Anita Denise Baker (born January 26, 1958) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

singer. She is known for her soulful ballads, particularly from the height of the quiet storm 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'', in 1983. In 1986, she rose to fame following the release of her

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

-selling second album, ''

Rapture The Rapture is an Christian eschatology, eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end-time event when all dead Christian believers will be resurrected and, joined with Chr ...

'', which included the Grammy-winning single " Sweet Love". , Baker has won eight Grammy Awards and has four Platinum albums, along with two Gold albums. Baker is a contralto with a wide range of octaves.

Life and music career

1958–82: Early life, career beginnings and Chapter 8

Anita Baker was born on January 26, 1958, in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

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

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. 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 Express, 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 ...

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 American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...

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.

1983–88: ''The Songstress'', ''Rapture'' and ''Giving You the Best That I Got''

Baker released her debut solo album, '' The Songstress'', 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 record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

, "Will You Be Mine", "Angel" and "You're the Best Thing Yet". "Angel" became Baker's first R&B 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 had not 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., commonly abbreviated as WMG, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the "Record label#M ...

-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. 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 The Winans are an American gospel quartet from Detroit, Michigan, consisting of brothers Marvin, Carvin, Michael and Ronald Winans. Members ''Please refer to the Winans family page for more detail on the individual members.'' About: Origins ...

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 highest charting 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.

1990–02: ''Compositions'', motherhood, ''Rhythm of Love'' and tour

In 1990, Baker released '' Compositions'', 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, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the Folklore, folklore genre. Such stories typically feature Magic (supernatural), magic, Incantation, e ...

", 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''. After appearing on

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

's '' Duets'' 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 the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

, 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 ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

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/o ...

, 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 now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by History of the Jews in Germany, German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it deriv ...

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 university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

. 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, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

s in 2007," said

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and entrepreneur. Often referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Qu ...

. "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!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...

''. That same month, she appeared at the Grammys where "Lately" was nominated for a

Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide it is designed for s ...

. 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 legal 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, e ...

. 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. Baker performed "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort ...

" at

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Lincoln Financial Field Lincoln Financial Field is an American football stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the home stadium of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) and the Temple Owls football team of Temple University ...

prior to the 2022 NFC Championship Game between the

Eagles Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

and

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

. In 2023, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' ranked Baker at number 92 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Personal life

Baker married Walter Bridgforth Jr. on December 24, 1988, at their home in Detroit. In the following year, Baker had a miscarriage. They had two sons, Walter Baker Bridgforth (born January 1993) and Edward Carlton Bridgforth (born May 1994). The couple separated in 2005 and finalized their divorce two years later. Baker currently lives in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan. More than five years after her divorce, Baker filed for a legal last name change from Bridgforth to her maiden name in her private life. Baker publicly endorsed presidential candidate

Andrew Yang Andrew Yang (born January 13, 1975) is an American businessman, attorney, lobbyist, political commentator, and author. He founded the political party and action committee Forward Party (United States), Forward Party in 2021, for which he serves ...

in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.

Discography

;Studio albums *'' The Songstress'' (1983) *''

'' (1986) *'' Giving You the Best That I Got'' (1988) *'' Compositions'' (1990) *'' Rhythm of Love'' (1994) *'' My Everything'' (2004) *'' Christmas Fantasy'' (2005)

Tours

* The Rapture Tour * The Heat: Luther & Anita Live! *Anita Baker in Concert * Compositions World Tour * Rhythm of Love World Tour * Anita Live! * An Evening with Anita Baker *Anita Baker: Farewell Concert Series *The Songstress Tour

Awards and honors

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

BET Awards

The

BET Awards The BET Awards are an American award show that was established in 2001 by the BET, Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate Black person, Black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which ...

were established in 2001 by the

Black Entertainment Television Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

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 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, , Anita Baker , Lifetime Achievement Award , , -

Grammy Awards

The

s are awarded annually by the

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS), doing business as The Recording Academy, is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is widely kno ...

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

'' , , Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female , , , - , " Sweet Love" , , Best Rhythm & Blues Song , , , - , , , , "Ain't No Need to Worry" (with

) , , 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 re ...

, , , - , 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", , , '' Compositions'' , , Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female , , , - , '' Compositions'' , , 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 James Edward Ingram (February 16, 1952 – January 29, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He was a two-time Grammy Award-winner and a two-time Academy Award nominee for Best Original Song. After beginning his career ...

) , , Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals , , , - , "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 produced by Dick Clark Productions since 1974. Nominees are selected on commercial performance such as sales and airplay. Winners are determined by a poll of the public and ...

s is an annual awards ceremony created by

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American television and radio personality and television producer who hosted ''American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 1989. He also hosted five incarnations of the Pyramid (game show), ...

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 The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards ceremony which honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the production company of '' Soul Train'', the program from which it takes its name, and ...

is an annual award show aired in national

broadcast syndication Broadcast syndication is the practice of content owners leasing the right to broadcast their content to other television stations or radio stations, without having an official broadcast network to air it on. It is common in the United States whe ...

that honors the best in African American music and entertainment established in 1987. , - , rowspan="3",

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

, rowspan="2", " Sweet Love" , Best Single, Female , , - , Best Music Video , , - , ''

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

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

, 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 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

, "Talk to Me" , , Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Single, Female , , - , '' Compositions'' , , Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Album of the Year, Female , , - , rowspan="3",

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, 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 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

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

Other honors

References

Sources: * *

External links

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