Anita Baker is an American singer and songwriter who has won eight Grammy Awards over the course of her long and successful career. Baker’s parents gave up on her when she was two years old, and she was raised in Detroit by a foster family. Even though she had a hard childhood, she got into music when she was very young, and soon she was singing in nightclubs in the city. Her specialty was Rhythm and Blues (R&B), and after she played at one of these clubs, she was asked to join a band called Chapter 8. But it was as a solo artist that she really got noticed, and her first album, “Rapture,” made her a well-known name across the United States. Baker is one of the few artists whose first four albums each sold more than a million copies. He is still one of the most famous R&B artists. Baker decided to take a break to raise her sons. After a long break, she went back to work, but her status as an icon was solidified when her comeback album was a big hit.
Early years and childhood
She was born in Toledo, Ohio, on January 26, 1958. She was left by her parents when she was two years old, and a foster family in Detroit, Michigan, took care of her and raised her.
When she was only 12, her foster parents died, and after that, her foster sister raised her.
Baker was interested in music from a young age, and by the time she was 16, she was singing R&B in Detroit nightclubs. After one of these shows, the leader of the funk band Chapter 8, David Washington, saw her and asked her to go to an audition so she could join the band.
Anita Baker’s Career
Baker joined the band Chapter 8 in 1975. After a series of shows, Ariola Records signed the band in 1979.
The group’s first album, Chapter 8, came out in 1979. The singles “Ready for Your Love,” a duet by Baker and bandmate Gerald Lyles, and “I Just Want to Be Your Girl,” led by Baker, were both from that album.
In 1979, Arista Records bought Ariola Records, and Chapter 8 lost its contract because Arista Records thought that Baker wasn’t good enough to be the lead singer of the group.
Baker moved back to Detroit and worked as a waitress and at a law firm’s front desk. The Songstress, her first album as a solo artist, came out in 1983 on the Beverly Glen label. Many of the songs on the album made it to the top of the charts.
After the album came out, she had a long legal battle with the Beverly Glen label over royalty payments and breaking the contract. In 1985, she won her case against the record company.
In 1985, she signed a deal with the Elektra Records label. In 1986, her second album, “Rapture,” was released. Over eight million copies of the album were sold all over the world, and it also led to “The Rapture Tour.”
Baker’s third album, “Giving You the Best That I Got,” came out in 1988. It was a big hit right away. Both the title song and “Just Because” went to the top of the charts.
In 1990, she put out an album called “Compositions.” Songs like “Talk to Me” and “Fairy Tales” helped the album sell more than a million copies. Jazz music was a big influence on the songs, and Baker also helped write some of them.
After taking a short break from music, Baker released her fifth album, “Rhythm of Love,” in 1994.
The song “Body and Soul” from that album became a big hit. The album became a hit right away and sold more than two million copies, making her one of the few artists to have four straight platinum-selling albums. She also went on a “Rhythm of Love World Tour” at the end of the year that lasted 11 months.
Baker stopped making music to take care of her family. She tried to record again in 2000, but the rented 24-track tape machine made random popping sounds that ruined all of her recordings.
In 2004, she released the album “My Everything.” Even though it was her first album in a long time, music fans liked it and it was certified gold. She put out the album “Christmas Fantasy” a year later.
She went on a two-year concert tour called “An Evening with Anita Baker” in 2007. During that time, she sang at many different places.
In 2012, Baker put out her own version of the song called “Lately,” which became a big hit. She has been working on the album with the single “Only Forever” since 2010, but the album’s release date is still not set.
Works of note
The album “Rapture,” which sold more than eight million copies, was Baker’s most important work. Baker won two Grammy Awards for her work on that album as well.
Awards & Achievements
In 1987, Baker won two Grammys for her songs “Rapture” and “Sweet Love.” “Rapture” won Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female, and “Sweet Love” won Best Rhythm & Blues Song.
In 1988, the song “Ain’t No Need to Worry” won her the Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance by a Duo, Group, Choir, or Chorus.
Baker won two Grammys in 1989 for her song “Giving You The Best That I Got.” It was named Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Female and Best Rhythm & Blues Song.
In 1991, her song “Compositions” won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Woman. In 1996, the song “I Apologize” won her the Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
Personal History and Legacies
Baker married Walter Bridgeforth Jr. on December 24, 1988. The marriage, however, ended in divorce in 2007. Walter Baker Bridgeforth and Edward Carlton Bridgeforth are the couple’s two sons.
Estimated Net Worth
Anita Baker is a jazz singer, soul singer, and songwriter from the United States who is worth $80 million. American singer and songwriter Anita Baker is known for her romantic R&B ballads.