Anita Baker

 

Anita Baker (born January 26, 1958, in Toledo, Ohio) is a multi-platinum selling rhythm and blues singer-songwriter and 8 time Grammy Award winner.  She is renowned for her soaring alto vocal range.  Anita was raised in Detroit, Michigan. She began singing in a Baptist church choir at the age of 12.  At age 16 she was in a band called Humanity which included fellow high school friends and was playing with other local bands when she was approached by bass player David Washington of Chapter 8 to audition.  In 1981, Otis Smith, the man behind Chapter 8's contract, formed his own label Beverly Glen. Remembering her vocals, he got her telephone number from a Chapter 8 member and called her in late 1982.  She refused the job at first due to her duties as a receptionist.  However, she agreed to sign with the label and try again with a music career. It would prove to be a smart move.  In 1983, she released her debut album The Songtress. This album was a moderate success, which paved the way for a host of bigger things to come; two of the album's singles, "Angel" and "No More Tears", became smash hits on the R&B charts.  By the spring of 1984, She had 5 chart hits and was close to a gold record. However, there was no answer when she asked Beverly Glen about a new album.  In 1985, she got a major label contract with Elektra Records, a division of Warner Music Group.  She released her second album, Rapture in 1986. Choosing her friend from Chapter 8, Michael J. Powell, as her producer, they created a masterpiece.  It was this album which established Anita Baker as a world-wide musical tour de force and a household name. It was also this album that afforded her the opportunity to stretch her skills; she wrote "Been So Long", "Watch Your Step" and "Sweet Love". "Sweet Love", "Caught Up In the Rapture", "No One In The World", and "Same Ole Love" became major R&B and Adult Contemporary chart hits during 1986 and 1987, with "Sweet Love" becoming a top ten pop hit as well. By the time "Rapture" had completed its chart run, it had sold 6 million copies worldwide and also earned her two Grammys.  In 1987, she collaborated with The Winans on the single "Ain't No Need To Worry" and this single lead her third Grammy award.  At the same time, she also worked on her follow-up album Giving You The Best That I Got in between a busy performance schedule. This album was released in October 1988. She worked with Michael J. Powell again, and the album became a critical and commercial success, which sold another 4.5 million copies wordwide. It features such hits as "Just Because" and the title track, which became her biggest pop hit, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 while going to number one R&B and Adult Contemporary.  Critics noted that, single-handedly, through her first two albums, she has set a new standard and helped redefine the sound of contemporary music recorded by female vocalists in the '80s and the '90s."  See Anita Baker LIVE!  Purchase your Anita Baker tickets today!