The founder of Florida Conservation, Inc., Antonio Junior earned his MBA from Florida International University while managing a small business that involved over 300 Miami residents. Although based in Miami, Antonio Junior travels to New York City to watch Broadway musicals, including Dreamgirls
A collaboration effort of composer Henry Krieger and lyricist Tom Eyen, Dreamgirls is a musical based on acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, and James Brown and the musical chronicles the aspirations and successes in show business. After it opened on December 20, 1981 at Imperial Theater, Dreamgirls went on to put on 1,521 performances. Of all the songs in the musical, one of the most enduring is Effie White’s song And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.
Effie White’s role was originated by Jennifer Holliday, whose performance of And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going was a show stopper. It eventually became her signature song, winning a Tony award for best actress in a musical and Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. When it was released as a single, the song reached the top spot on the R&B charts, thus paving the way for Holliday’s career.
When the musical was adapted into a film, the torch song also proved to be a star vehicle for Jennifer Hudson (who played Effie White in the film) as she went on to win the Best Supporting Actress Award at the 2006 Academy Awards. Her version’s single reached the 60th spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
Antonio Junior (Miami) 