DESCRIPTION:
A performance of "And I Am Telling You" by the ORIGINAL Effie, Ms. Jennifer Holliday. She blows away almost anyone else in modern times with this performance, securing herself a rightful place amongst this era's greats (Aretha, Whitney, Ella, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, Mahalia Jackson).

From the 1982 Tony Awards, where she won the award for Best Actress for her creation and portrayal of Effie in the then-breakout smash musical "Dreamgirls." The scene and preceding song lead up to "And I Am Telling You," which begins at around 3.25, but the whole scene is an invaluable look at what Jennifer Holliday was really made of (And she's only 21 here?!?)

And to think she performed this EVERY night for TWO YEARS straight... Wow. Let's see Whitney, Christina, Mariah, or anyone else do that!