Anita Baker was born on January 26, 1958, in Toledo, Ohio, but grew up in Detroit, Michigan. She began singing in her church choir at the tender age of 12 and by 16, she was already performing with a local group of high school friends. In 1975, she successfully auditioned for the group Chapter 8, which was formed by bass player David Washington, and spent the next few years playing in and around Detroit, eventually signing with Ariola Records and releasing an album in 1979. However, when Ariola was acquired by Arista Records, the group's contract was not renewed.
Anita returned to Detroit and worked as a receptionist for a law firm before being approached by Otis Smith, the man behind Chapter 8's contract, who offered her a deal with his new label, Beverly Glenn. She initially refused the offer, but when Smith increased the amount of his original offer, she accepted and released the album "Songstress" in 1983.
In 1986, Anita signed with Elektra Records and released her debut album "Rapture", which became a huge commercial success, selling over 6 million records worldwide. She won two Grammy Awards for "Rapture", including Best R&B Female Performance and Best R&B Song for "Sweet Love".
Anita's follow-up album "Giving You The Best That I Got" was released in 1988 and was also a huge success, winning three Grammy Awards, including Best R&B Female Performance, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B Song for "Just Because".
She took a more involved role in the songwriting for her third album, "Compositions", which was released in 1990 and featured 7 self-penned songs. The album was mostly cut live and won her a 7th Grammy Award for Best R&B Female Performance.
Anita married Walter Bridgforth, Jr. on Christmas Eve in 1988 and gave birth to her first son, Walter Baker Bridgforth, in January 1993. She started working on her next project, "Rhythm of Love", in May 1993 and produced most of the album, which was mainly recorded in her home. The album was released in September 1994 and attracted an 8th Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for "I Apologize" in 1995.
Tragedy struck Anita when her parents passed away within two years of each other. Her mother died in 1996 and her father died two years later. During this time, Anita attempted to record and release a new CD, but unfortunately, the tracks recorded for the new CD were damaged in the recording process and could not be salvaged. Anita sued and won the case against Elektra Records and later signed with Atlantic Records.
Throughout her career, Anita has performed with other artists such as The Winans, Howard Hewitt, and James Ingram. Since December 2002, she has been touring again on a limited basis.
