Anita Baker

On December 24, 1988 Baker got married to Walter Bridgeforth Jr. However, the marriage ended in a divorce in 2007. The couple has two children, both sons, named Walter Baker Bridgeforth and Edward Carlton Bridgeforth.

Anita Baker was born on January 26 1958, in Toledo, Ohio. She was abandoned by her parents at the age of two and was raised by a foster family in Detroit, Michigan.

Her foster parents passed away when she was only 12 and her foster sister took care of her upbringing after the death of her foster parents.

Baker had an interest in music from an early age and started singing R & B in nightclubs in Detroit by the time she was 16. It was after one of those performances that funk band leader David Washington of ‘Chapter 8’ identified her and asked her to go to go for an audition in order to join the band.

Baker became a member of the band ‘Chapter 8’ in 1975 and following a string of performances, the band was handed a deal by Ariola Records in 1979.

The group’s first album ‘Chapter 8’ was released in 1979 and featured the singles "Ready for Your Love," a duet between Baker and bandmate Gerald Lyles, and the Baker-led "I Just Want to Be Your Girl."

In 1979, Ariola Records was taken over by Arista Records and Chapter 8 lost their contract as Arista Records was of the view that Baker was not fit to be the group’s lead singer.

Baker went back to Detroit and worked as a waitress and a receptionist for a law firm. In 1983, she released her debut solo album, 'The Songstress', under the Beverly Glen label. The album was a popular one and many of the songs made it to the music charts.

Following the release of the album she had a protracted legal battle with the Beverly Glen label over payment of royalties and breach of contract issues. She won the case against the label in 1985.

Baker’s most important work in her career was the album ‘Rapture’ which sold more than eight million copies. Baker also won two Grammy Awards in recognition of her efforts for that album.