ith
her classy, refined brand of romantic
soul, Anita Baker was one of the
definitive quiet storm singers of
the '80s. Gifted with a strong,
supple alto, Baker was influenced
not only by R&B, but jazz, gospel,
and traditional pop, which gave
her music a distinctly adult sophistication.
Smooth and mellow, but hardly lifeless,
it made her one of the most popular
romantic singers of her time.
The
SongstressBaker was born January
26, 1958, in Toledo, Ohio, and raised
in nearby Detroit, where she grew
up listening to female jazz singers
like Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson,
and Ella Fitzgerald. At age 12,
she began singing in a gospel choir,
and by age 16 she was performing
with several local bands. 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, but was
immediately dropped when the label
was acquired by Arista (which didn't
care for Baker's vocals). Chastened,
Baker worked low-paying jobs in
Detroit and eventually found steady
work as a receptionist at a law
firm. In 1982, Otis Smith -- an
executive who'd worked with Chapter
8 -- contacted Baker about recording
for his new label, Beverly Glen.
Happy with her employment benefits
and skittish over the experience
with Arista, Baker was reluctant
at first, but eventually flew out
to the West Coast to record her
debut album, The Songstress, in
1983. Though it didn't gain quite
enough exposure to become a hit,
it did help Baker build a strong
fan base through word-of-mouth,
and she was signed by Elektra in
1985.
Working
with producer Michael J. Powell
(an old Chapter 8 cohort), Baker
released her major-label debut,
Rapture, in 1986. It was a platinum,
Grammy-winning smash, appealing
to both urban and adult contemporary
listeners and producing two all-time
quiet storm classics in "Caught
Up in the Rapture" and "Sweet
Love." Baker toured the world
in 1987 and her guest appearance
on the Winans track "Ain't
Got No Need to Worry" won a
Grammy. Her equally stylish follow-up
album, Giving You the Best That
I Got, appeared in 1988, spawning
more staples in the title track
and "Just Because." "Giving
You the Best That I Got" also
won Baker two more Grammys, for
Best Female R&B Vocal and Best
R&B Song. For her third Elektra
album, Baker decided to handle a
greater share of the songwriting,
hence the title Compositions, which
was released in 1990 and featured
even stronger jazz inflections than
Baker's previous work (not to mention
all live instruments).
Following
Compositions, Baker took a
break from recording and touring;
after having her first son
in 1993, she returned to the
studio to craft Rhythm of
Love, which was released in
1994. In the years that followed,
Baker was mostly silent, despite
her fans' clamoring for a
jazz album; instead, she raised
her family and became embroiled
in contract disputes with
Elektra, which eventually
led her to move to Atlantic.
She began working on a new
album in 2000, but had to
start over from scratch due
to defective recording equipment
that made the original tracks
unsalvageable. In 2004 it
was announced that she had
signed with Blue Note and
was still working on her new
album. In the meantime, the
Atlantic imprint Rhino released
Night of Rapture: Live, a
1987 concert originally available
on video. Baker finally returned
to the studio in 2003 and
issued My Everything, her
first album in ten years.
Two years later she released
her first holiday album, Christmas
Fantasy. The 2012 return single
"Lately," a Tyrese
cover, received a Grammy nomination
in the category of Best Traditional
R&B Performance. Its parent
album, Only Forever, was prepared
for 2013.