Chapter 8 was a

Detroit soul Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

group of the 1970s and 1980s formed by Michael J. Powell and David Washington.

Anita Baker 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 period in the 1980s. Starting her career ...

was featured as lead vocalist on their first, self-titled album on

Ariola 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, produced by Michael and Derek.

History

The group was started in Detroit in the late 1970s. Derek Dirckson became the band leader after James Mitchell asked Derek to play drums with Chapter 8, who were at the time the backup Band for the Detroit Emeralds. In 1979, Dirckson and Michael J. Powell produced the first album expanding the groups roster to include

, Gerald Lyles, David Washington, Van Cephus, Courtlen Hale, Scott Guthre, and Allen Nance. In 1985, Valerie Pinkston replaced Baker as the lead vocalist and was featured on "This Love's For Real" As Chapter 8 was the launching pad for Baker, so was it for Michael J. Powell who went on to produce Baker's "Rapture", "Giving You The Best That I Got", and "Compositions" albums. Many of the Chapter 8 group members can be found performing on these 1980s recording masterpieces. Ariola was merged with the Bertelsmann Music Group (the same company that owned

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 Entertainmen ...

, the longtime home of Baker's main rival

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed " The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston i ...

) in 1987, and Baker would end a ten-year hiatus in 2004, when she released "My Everything" under Capitol's Blue Note Records sub-label. Derek Dirckson went on to discover, manage and produce, Fred Hammond, Commissioned, The Winans, John P. Kee, Mary, Mary, and the great gospel plays, "Momma Don't", "Wicked", "Come Out of The Rain", and many more. In 1999, Dirckson opened the Blackstage Pass Recording Studio in Detroit, Michigan. Dirckson recorded his first solo CD entitled "Dirckson". The CD features Evangelist Ella Worthington and Minister Noah I. Brown on lead vocals.

Discography

Extended plays

*1979: '' Chapter 8 (EP,

)David Nathan ''The Soulful Divas: Personal Portraits of Over a Dozen Divine Divas'' New York: Billboard Books, 1999. p.348 "The group's first self-titled album hit the streets in the fall of 1979 and yielded two R&B chart singles, "Ready for Your Love" and "l Just Want to Be Your Girl." Even though "l Just Want to Be Your Girl" did poorly on the charts at the time, the tune would go on to become something of a classic among R&B music collectors. Certainly, the song gave listeners a first real taste of Anita's sultry, velvet-toned, smoky alto sound even though it didn't exactly set the world on fire in terms of airplay or sales. " *1985: ''This Love's For Real'' (Beverly Glen Records) *1988: ''Forever'' (Capitol Records)

References

{{Authority control American soul musical groups Musical groups from Detroit 1970s establishments in Michigan