Music
Anita Baker
born 1958 · singer, songwriter
Eight-time Grammy winner of “Sweet Love,” raised in Detroit, who started out singing in the city's nightclubs and still lives in metro Detroit.
- Born
Toledo, Ohio
age 68- Birth name
- Anita Denise Baker
- Detroit years
- 1960–
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Anita Baker was born in Toledo, Ohio, but was raised in Detroit from the age of two, and she began singing in a church gospel choir there. By 16 she was performing R&B in Detroit nightclubs; at the Cabaret Lounge on the east side, the bassist of the local funk band Chapter 8 heard her and invited her to join in 1975. The group recorded for Ariola, but after Arista bought the label in 1979 Chapter 8 was dropped, and Baker went back to Detroit to work as a waitress and a receptionist at a law office. In 1982 a former Ariola associate persuaded her to try again as a solo artist. The Songstress (1983) was followed by Rapture (1986), whose single “Sweet Love” won a Grammy and made her the leading voice of quiet-storm soul. She stayed in the area and lives in Grosse Pointe Park.
Highlights
- Joined the Detroit funk band Chapter 8 in 1975
- Rapture (1986) and “Sweet Love” made her a star
- Giving You the Best That I Got (1988) topped the Billboard 200
- Eight Grammy Awards
- Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame, 2013
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Performed here · mid-1970s
Cabaret Lounge
Status being checked
East-side Detroit nightclub where Chapter 8's bassist heard her sing and recruited her for the band.