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7:30 PM SUNDAY, JUNE 10, 2018
PAVILION
ANITA BAKER
ANITA BAKER
Soulful singer-songwriter Anita Baker began
her career with the group Chapter 8, based out
of her hometown of Detroit. The group released
its first album in 1979 on Ariola Records, with
Baker providing vocals on the R&B hit “I Just
Wanna Be Your Girl.” After Arista acquired the
label and dropped Chapter 8 from the roster,
Baker retreated from music until 1982, when
Otis Smith coaxed her out of retirement and pro-
duced her solo debut album,
The Songstress
. The
disc and her top-five R&B hit “Angel” caught the
collective ear of Elektra, which released her 1986
follow-up,
Rapture
, produced by Chapter 8 co-
hort Michael J. Powell. The album was a smash
hit, soaring to multiplatinum status and number
one on
Billboard
’s R&B chart, earning Baker two
Grammy Awards—for the album and the top-
10 single “Sweet Love.” Her guest appearance
on The Winans’ track “Ain’t Got No Need to
Worry” earned her another Grammy, and after a
world tour in 1987,
Giving You the Best That I Got
debuted at number one on the charts. Two of its
singles became R&B number-ones—“Just Be-
cause” and the title track, which was nominat-
ed as both Song and Record of the Year. Baker
handled a greater portion of the songwriting for
her fourth album, aptly named
Compositions
,
which featured strong jazz inflections that sent
it to the number-four position on
Billboard
’s
Jazz charts while holding similar heights on the
Top 200 (number five) and R&B (number three)
charts.
Rhythm of Love
(1994) showed Baker
was still giving the best that she had—earning
a Grammy for “I Apologize” and a further two
nominations, as well as maintaining her streak
of platinum records. In 2005, she was awarded
an honorary doctorate by the Berklee College of
Music. Just weeks before her Ravinia debut in
2012, Anita Baker released a Grammy-nominat-
ed cover of Tyrese’s “Lately.” Tonight she makes
her first return to the festival.
WINTRUST CHAIR AND TABLE RENTAL, MANAGED BY THE RAVINIA WOMEN’S BOARD,
BENEFITS RAVINIA AND ITS REACH*TEACH*PLAY EDUCATION PROGRAMS.
HEAVY
lifting
to us.
Leave the
WINTRUST CHAIR RENTAL
RESERVE LAWN CHAIRS AND TABLES WITH YOUR TICKET ORDER
OR BY CLICKING “ADD-ON ITEMS” ON THE CONCERT WEBPAGE.
RESERVATIONS MUST BE MADE BEFORE 8:00 P.M. ON THE DAY BEFORE THE CONCERT.
RAVINIA.ORGRAVINIA MAGAZINE | JUNE 1 – JUNE 10, 2018
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