Anita Baker

Life and music career 1958–1982: Early life, career beginnings and Chapter 8 Anita Baker was born on January 26, 1958, in Toledo, Ohio. When she was two, her mother abandoned her and Baker was raised by a foster family in Detroit, Michigan. 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 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 in 1979, Chapter 8 was dropped by the label who were convinced that Baker, as the group's lead singer, did not 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.

1983–1988: The Songstress, Rapture and Giving You the Best That I Got

Baker released her debut solo album, The Songstress, in May 1983.

In March 1986, Baker released her second album, Rapture.

In 1987, Baker collaborated with The Winans on their song, "Ain't No Need to Worry", 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.

1990–2002: Compositions, motherhood, Rhythm of Love and tour In 1990, Baker released Compositions, which had Baker more involved in the songwriting and production process,

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

2004–2008: My Everything, Christmas Fantasy and tour That year, Baker returned to live performing, signing with Blue Note Records 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. 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 Awards in 2007," said Mary J. Blige. "I told [her] how 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!. 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 Elektra Records 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. 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" at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field prior to the 2022 NFC Championship Game between the Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.

In 2023, Rolling Stone 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 in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.

Discography

Studio albums The Songstress (1983) Rapture (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 were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television 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 | Anita Baker Lifetime Achievement Award

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Baker has received eight awards from 18 nominations.

American Music Awards The American Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony created by Dick Clark in 1973. Baker has received four awards from nine nominations.

Soul Train Music Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual award show aired in national broadcast syndication that honors the best in African American music and entertainment established in 1987.

Best Single, Female Best Music Video

Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Song of the Year Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Single, Female

Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video Best R&B/Soul Single, Female

| 2010 | Anita Baker Legend Award, Female

Other honors Year Category Organization Result 1994 Hollywood Walk of Fame Star at 7021 Hollywood Blvd. 2005 International Artist of the Year Canadian Smooth Jazz Award