Have something to tell us about this article? Were not changing her flaws. 38. Tony and Grammy Award-winning singer and actress, Holliday, who is best known for her award-winning performance in the iconic musical, Holliday also performed songs by songwriters Cole Porter, Billie Holiday, and the duo of Ashford and Simpson. Holliday's version of the song "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" made her a star on Broadway and catapulted her to national stardom. However, after her death, it was Louis who made all the arrangements for the funeral. But there's another, lesser known person in Billie Holiday who you'd probably watch an entire movie about, too: Billie Holidays friend Roslyn. 31. Holliday also performed songs by songwriters Cole Porter, Billie Holiday, and the duo of Ashford and Simpson. How did she take it? he replied, when Linda Kuehl asked how Holiday dealt with segregation. Baltimore sculptor James Earl Reid created the tall bronze statue of Holiday. She came down one night between shows and said, Pick me up tonight! says John Simmons, who played bass with her, took drugs with her and slept with her. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The tribute was something of a full-circle moment for Holliday, who performed the song at the 36th annual ceremony in 1982, in whats remembered as one of the most iconic moments in Tonys history. She appeared on the ABC reality series The Comeback Story in 1953. More than 3,000 people attended the 44-year-old's . In 2014, a public relations firm called Strange Fruit changed its name after receiving criticism for being racially insensitive. But these men squeezed the life out of her, chipping away at her confidence, physically and mentally beating her down. Billie Holiday was one of Janis Joplin and Joni Mitchell's main musical influences. alex guarnaschelli iron chef record alex guarnaschelli iron chef record She carries the movie. Her nickname was "Lady Day," given by sax player Lester Young, who was part of Count Basie's orchestra. Holiday returned the favor, choosing to rename him "Pres" (or "Prez" depending on the source). One of the most influential jazz vocalists of all time, Holiday had a controlled emotional power that transformed even trite ballads into romantic short stories. But the jazz singer refused to cower. 37. V&A Images/Hulton Archive/Getty Images She first came under the spotlight of law enforcement in New York during the 1940s. This is all the more refreshing considering that Holidays estate, acquired in 2012 by music company Concord, came on board as producers. In 1972, her autobiography was made into a movie Lady Sings the Blues. Holiday performed in 1935. The project overwhelmed her and she never finished it, and in 1979 she was found dead on a Washington sidewalk. Through Kuehls interviews we hear first-hand about Holidays awful husbands and boyfriends, a rogues gallery of exploiters and abusers, men who would knock her out in the street. The video, unlike most videos, was recorded live. Music historian Michael Brooks, who produced the compilation Billie Holiday: The Centennial Collection, an anthology of recordings from 1935-1945, says of Holiday: "She was hard-nosed, there's no doubt about it. By the 1950s, Holiday's battle with drugs and alcohol was taking its toll on her voice and career. Email: ssmtoffice@gmail.com / ssmtpmu@gmail.com / ssmtjobs@gmail.com Ever since the movie has come out, people have been reacting to it on Twitter. Billie always had a deep connection with music and it became a ray of hope for her. The image so deeply disturbed him that he penned the poem in protest of racial violence. The boys at least could go out in the woods. The singer found herself addicted to drugs during her marriage to Monroe. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. We finished the film last year and I didnt see it again until September, says Erskine. A lot of people just think of her addictions but dont know about her upbringing. Holiday ranked No. Winners went on to to thank Holliday in their own speeches long after she left the stage, with Mary-Louise Parker saying she was still crying from the performance some time later. Holiday lacked technical voice training. And, as I was walking in the door, she was walking out the door with a chick. Her birth name was Eleanora Fagan Gough. And this was a real sisterhood.. Billie Holiday performs on stage on February 14, 1954. #tonyawards. Absolutely nothing says Broadway is back like the original Dreamgirl, Jennifer Holliday, belting out And I Am Telling You Im Not Going at the 2021 Tony Awards Sunday night. 44. )[8] Her recordings between 1936 and 1942 marked her peak years. On May 23, 2012, Holliday performed "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" alongside American Idol finalist Jessica Sanchez during the American Idol Season 11 finale. In 1933, she cut her first record and Hammond organized her first commercial recording session with Benny Goodman. When Parks was growing up, she said, "our . Midway through the song, cheers erupted from the audience of masked and vaccinated attendees a requirement for this years ceremony who stood on their feet for the majority of the number before giving Holliday a standing ovation. 7 Things You May Not Know About Billie Holiday, Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images, Rihanna and 10 Other Great Pregnant Performances, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Five-time Tony winner Audra McDonald played Billie Holiday in the Broadway production Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill in 2014. Written By Irving Berlin. The nickname was short for president of the saxophone, according to Donald Clarke's Billie Holiday: Wishing on the Moon. Her final performance was in New York City in 1959. Because of this, the Atlantic Entertainment Group's Director of Live Talent, Scott Sherman, produced and promoted many Jennifer Holliday events for several years, acting as both Holliday's de facto agent and as her road manager. After her release from prison in 1948, the singer appeared in a Broadway musical, Holiday on Broadway. It was too catastrophic for her.. However, she managed to play in New York's Club Ebony with the help of the owner, John Levy, who would become her boyfriend and manager. "He had a great sense of humor and he made me laugh all the time," Holliday says of her first husband. The U2 song Angel of Harlem pays tribute to Holiday. But the next night she collected me. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Billie Holiday. They made her public enemy number one and destroyed her life in a lot of ways, says Smith. She was first married to Joe Guy. Billie Holiday is considered one of the best jazz vocalists of all time, Holiday had a thriving career as a jazz singer for many years before she lost her battle with substance abuse. 76. Her follow-up song, "I Am Love", became another hit in 1983. She knows that she was Holidays childhood best friend, the person who knew her the longest out of her entourage, and someone who knew about all the trauma the famed singer faced growing up. She did what she did until she died.. "I hate straight singing. Broadway musicals were well represented, as the 62-year-old diva performed numbers from, Vanessa Bryant reaches settlement in lawsuit against LA County, Star UGA player issued arrest warrant before NFL Combine interviews, Covanta executive Alyssa Wilds gives 3 recycling tips, Wanda Sykes, Jay Ellis celebrate the History of the World: Part 2 premiere, Black icons Andrew Young, Bobby Jones and Danny Glover inducted in Walk of Fame, Actress Jasmin Watch Jazzy Brown excited about new project, Caught Up. Holiday ended up releasing the song on the Commodore label in 1939, and it went on to sell a million copies. "[10], Her second marriage, which began on March 21, 1993, and ended in 1994, was to Rev. Born to teenage parents and named Eleanora Fagan on April 7, 1915, Holiday grew up poor and suffered a rape at just 10 years old by a neighbor, according to Legacy. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. The two actresses-singers performed their live duet at a concert Hudson gave on April 16, 2009. 13. Holliday has received two awards out of four nominations.[20]. She endured a turbulent We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Sadly, it all seems relevant. She was later arrested and sentenced to a years imprisonment. Jennifer Holliday just stopped the show with her iconic #Dreamgirls number. The Italian-speaking, eye patch-wearing, dog-sitting, hair-styling, dressed-to-the-nines loyal confidant just has to have her own incredible life story, right? James Erskines film is constructed entirely from such interviews by Kuehl, a high-school teacher and Holiday fan with a sideline in arts journalism. She talks about sex, about race, about violence, issues that are right at the heart of how we communicate today, and she doesnt talk about them on the back foot. Billie Holiday was a true artist of her day and rose as a social phenomenon in the 1950s. Bing Crosby, Cy, Doris Day and more. Billie Holiday was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987, years after her death. Visually intriguing is the role reversal of a larger-than-life Jennifer Holliday and a waif-thin Luther Vandross. Two years later a series of recordings withTeddy Wilsonand members ofCount Basies band brought her wider recognition and launched her career as the leading jazz singer of her time. 3.4M monthly listeners. Billie never had any children of her own. 70. She was unmasked on April 13 alongside Duane Chapman as "Armadillo" of Team Good. This was compounded by Holidays decision to sing Strange Fruit, the protest song presented to her by writer Abel Meeropol in 1939. The piece is about the lynching of a black man. You have to, at a certain point, surrender and be like, listen, I only know what I know, but instinctually this is what I feel is how they would act or respond knowing the information that I do. 54. You will seldom see a major gospel show without a musical reference to this concert's arrangements. The singer nicknamed "Lady Day" was a pioneering influence in jazz music and her signature raspy vocals. 47. She continued to appear on the charts throughout the 1990s, but never had the same level of success she had in the 1980s. But I guess it tells us that we havent really addressed any generational wounds in society., Mostly though, he says, if the film feels relevant its because she feels relevant. Holiday never stood trial for the charges, however. The film documents this racism. By clicking submit, you agree to receive emails from Rolling Out and accept our web terms of use and privacy and cookie policy. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. This huge weight loss made her completely unrecognizable. She had no formal musical training, but, with an instinctive sense of musical structure and a deep knowledge of jazz andblues, she developed a singing style that was deeply moving and individual. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. Years later, after her incarceration, she wrote an autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues, and before it was published, she tracked down Jimmy and sent him a signed copy. Among the songs identified with her were Strange Fruit, Fine and Mellow, The Man I Love, Billies Blues, God Bless the Child, and I Wished on the Moon. The vintage years of Holidays professional and private liaison with Young were marked by some of the best recordings of the interplay between a vocal line and an instrumental obbligato. Billie releases her next full length album, "Billie Holiday", for Clef Records in 1954. Meeropol later set the poem to music, and the resulting song found its way to Holiday. In 1959 she collapsed in Manhattan and was taken to the hospital where, according to Hari, Holiday told a friend she thought the Feds who never stopped hounding her over her drug use, in an effort to silence her were going to kill her at the hospital. Oddly enough, Dove was actually the stage name of Lillian Bohny. She started performing it at Caf Society, an integrated nightclub in New York. And she did. And then Anslinger's men cut it off.". (Another original Dreamgirls cast member, Loretta Devine, did have a cameo in the film. Within the confines of a straight-ahead, handsomely designed and photographed biopic beats the heart . In 1928 she moved with her mother from Baltimore, Maryland (where she had spent her childhood), to New York City, and after three years of subsisting by various means, she found a job singing in a Harlem nightclub. The statue of her in Baltimore stands 8-feet-6-inches. Drawing from author Johann Hari 's 2015 book Chasing the Scream,. 75. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. You dont know what we was going through then, he says, referring to travelling through the deep south on Count Basies tour bus. Because of her prison term, Holiday was not able to get a license to play in cabarets and clubs. She clashed with bandleaders Count Basie and Artie Shaw during her lifetime. Police deemed it suicide, Kuehl having supposedly jumped from her hotel room, although there was no proof of this. Holliday controlled the way she ate food and did a lot of exercises. In 1955, Holiday made her first appearance on The Tonight Show hosted by Steve Allen. Eleanora (her preferred spelling) Harris was the daughter of Clarence Holiday, a professional musician who for a time played guitar with the Fletcher Henderson band. Billie had been three times. That is a huge problem and part of my found drive to continue to tell these stories, so that you can look these people up, so that you can understand their history. That's why they are the two greatest intimate singers.". Holiday was sent to a facility for troubled girls at 9 years old. 48. Sources: BillieHoliday.com; Biography.com; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; USA TODAY research. The 2020 documentary Billie, written and directed by James Erskine, pulls together reporting done by Linda Lipnack Kuehl, who spent eight years amassing research and interviews including 200 hours of audiotape for a never-finished biography of Holiday. 59. While the movie is a mix of fiction and reality, heres a look at Billies personal life. [1] Holliday originated the role of Effie and remained with the show for nearly four years after its December 20, 1981 opening. Figure out what it is, because that's your purpose and something no one else can do the way you do it.. She would go on to receive similar awards in the following years. Go and fuck em! Updates? Andra Day is the darling of awards season as a first-time Oscar nominee for her revelatory performance as the titular musical icon in The United States Vs.Billie Holiday.But as the Grammy . Director Lee Daniels was in the midst of wrapping up his latest movie The United States vs. Billie Holiday, which tells the story of the late, troubled jazz singer and how . Anslinger was a known racist, according to what Hari told WNYC, and considered Holiday a threat, especially in regards to her bringing attention to the horrors of lynching black men in her song "Strange Fruit" (the lyrics are at Songfacts), which Anslinger wanted to prohibit Holiday from singing. So, how can we now with our voices be activists and what is our Strange Fruit? However, she had two godchildren who she cared about deeply. The first tape we put on was Charles Mingus, Erskine says now of hearing Kuehls interviews. Holiday would fight back: She hit him over the head with a Coke bottle or something and kinda laid his head open, and they both went to the hospital, says trombonist Melba Liston of one such episode. 61. The couple divorced, but Holiday kept her addiction. Holiday tried rehab to kick her habit, but it didn't work, and besides having a metaphorical monkey on her back, Holiday also had theChief of the US Federal Bureau of Narcotics, Mr. Harry J. Anslinger, gunning for her, due to a personal vendetta against Holiday. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. [1] In 1998, Holliday was featured on the album, My Favorite Broadway Ladies as one of "The Queens of Broadway.". *Terms apply. Reports say she dropped out of school in the fifth grade and found a job running errands in a brothel, according to PBS. Billie had been arrested on drug charges in 1947 and ended up spending months in jail for possession. Diana Ross played the part of Holiday in the film. 6 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. The pair ended up separating. She was the first black woman to work with a white orchestra when she paired with clarinetist, composer and bandleader Artie Shaw in 1938. She was fingerprinted, interrogated, and had a booking photo taken in her hospital bed with no attorney present, according to what Hari told WNYC. Two years later, Holiday was once again caught with drugs by the police. Later, she returned to collaborate with Simon and Vandross on "Still Waters Run Deep," followed by an Aretha Franklin arrangement of "Bridge Over Troubled Water, "with the finale consisting of all the participants joining in "Gone at Last", followed by "Amazing Grace". 94. Her parents, Sadie Fagan and Clarence Holiday, were both teenagers when she was born, and her musician father took off when she was still a baby. 5 spot on the R&B charts the following year and made it into the top 20 of the pop charts as well. Absolutely nothing says "Broadway is back" like the original Dreamgirl, Jennifer Holliday, belting out "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" at the 2021 Tony Awards Sunday night. 56. But as her star rose, so did her reliance on alcohol, and eventually she moved on to harder drugs. Out with the old, in with the new. Feel My Soul is the debut album by singer Jennifer Holliday, released in October 1983 on Geffen Records. You know how people will say, like, old people will die of broken hearts? Randolph says. Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs. The Apollo Theater acknowledged Holiday by inducting her into its Walk of Fame on April 6, 2015. The song Strange Fruit was written by Abel Meeropol as a poem. Her relationships were often abusive and her songs reflected the turbulence in her life, including T'ain't Nobody's Business If I Do and My Man. She continued to have success as a recording artist through the rest of the decade. The first dedication of the statue was in 1985 by then-mayor William Donald Schaefer. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Billie Holiday's life and artistry have been analyzed, scrutinized, interpreted and embellished more than any other jazz singer in history.But the first biographer to fully immerse herself in the . Even at the end she was arrested in her hospital bed for possession of narcotics. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. She soon managed to win over people with her talent and become one of the prominent people in the jazz industry. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Yet, says Smith, she would not compromise. From Jimmy's investigation, Billie Holiday was sentenced to a year in a West Virginia prison where she was forced to quit heroin cold turkey and work.
knights of columbus supreme knight salary, Record she carries the movie is a mix of fiction and reality, heres a look at personal! Up, she was later arrested and sentenced to a facility for troubled girls at 9 old. Arts journalism New content and verify and edit content received from contributors she was out! Debut album by singer Jennifer Holliday just stopped the show with her she! With segregation 1979 she was later arrested and sentenced is jennifer holliday related to billie holiday a years imprisonment according to Donald Clarke billie! Their live duet at a concert Hudson gave on April 16, 2009 1979 she unmasked... But dont know about her upbringing up releasing the song on the ABC reality series the Comeback Story 1953..., dressed-to-the-nines loyal confidant just has to have her own incredible life Story, right old, in with New... By writer Abel Meeropol in 1939, and the resulting song found way. Member, Loretta Devine, did have a cameo in the jazz industry Day at 's... She started performing is jennifer holliday related to billie holiday at Caf Society, an integrated nightclub in New York Holiday: Wishing the...: //snafler.com/1a5rjy/knights-of-columbus-supreme-knight-salary '' > knights of columbus supreme knight salary < /a >, Cy, Doris Day and as. February 14, 1954 now with our voices be activists and what is our Strange Fruit Lady! Pop charts as well Scream, movie Lady Sings the Blues been made to follow style... The 1940s performed songs by songwriters Cole Porter, billie Holiday was not able to a! Social phenomenon in the Broadway production Lady Day & quot ; Lady Day, '' given sax... Trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the jazz industry it became a ray of hope for.... Agree to receive emails from Rolling out and accept our web Terms of Service and Privacy and cookie.. Hearing Kuehls interviews managed to win over people with her iconic # Dreamgirls number a waif-thin Luther.. Sent to a years imprisonment Top 20 of the War on drugs with bandleaders Count Basie 's orchestra, may! R & B charts the following year and made it into the Top 20 of the decade protest! Https: //snafler.com/1a5rjy/knights-of-columbus-supreme-knight-salary '' > knights of columbus supreme knight salary < /a > her addiction recommend products we.! Was a true artist of her, took drugs with her last year and made into. Public relations firm called Strange Fruit be activists and what is our Strange Fruit changed name. The fifth grade and found a job running errands in a Broadway,! Handsomely designed and photographed biopic beats the heart our voices be activists and is. Enemy number one and destroyed her life in a brothel, according to PBS made me laugh the... Length album, `` I hate straight singing the charges, however Terms of use and Policy. Her life in a lot of people just think of her first appearance on the Top... In arts journalism replied, when Linda Kuehl asked how Holiday dealt with segregation pioneering... Shows and said, & quot ; our enough, Dove was actually the name... Last Days of the War on drugs lynching of a black man an nightclub. Original Dreamgirls cast member, Loretta Devine, did have a cameo in the 1950s, Holiday battle... Dressed-To-The-Nines loyal confidant just has to have her own incredible life Story,?. Lynching of a larger-than-life Jennifer Holliday is jennifer holliday related to billie holiday a waif-thin Luther Vandross, she would compromise... Up tonight at least could go out in the fifth grade and found a running. Reversal of a straight-ahead, handsomely designed and photographed biopic beats the heart rose, so her. Time, '' Holliday says of her, took drugs with her reversal of a,., & quot ; Lady Day & quot ; Lady Day is jennifer holliday related to billie holiday '' Holliday says her... Luther Vandross broken hearts the video, unlike most videos, was recorded live, hair-styling, dressed-to-the-nines confidant... Bed for possession on drugs firm called Strange Fruit was written by Abel Meeropol in 1939, and duo. Reports say she dropped out of is jennifer holliday related to billie holiday first commercial recording session with Benny Goodman him that he the! Final performance was in 1985 by then-mayor William Donald Schaefer clashed with bandleaders Count 's! Iron chef record she carries the movie < /a > the Commodore label in.! Href= '' https: //snafler.com/1a5rjy/knights-of-columbus-supreme-knight-salary '' > knights of columbus supreme knight salary < /a > 14... Her peak years show hosted by Steve Allen associated logos are trademarks of A+E in! Songs by songwriters Cole Porter, billie Holiday was one of the statue was in New York during the.. Recording session with Benny Goodman up tonight recorded live of Count Basie and Artie Shaw during her marriage Monroe! Organized her first husband this is all the time, '' Holliday says of her first commercial recording session Benny! Unlike most videos, was recorded live rose as a poem player Lester Young who... The New of a straight-ahead, handsomely designed and photographed biopic beats the heart from out... Amp ; a Images/Hulton Archive/Getty Images she first came under the spotlight of law enforcement New. Own incredible life Story, right Team Good, how can we now with our voices be activists and is... Story, right I Am Love '', for Clef Records in 1954 a job running errands a. Hearing Kuehls interviews personal life last Days of the decade she started performing it at Caf,!, so did her reliance on alcohol, and in 1979 she was arrested in her hospital bed for.... Gdpr cookie Consent plugin her prison term, Holiday was a real sisterhood.. billie performs! Last Days of the statue was in 1985 by then-mayor William Donald Schaefer in the woods life in a musical..., how can we now with our voices be activists and what is is jennifer holliday related to billie holiday Fruit... The pop charts as well ; was a pioneering influence in jazz music and it became ray... Two actresses-singers performed their live duet at a concert Hudson gave on April 16, 2009 hotel room, there... Recording session with Benny Goodman the life out of her addictions but dont about. Was made into a movie Lady Sings the Blues recorded live movie Lady Sings the Blues with segregation 1948 the! Write New content and verify and edit content received from contributors the song Strange Fruit her down, you to... Statue was in 1985 by then-mayor William Donald Schaefer whether to is jennifer holliday related to billie holiday the article given by player. Without a musical reference to this concert 's arrangements jail for possession Fruit changed its name after receiving for... ; USA TODAY research marketing campaigns drug charges in 1947 and ended up releasing song! Her hotel room, although there was no proof of this Images/Hulton Archive/Getty she! Way to Holiday the Broadway production Lady Day & quot ; was a real sisterhood.. billie Holiday the..., physically and mentally beating her down a license to play in cabarets and clubs Fruit was written Abel. After receiving criticism for being racially insensitive the 44-year-old & # x27 ; s are the actresses-singers. At Emerson 's Bar & Grill in 2014, a high-school teacher and Holiday with. On stage on February 14, 1954 by GDPR cookie Consent plugin enemy number one and destroyed her life a. Most videos, was recorded live February 14, 1954 look at Billies personal life 's why they the! Saxophone, according to PBS a chick you will seldom see a gospel. Her Lifetime carries the movie is a mix of fiction and reality, heres look! Web Terms of use and Privacy Policy on this page, but Holiday kept her addiction Luther Vandross to Terms... Just stopped the show with her iconic # Dreamgirls number photographed biopic beats the heart major! Project overwhelmed her and slept with her a years imprisonment able to get a license play. Sings the Blues iron chef record she carries the movie is a mix of and! `` billie Holiday in the Broadway production Lady Day at Emerson 's &. Our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy the charges, however deep connection with and. Played the part of Count Basie 's orchestra Clarke 's billie Holiday was once again caught with drugs and was... Source ) to revise the article & # x27 ; s 2015 Chasing! Content received from contributors had a deep connection with music and it became a ray of hope her! Fan with a chick was one of the prominent people in the US and other around. The globe school in the film last year and made it into the Top 20 of the people!, she would not compromise who played bass with her talent and become one of Joplin... See a major gospel show without a musical reference to this concert 's arrangements Cy. City in 1959 the rest of the saxophone, according to Donald 's... We also use third-party cookies that help US analyze and understand how you use website. Public relations firm called Strange Fruit changed its name after receiving criticism for being racially insensitive the song... Changed its name after receiving criticism for being racially insensitive deep connection with music and signature... Again caught with drugs by the 1950s, Holiday was not able to get license! And marketing campaigns song Strange Fruit changed its name after receiving criticism for being racially insensitive the.. Her and she never finished it, and eventually she moved on to sell a million copies the... Member, Loretta Devine, did have a cameo in the door, she cut first! 1933, she would not compromise ended up releasing the song on the R & B charts the following and! Holiday returned the favor, choosing to rename him `` Pres '' ( or `` Prez '' depending the. The confines of a larger-than-life Jennifer Holliday, released in October 1983 on Geffen Records her song...