Anita Denise Baker (born January 26, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. She is one of the most popular singers of soulful ballads, especially renowned for her work during the height of the

quiet storm Quiet storm is a radio format and genre of R&B, performed in a smooth, romantic, jazz-influenced style. It was named after the title song on Smokey Robinson's 1975 album ''A Quiet Storm''. The radio format was pioneered in 1976 by Melvin Lin ...

period in the 1980s. Starting her career in the late 1970s with the funk band Chapter 8, Baker released her first solo album, ''

The Songstress ''The Songstress'' is the debut solo album by the American R&B/soul singer Anita Baker. It was originally released in 1983 by Beverly Glen Music, and was Baker's only album for that label prior to signing with Elektra Records with whom she had a ...

'', in 1983. In 1986, she rose to stardom following the release of her

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

-selling second album, ''

Rapture The rapture is an Christian eschatology, eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an Eschatology, end-time event when all Christian believers who are alive, along with resurre ...

'', which included the Grammy-winning single " Sweet Love". , Baker has won eight Grammy Awards and has four Platinum albums, along with two

Gold albums Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. Baker is a contralto with a range of nearly three octaves.

Life and music career

1958–79: Early life, career beginnings and Chapter 8

Anita Baker was born on January 26, 1958, in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnat ...

. When she was two, her mother abandoned her and Baker was raised by a

foster family Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home (residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family mem ...

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

. When Baker was 12, her foster parents died and her foster sister raised her afterwards. By the time Baker was 16, she began singing R&B at Detroit nightclubs. After one performance, she was discovered by bandleader David Washington, who gave her a card to audition for the funk band, Chapter 8. Baker joined Chapter 8 in 1975 and the group toured until securing a deal with

Ariola Records Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international media conglomerat ...

in 1979. The group's first album, '' Chapter 8,'' was released that year and featured the singles " Ready for Your Love", a duet between Baker and bandmate Gerald Lyles, and the Baker-led "I Just Want to Be Your Girl." After Ariola was bought out by

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertain ...

in 1979, Chapter 8 was dropped by the label who were convinced that Baker, as the group's lead singer, didn't have "star potential." Baker returned to Detroit, working as a waitress and a receptionist until, in 1982, Otis Smith, a former associate of Ariola, convinced Baker to start a solo career under his Beverly Glen label.

1983–89: ''The Songstress'', ''Rapture'' and ''Giving You the Best That I Got''

Baker released her debut solo album, ''

'', in May 1983. The album produced four singles: "No More Tears" and its

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

, "Will You Be Mine", "Angel" and "You're the Best Thing Yet". "Angel" became Baker's first top ten single, reaching number five on the R&B charts in late 1983. "You're the Best Thing Yet" followed it in the R&B top 40 early the following year. Despite this early success, Baker later complained that she hadn't received any royalties from the work. In addition, the label delayed work on Baker's follow-up of ''The Songstress''. By 1984, after two years, Baker sought to leave the label but was sued by Smith for breach of contract in 1985. After months in court debating the matter, it was concluded that Baker should be allowed to record for other labels, winning the case against Beverly Glen label owner Otis Smith. Baker then signed with the

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and th ...

-associated

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...

label in 1985 and began working on her next album. Her Elektra contract allowed the singer to have creative control and produce her own music. Baker used her old Chapter 8 bandmate, songwriter and producer Michael J. Powell on her first Elektra album, though label execs were initially unhappy with her choice of Powell over more established producers. In March 1986, Baker released her second album, ''

''. While sales were initially slow following the release of the album's debut single, "Watch Your Step", Elektra released the mid-tempo ballad, " Sweet Love", which became her first pop hit, reaching number eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and also reaching the UK Top 20. The album eventually launched three further hit singles, including " Caught Up in the Rapture", " No One in the World" and " Same Ole Love (365 Days a Year)". Throughout 1986 and 1987, Baker promoted the album by touring, headlining her first tour, '' The Rapture Tour'', a show from which was later released on home video as '' A Night of Rapture''. By 1988, the album had sold over 8 million copies worldwide, 5 million of which were sold in the United States alone. The album resulted in Baker's winning two Grammy Awards at the 1987 ceremony. In 1987, Baker collaborated with The Winans on their song, " Ain't No Need to Worry", which gave Baker a third Grammy, this time in the Best Soul Gospel Performance by a Duo or Group, Choir or Chorus category. Baker's follow-up album, '' Giving You the Best That I Got'', was released in October 1988 and immediately became a success, topping the ''Billboard'' 200 and selling 5 million copies worldwide, 3 million of which sold alone in the United States. The title track reached number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and topped the R&B and adult contemporary charts, becoming her most successful charted single. The follow-up, " Just Because", reached the top 20 on the pop chart while also becoming an R&B chart-topper, while a third single, "Lead Me Into Love", became a top ten R&B hit. The album resulted in three more Grammy Awards for the singer.

1990–96: ''Compositions'', motherhood, ''Rhythm of Love'' and tour

In 1990, Baker released ''

Compositions Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

'', which had Baker more involved in the songwriting and production process and the first in which she began incorporating more jazz elements than in previous albums. The album launched the singles " Talk to Me", " Soul Inspiration" and "

Fairy Tales A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic (paranormal), magic, incantation, enchantments, and mythical ...

", and eventually sold over a million copies. After the end of the album's touring and promotion schedule in 1991, Baker took a break from the business to settle down with her husband at the time, later having two children with him. Meanwhile, Elektra bought the rights to, and reissued, her first album, ''The Songstress''. It has since sold more than 300,000 copies. After appearing on

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

's ''

Duets A duet is a musical composition or piece for two performers. Duets or The Duets may also refer to: Films and television * ''Duets'' (film), a 2000 film, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Giamatti and Huey Lewis * "Duets" (''Glee''), a 2010 episod ...

'' album, Baker returned to the charts with '' Rhythm of Love'' in 1994. The album featured " Body and Soul", her first top 40 pop hit since 1989. The second single, the mid-tempo "I Apologize", won Baker an eighth Grammy. The album eventually sold over two million copies: her fourth consecutive platinum-selling album. Baker undertook the '' Rhythm of Love World Tour'' from December 14, 1994 to November 14, 1995. Baker was transferred to another label within the

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most im ...

, in 1996. Taking a hiatus after the end of the ''Rhythm of Love Tour'' to care for her two sons, Baker returned to the studio in 2000. In May 2001, she filed a lawsuit against Zomba Recording and its Dreamhire division for alleged damage to her recordings by a hired 24-track tape machine. Due to a label restructuring, Baker was let go from Atlantic that November without releasing any material with the company. During this hiatus,

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

released the compilation, '' The Best of Anita Baker'' (named '' Sweet Love: The Very Best of Anita Baker'' in the UK) in June 2002. The album eventually was certified platinum by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

, denoting sales in excess of 1,000,000 units in the US.

2004–08: ''My Everything'', ''Christmas Fantasy'' and tour

That year, Baker returned to live performing, signing with

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. ...

in March 2004. That September, Baker released the album, '' My Everything''. The album peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 and number-one on the R&B charts, eventually being certified gold. In 2005, Baker released '' Christmas Fantasy'', winning a Grammy nomination for the song, "Christmas Time Is Here". In May 2005, Baker was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

. Starting in 2007, Baker embarked on a two-year concert tour titled ''An Evening with Anita Baker''. She occasionally sang the American national anthem at sports events. "I met Anita at the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

s in 2007," said Mary J. Blige. "I told erhow much she meant to me. She said, 'I'm glad that you picked up the ball where I left off.' That meant a lot."

2010–present: New music, tour, brief retirement, and comeback

Baker had been working on a new album featuring the single, "Only Forever", since 2010. In August 2012, Baker released her version of Tyrese's hit, " Lately". The song made headlines for Baker after the song was played every hour, on the hour, throughout the day on urban adult contemporary radio, making her the first artist to make this kind of debut. Though Blue Note set release dates for the album in October and December 2012, Baker decided she still needed to work on the album, causing delays. The album never materialized. In February 2013, Baker returned to the national spotlight, performing "Lately" and "Same Ole Love" on ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's ...

''. That same month, she appeared at the Grammys where "Lately" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance. In January 2017, Baker confirmed she had retired. She emerged from retirement in 2018. In March 2021, Baker entered into a conflict with

over rights to her master recordings, which she claimed were supposed to return to her after the expiration of her contract, according to

copyright law A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, educatio ...

. She asked fans to stop buying and streaming her music until the rights to her music were given to her. In September 2021, she announced that the dispute had been settled and that she owned her masters.

Personal life

Baker married Walter Bridgforth, Jr. on December 24, 1988. The couple separated in 2005 and finalized their divorce two years later. They have two sons, Walter Baker Bridgforth (born January 1993) and Edward Carlton Bridgforth (born May 1994). Baker currently lives in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan. More than five years after her divorce, Baker filed for a legal name change from Bridgforth to Baker in her private life. Baker publicly endorsed presidential candidate Andrew Yang in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.

Discography

;Studio albums *''

'' (1983) *''

'' (1986) *'' Giving You the Best That I Got'' (1988) *''

'' (1990) *'' Rhythm of Love'' (1994) *'' My Everything'' (2004)

Tours

* The Rapture Tour (1986–87) * Giving You the Best World Tour (1988–89) *

Compositions World Tour The Compositions World Tour was a 1990 concert tour by American recording artist Anita Baker in support of her ''Platinum'' selling album ''Compositions (album), Compositions''. The tour was to kick off in early May with four sold-out shows at th ...

(1990–91) * Rhythm of Love World Tour (1994–95) *

Anita Live! Anita Live! was a concert tour by American recording artist Anita Baker. After taking an eight-year hiatus from touring to spend more time with her family, in 2002 Baker decided to perform again. Baker performed seven dates in December, which eve ...

(2002–04) *

An Evening with Anita Baker An Evening with Anita Baker was a 2007–09 concert tour by American R&B singer Anita Baker. The outing started in the summer of 2007, visiting Europe and North America. Baker performed two free shows in Brooklyn, New York on August 13, for the ...

(2007–09) *Anita Baker Farewell Tour (2018) *The Songstress (2023)

Awards and honors

In 2013, Anita Baker was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.

BET Awards

The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the

Black Entertainment Television Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...

network to celebrate African Americans in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually, and are broadcast live on BET. , - , ,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, , Anita Baker , Lifetime Achievement Award , , -

Grammy Awards

The

s are awarded annually by the

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy Aw ...

. Baker has received eight awards from 18 nominations. , - , rowspan="2", , , ''

'' , ,

Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Award ...

, , , - , " Sweet Love" , , Best Rhythm & Blues Song , , , - , , , , "Ain't No Need to Worry" (with The Winans) , , Best Soul Gospel Performance by a Duo, Group, Choir or Chorus , , , - , rowspan="4", , rowspan="4", " Giving You the Best That I Got" , ,

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...

, , , - , Song of the Year , , , - , Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female , , , - , Best Rhythm & Blues Song , , , - , , , , '' Giving You the Best That I Got'' , , Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female , , , - , rowspan="2", , , ''

'' , , Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female , , , - , ''

'' , , Best Album Package , , , - , rowspan="2", , , "Body and Soul" , , Best Female R&B Vocal Performance , , , - , '' Rhythm of Love'' , , Best R&B Album , , , - , rowspan="2", , , "When You Love Someone" (with James Ingram) , ,

Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality pop songs on which singers c ...

, , , - , "I Apologize" , , Best Female R&B Vocal Performance , , , - , rowspan="2", , , "You're My Everything" , , Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance , , , - , '' My Everything'' , , Best R&B Album , , , - , , , , "Christmas Time Is Here" , , Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance , , , - , , , , "Lately" , , Best Traditional R&B Performance , , , -

American Music Awards

The

American Music Award The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Produ ...

s is an annual awards ceremony created by

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting '' American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 19 ...

in 1973. Baker has received four awards from nine nominations. , - , rowspan="2", , , , Anita Baker , , Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist , , , - , ''

'' , , Favorite Soul/R&B Album , , , - , rowspan="2", , , , Anita Baker , , Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist , , , - , ''Rapture'' , , Favorite Soul/R&B Album , , , - , rowspan="3", , rowspan="2", Anita Baker , Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist , , , - , Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist , , , - , "Just Because" , , Favorite Soul/R&B Single , , , - , , , , , Anita Baker , , Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist , , , - , , , , , Anita Baker , , Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist , , , -

Soul Train Music Awards

The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual award show aired in national

broadcast syndication Broadcast syndication is the practice of leasing the right to broadcasting television shows and radio programs to multiple television stations and radio stations, without going through a broadcast network. It is common in the United States wher ...

that honors the best in African American music and entertainment established in 1987. , - , rowspan="3", 1987 , rowspan="2", " Sweet Love" , Best Single, Female , , - ,

Best Music Video The Grammy Award for Best Music Video is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality short form music videos. Hon ...

, , - , ''

'' , , Album of the Year, Female , , - , rowspan="3",

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

, rowspan="2", " Giving You the Best That I Got" , Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Song of the Year , , - , Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Single, Female , , - , '' Giving You the Best That I Got'' , , Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Album of the Year, Female , , - , rowspan="2",

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

, "Talk to Me" , , Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Single, Female , , - , ''

'' , , Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Album of the Year, Female , , - , rowspan="3",

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

, rowspan="2", "Body and Soul" , Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video , , - , Best R&B/Soul Single, Female , , - , '' Rhythm of Love'' , , R&B/Soul Album of the Year, Female , , - , ,

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, , Anita Baker , Legend Award, Female , , -

Other honors

References

Sources: * *

External links

* *
Anita Baker
at SoulTracks {{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Anita 1958 births African-American women singer-songwriters American contraltos American soul singers Atlantic Records artists Blue Note Records artists Grammy Award winners Living people Musicians from Toledo, Ohio American contemporary R&B singers Smooth jazz singers Ballad musicians Singers from Detroit 20th-century African-American women singers 21st-century African-American women singers Singer-songwriters from Michigan Singer-songwriters from Ohio