Anita Baker

Anita Baker emerged during the 1980s as a leading quiet storm vocalist whose elegant and polished style of romantic soul set her apart. Her powerful yet flexible alto drew from R&B while also incorporating jazz, gospel, and classic pop elements, lending her recordings a mature and sophisticated character that remained warm and engaging rather than static.

Born January 26, 1958, in Toledo, Ohio, she grew up in Detroit listening to jazz vocalists such as Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, and Ella Fitzgerald. She joined a gospel choir at age 12 and began performing with local bands by age 16. In 1975 she auditioned successfully for Chapter 8, then one of Detroit’s prominent groups; the act later secured a deal with Ariola and issued an album in 1979, only to be dropped immediately after Arista acquired the label and rejected Baker’s voice. Discouraged, she took low-paying positions in Detroit before securing steady employment as a receptionist at a law firm.

In 1982 Otis Smith, a former Chapter 8 associate, approached her about recording for his fledgling Beverly Glen imprint. Although content with her job and wary after the Arista setback, Baker eventually traveled to the West Coast and completed her debut album, The Songstress, in 1983. While the release failed to reach a wide audience, word-of-mouth support strengthened her following and led to a 1985 signing with Elektra.

Teaming again with producer Michael J. Powell, an earlier Chapter 8 colleague, she delivered her major-label debut Rapture in 1986. The platinum-certified, Grammy-winning project crossed over to both urban and adult contemporary listeners, yielding enduring quiet storm favorites “Caught Up in the Rapture” and “Sweet Love.” Baker toured internationally in 1987, and her featured appearance on the Winans’ “Ain’t Got No Need to Worry” earned another Grammy. Her next effort, Giving You the Best That I Got, arrived in 1988 with further signature tracks in the title song and “Just Because,” securing two additional Grammys for Best Female R&B Vocal and Best R&B Song.

For her third Elektra album, Compositions, released in 1990, Baker assumed greater songwriting responsibility, resulting in pronounced jazz accents and the exclusive use of live instrumentation. After the birth of her first son in 1993, she paused performing and recording before returning with Rhythm of Love in 1994. Subsequent years brought relative quiet despite fan demand for a jazz project; she focused on family and engaged in prolonged contract disputes with Elektra that ultimately prompted a shift to Atlantic.

Work on a new album began in 2000 but required a complete restart when defective equipment rendered the initial recordings unusable. In 2004 she signed with Blue Note while continuing to develop the project. Meanwhile Rhino, an Atlantic imprint, issued Night of Rapture: Live, documenting a 1987 concert previously available only on video. Baker finally completed studio work in 2003, releasing My Everything after a decade-long absence. Two years later she issued her first holiday collection, Christmas Fantasy. The 2012 single “Lately,” a Tyrese cover, earned a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional R&B Performance, and its parent album, Only Forever, was slated for 2013.