON DEC. 20, 1981, ABROADWAY onto Billboard as the song sped to No. As Holliday's career cooled, she newcomer named Jennifer Holliday on the Hot Black Singles chart (which is battled with depression and attempted got her first taste of stardom. It was now called Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs) suicide in 1990. The following year, she the opening night of Dreamgirls on on July 24, 1982. bounced back with anew label, Arista, Broadway, and as the character Effie The song grew nationally, Holliday and anew album, I'm on Your Side. The White, Holliday brought the house down tells Billboard, thanks to influential New title track returned her to the top 10 of with apowerful performance of "And I York DJ Frankie Crocker, who "played it the Hot Black Singles chart. Am Telling You I'm Not Going," one of religiously" on morning radio on WBLS. Since then, Holliday has wrapped the boldest declarations in the musical "We weren't thinking it'd go beyond aBroadway run as Shug Avery in The theater canon. the theater. We knew that moment was Color Purple in January, and continues "If the curtain didn't fall, the special, but lasting three decades? We to perform live. In July, she plans to audience would probably cheer Jennifer had no idea," she says. record again and develop aone-woman Holliday until dawn," wrote The New In addition to winning a1982 Tony show partly inspired by, of all people, York Times. The enormous response to Award for her performance in Dreamgirls, Mike Tyson. "I was like, 'Wait aminute the performance led to the release of an Holliday also scored aGrammy Award — Ican have ashow like that, to talk official single, ararity for ashow tune. for best female R&B vocal performance about my life,' "she says. "Except I Then 21, Holliday leapt from Broadway for "Telling You," and was nominated for can sing!" —TREVOR ANDERSON

REWINDING From left: Olivia Newton-John, THE Holliday and Michael Jackson on opening night of the Los Angeles production of Dreamgirls in March 1983.

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