Anita Baker
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Anita Baker is an eight-time Grammy Award-winning, multi-Platinum rhythm and blues and soul singer and songwriter. Her characteristic voice stands out and is truly the best R&B singer in the world today. One of her hit album released was, Rapture.
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About
Anita Baker was born on January 26, 1958 in Toledo, Ohio and grew up in Detroit, Michigan. Anita began singing in a baptist church choir at the age of 12. At the age of 16, she became a member of "Humanity Band" which included fellow high school friends. She was performing with other local bands when she was approached by bass player "David Washington" of Chapter 8 to audition.
In 1975, she successfully auditioned for Chapter 8, one of Detroit's most popular acts at the time; the group eventually signed with Ariola and released an album in 1979. However, when Ariola was bought out by Arista, the group's contract was not renewed. After being rejected, Anita went back home to Detroit and eventually found steady work as a receptionist at a law firm.
She was contacted by "Otis Smith", an executive who'd worked with Chapter 8 in 1982 to do a recording with his new label Beverly Glen. She was relucted at first because she was already happy with her employment benefits. However, she flew out to the West Coast and recorded her debut album, The Songtress which was released in 1983. The album yielded the #5 R&B hit "Angel" and won Anita the first of seven Grammy Awards to date.
Despite legal difficulties from her former record label, Anita transferred to Elektra Records. She released her next album, Rapture in 1986 which spawned the hit singles, "Sweet Love" which chartered at #2 on the R&B Charts, "Caught Up In The Rapture" landed #6 on R&B Charts and "No One in The World" peaked #5 on R&B Charts.
It was this album which established Anita as a world-wide musical tour de force and a household name. The album sold more that 6 million copies worldwide and won for her two Grammy Awards. The album is a certified 6x Platinum.
In 1988, she released her next album, Giving You The Best That I Got which issued the hit singles, "Giving You The Best That I Got" which chartered #1 on the R&B Charts and Adult Contemporary Charts, "Just Because" landed #1 on R&B Charts and "Lead Me Into Love". The album went platinum.
Her next album, Compositions was released in 1990. It also features the hit singles, "Talk To Me" which chartered #4 on Adult Contemporary Charts, "Fairy Tales", and "No One To Blame". The album reached #5 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart and #3 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and #4 on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums.
In 1993, she sang a duet with the Legendary Famous Singer, Frank Sinatra entitled "Witchcraft" which was included in his Duets album. She released her fifth album, Rhythm of Love in 1994. She composed 5 out of the 12 tracks. It features the singles, "My Funny Valentime". The album sold 1 million copies on its first week alone. It also debuted #3 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart and #1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Her latest album, My Everything was released in 2004.
Awards & Certifications
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Grammy Awards | Best Rhythm & Blues Song for "Sweet Love" |
| 1986 | Grammy Awards | Best Rhythm & Blues Female Vocal Performance for "Rapture" |
| 1987 | Grammy Awards | Best Soul Gospel Performance - Duo, Group, Choir or Chorus for "Ain't No Need to Worry" |
| 1988 | American Music Award | Favorite Female Artist - Soul / Rhythm & Blues |
| 1988 | American Music Award | Favorite Soul/R&B Album for "Rapture" |
| 1988 | Grammy Awards | Best Rhythm & Blues Song for "Giving You The Best That I Got" |
| 1988 | Grammy Awards | Best Rhythm & Blues Female Vocal Performance for "Giving You The Best That I Got" |
| 1990 | Grammy Award | Best Rhythm & Blues Female Vocal Performance for "Compositions" |
| 1990 | American Music Award | Favorite Female Artist - Soul / Rhythm & Blues |
| 1995 | Grammy Awards | Best Rhythm & Blues Female Vocal Performance for "I Apologize" |
| 1995 | American Music Award | Favorite Female Artist - Soul / Rhythm & Blues |
| 2005 | Canadian Smooth Jazz Award | International Artist of the Year |
Certifications
| Year | Album | RIAA Certification |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Rapture | Certified 6x Platinum |
| 1988 | Giving You The Best That I Got | Certified 4x Platinum |
| 1990 | Compositions | Certified Platinum |
| 1994 | Ryhthm of Love | Certified 2x Platinum |
Chart Toppers
| Year | Title | US Pop | US R&B | US AC | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Sweet Love | 8 | 2 | 3 | Rapture |
| 1986 | Caught Up In The Rapture | 37 | 6 | 9 | Rapture |
| 1987 | No One in The World | 44 | 5 | 9 | Rapture |
| 1988 | Giving You The Best That I Got | 3 | 1 | 1 | Giving You The Best That I Got |
| 1989 | Just Because | 14 | 1 | 4 | Giving You The Best That I Got |
| 1989 | Lead Me Into Love | - | 4 | 32 | Giving You The Best That I Got |
| 1990 | Talk To Me | 44 | 3 | 4 | Compositions |
News
Tours & Concerts
There are no current tour and concert schedules for Anita Baker.
Announcements
There are no announcements as of this time
Discography
Albums
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Singles
| Date | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Sweet Love | Elektra |
| 1986 | Caught Up In The Rapture | Elektra |
| 1988 | Giving You The Best That I Got | Elektra |
| 1989 | Lead Me Into Love | Elektra |
Compilations & Live Releases
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Other artists
Similar artists
Contemporaries
Influences
Trivia
- On April 15, 2006, Grammy-winning singer-producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds had filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Anita, claiming she owed him more than $250,000.
- She was ranked #74 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Rock N Roll.
Reviews
External Links
Categories: Artist | R&B | Soul | Quiet Storm | Adult Contemporary | Smooth Jazz
