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Anita Baker (born January 26, 1958, in Toledo, Ohio) is a soul and adult contemporary Rhythm and blues singer.
With 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.
Baker was born January 26, 1958, in Toledo, OH, 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 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 were 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.
With 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.
Baker was born January 26, 1958, in Toledo, OH, 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 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 were 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.
Top Albums
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Sweet Love: The Very Best of Anita Baker
Anita Baker
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Rhythm of Love
Anita Baker Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $9.99
- 7digital $7.77
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A Night of Rapture Live
Anita Baker Buy- Download Album
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Rapture
Anita BakerBuy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $7.92
- 7digital $9.99
- iTunes $8.22
- Buy Album
- Amazon $7.33
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Frosty's Rag (Frosty the Snowman)
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Christmas Fantasy
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Christmas Time Is Here
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My Favorite Things
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Shoutbox
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bubsit07 wrote:
thank you for all your best...loved you as long as i can remember
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GFX101 wrote:
Been So Long <3
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pfunk1975 wrote:
SMMOOOOTTTTHHHH!!!!
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JNez wrote:
a goddess....it would take forever to express how much i love this woman's music...what a voice. *bows* anita...you've served smooth r&b/jazz/pop for over 20 years now. give me your first 5 cd's if i'm ever stranded on a desert island and i'd be ok :)
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skitzotsp wrote:
Saw her live at Chastain Park this year.. My life is complete
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kN1ght0AwL wrote:
I-need-a-Baker;-)
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placebosyndrome wrote:
we ought to really be grateful for the legends like Anita. now, these same people could come out and not see a tenth of the success that they enjoyed during their heyday. i am so glad that i grew up during a time (especially in soul music) where the artists tended to skew somewhat older and were appreciated for their maturity, unlike now.
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mvcaugusto wrote:
Love
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elmakebabi wrote:
smooth
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kissmylips22 wrote:
she never got her props!!!
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Manuellabor13 wrote:
Songstress is a mad underrated album. Every song is greatness.
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bigboi5009 wrote:
Anita Baker is amazing great Soul singer / Jazz loved it while i was growing up good good pick
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Samarah1979 wrote:
Liebe auf den ersten Ton. Ich kannte sie zuvor nicht. Dachte ich zumindest, aber wenn man ihre Lieder hört, kommt es einem so vor, als hätte man die ganze Zeit nichts anderes gehört. Genau mein Stil! Großartig! Warum kennt sie in unseren Breitengraden kaum jemand? Schande. So schöne Musik, tolle Stimme. :-)
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Batiste369 wrote:
Growing up my mother always instilled in me a great apperciation for music, Anita Baker is an underrated Soul/Jazz Legend.
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uksoul4real wrote:
Rapture and Sweet Love are such beautiful tracks. When I was 19 I wanted to marry her when I heard sweet Love. Beautiful voice and a beautiful woman.....
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7Millionaire7 wrote:
Rapture is the perfect album. I get to see her live next Friday!
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kaiserzeitgeist wrote:
Classy lady.
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MizzLo wrote:
Love it!
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Dominicanbred wrote:
Also Angel..love
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Dominicanbred wrote:
sweet love is my fave...
Videos
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Events
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Feb
13
Anita Baker
DeSoto Civic Center, Southaven MS, United States
Add shout
| 2 attendees
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Apr
23
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
Fair Grounds Race Course, New Orleans, LA, New Orleans, United States
1 shout
| 6 attendees
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Recent Activity
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kofijomoa1, WADDYS, psvoj and 23 other people added Anita Baker to their libraries. 1 hour ago
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mevans56 tagged Anita Baker with anita baker, the greatest hits, smooth jazz and 2 other tags. Friday evening
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mevans56, kiltaykay, sal240sx and 10 other people added Anita Baker to their libraries. Friday evening
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kelfling tagged Anita Baker with jazz, soul and rnb. Friday morning
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BrooklynMia, RENK67, sjobbi and 32 other people added Anita Baker to their libraries. Thursday evening
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Reddy21 wrote about Anita Baker – Giving You the Best That I Got in B-Day Album Charts(31.12.1986). Thursday morning
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Lazaria tagged Anita Baker with smooth jazz, rnb, jazz and 2 other tags. Wednesday morning
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Lazaria, ChauntaF, wolftatt and 10 other people added Anita Baker to their libraries. Wednesday morning
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neesh wrote about Anita Baker – Giving You the Best That I Got in My Musical Journey. January 2009
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neesh wrote about Anita Baker – Giving You the Best That I Got in a deleted journal. January 2009
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