The Anita Baker Pages Weblog

Anita Baker headlines New Orleans jazz festival

2010-04-23T19:23:00.001+01:00

Anita Baker will be headlining this weekend's New Orleans Jazz Festival. Read more ...

No Jail Time for Anita

2010-03-25T21:59:00.001+01:00

This footage shows that the judge did not hold Anita Baker in contempt for not signing the papers. So that means no jail time!

Anita Baker Speaks About Facing Jail Time

2010-03-25T21:57:00.001+01:00

So, Anita Baker will not be going to jail afterall.

Anita Baker Updates: Possible Jail Time

2010-03-25T21:40:00.004+01:00

I've been so out of the loop with Anita Baker news - TOTALLY! So I was shocked to learn that she had divorced her husband Walter Bridgforth Jr. And not only that, but she has been faced with the threat of jail time. Boy, I'm so behind the news, which is especially shameful for a blog about the singer.

Here is a link to a news story about the latest court wranglings over royalties to be paid to her ex-husband in the Detroit News.

Anita Performs at the Essence Music Festival

2009-04-12T04:06:00.000+01:00

Maxwell, Anita Baker, Al Green, John Legend, Robin Thicke, Salt-N-Pepa, Ne-Yo and En Vogue will join previously announced headliner Beyonce at the 15th annual Essence Music Festival. The event will be held July 3-5, 2009 at the New Orleans Superdome.

Rounding out the bill are Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars, Teena Marie, Eric Benet, Jazmine Sullivan, Janelle Monae, Raphael Saadiq, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Zap Mama, The Knux, Irvin Mayfield, Lalah Hathaway, Blind Boys of Alabama, Ledisi, Marva Wright, Big Sam's Funky Nation, Brand New Heavies, Dan Dyer, DJ Soul Sister, Keri Hilson, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Rebirth Brass Band, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Ave.

The Essence Festival is also known for its empowerment seminars, which are free and open to ticket-holders on a first-come, first-served basis. Among the personalities participating in these events are Bill Cosby, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Donna Brazile, Tom Joyner, Hill Harper and Donnie McClurkin.

In addition, there will be a tribute to TD Jakes featuring CeCe Winans and Marvin Sapp, among others.

Tickets for the Essence festival are available from Ticketmaster. Weekend packages are discounted by 15% through Feb. 15. See the Essence Music Festival website for more information.

Anita to Headline 2009 Macy's Music Festival

2009-04-11T01:21:00.002+01:00

Superstar singer/songwriter Anita Baker and Grammy Award-winning soul singer John Legend will headline the 2009 Macy's Music Festival, July 31 and Aug. 1 at Paul Brown Stadium.

Stars such as Baker, Legend, Robin Thicke and "American Idol" winner Ruben Studdard, along with popular "old-school" acts such as the Whispers and the O'Jays, will highlight the two-day R&B festival.

Legend, a six-time Grammy winning singer and pianist from Springfield, OH, will make his debut as headliner for Friday night's show. But it's not the first time he has walked on the Macy's Music Festival stage, says festival organizer Joe Santangelo.

"A couple of years ago, his brother (Vaughn Anthony) was the opening act. John Legend walked onstage, completely unannounced, and sang a duet with his brother," Santangelo says.

Friday's lineup includes Charlie Wilson, Fantasia, the popular singer Eric Benet and the Whispers. Wilson, former lead singer with the Gap Band in the `70s and `80s, has a new album out, "Uncle Charlie," currently No. 1 in R&B.

Baker is Saturday's headliner. She is bringing her own fully-staged, 90-minute production, including a massive light wall as a backdrop.

"Anita Baker has one of the most unique voices," Santangelo says. "She reminds me of a young Sarah Vaughan, who had one of the more operatic voices of the jazz performers."

Adding star power=2 0to the evening will be Thicke, who just performed at the Grammy Awards and next month embarks on a tour with Jennifer Hudson.

The show will include the Cincinnati debut of Ruben Studdard, second-year winner of "American Idol." The O'Jay's will get the crowd dancing to close the festival. (One more artist will be announced later.)

Even though the economy is struggling, Santangelo hopes that fans will decide to come downtown for two days of 10 acts, rather than "take that expensive vacation."
Organizers have lowered the price of the upper level stadium seats by $5, to $43 per night.

"It's an opportunity to say, if we're going to one concert during the summer, this will give us the biggest bang for our buck,'" Santangelo says.

Attendance last year was 37,500 for two nights – inching up since 2005, the year the festival returned after a hiatus when lead sponsor Coors pulled out following the 2001 riots. Macy's Music Festival has attracted avid music fans from all over the country since 1962, when it was an all-jazz event.

For the fifth consecutive year, Macy's is the title sponsor. Three years ago, the Santangelo Group Inc. partnered with Ohio Valley Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Cincinnati Bengals, to ensure the festival's longevity.

Macy's Music Festival will again be part of Music Fusion Week, July 26 to Aug. 2. City parking will be $1 during the Macy's Music Festival. Santangelo plans to meet with restaurants to arrange special menus and deals for festival-goers. Organized by the Regional Tourism Network, Fusion Week boosts the local economy with an added $25 million in tourism dollars.

In addition, Festival 513, a "festival outside the festival," consisting of food and retail vendors, will again take place outside of Paul Brown Stadium, starting Friday afternoon.

Shows will start at 7:30 p.m. each night, Paul Brown Stadium, downtown. Tickets ($43 to $88) go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, 513-562-4949, or www.ticketmaster.com. Information: macysmusicfestival.com, 513-924-0900 or 800-452-3132.

Fairytales

2008-05-27T22:48:00.003+01:00

I just saw this video on MWorld on DSTV (cable, for those outside of Africa) on a show called Crush. I figured that it was one of those shows where a celebrity takes us through their top 20 songs/videos.

In this case, it was a South African singer called Lira (I don't know her), but I flipped onto the channel in the middle of this video and had to stay and watch the entire thing.

Fairytales is one of my favourite Anita songs, so it was a happy surprise. However, it's funny how so many of her videos look the same, with Anita swanning through blowing curtains and swathes of cloth. LOL!

Anything New?

2008-03-30T23:48:00.001+01:00

I have nothing new to write about actually, but I guess I need to justify having this blog.

Does anyone have any news about Anita Baker? New music? Concert reviews? Anything?

Happy Birthday Anita!

2007-01-26T11:31:00.000+01:00

Anita Baker turns 49 today, Friday, Jan. 26. Happy Birthday to our favourite songstress.

Anita Baker Performs in Boston

2006-07-21T02:31:00.000+01:00

Just read about Anita's Boston performance. Man! Why????????? She performs in Boston a year after I leave. I'm so upset! Well, I'm sure I'll get over it. I'd love to hear from people who went to the Boston show or who have been lucky enough to attend any of her other recent performances.

What Happened to AnitaBaker.org?

2006-02-18T03:30:00.000+01:00

Where is this site? It is Anita Baker's official website afterall and it just disappeared. Very odd.......

Happy Birthday Anita!

2006-01-26T06:34:00.000+01:00

Happy 48th birthday, girlfriend! You don't look a day over 30. Hope this year sees even more beautiful music and lotsa lotsa tours. (Maybe you can make it to Lagos and meet all your Nigerian fans).

New Album: Christmas Fantasy

2005-12-30T03:45:00.000+01:00

Yeah, yeah, I'm late, I know! You all know about this album and all have a copy. I haven't even heard any of the tracks and probably won't get it (as much as I LOVE Anita Baker). I don't do christmas albums. I've only ever bought one - Christmas With Yolanda Adams, and I believe you only really need one Christmas album.

The Blog is Back!!!

2005-12-30T03:34:00.000+01:00

I took this blog off the website, but decided to put it back on. My recent lack of easy access to the Internet made me realise that, if I still had the blog up, I could add updates more easily. So here we are....

The Live Album

2004-07-21T15:07:00.000+01:00

I caved in and bought the 'One Night of Rapture (Live)' album. I typically don't buy live albums because I find them generally very unsatifying- the sound quality tends to be bad, performances from different concerts are pasted together in a very disjointed fashion and in the end I always conclude that it would have been better if I had been there myself. I also heard extremely bad reviews for this album.

However, I saw in at Walmart a few weekends ago and decided to go ahead and get it anyway. Afterall, it usually all boils down to personal taste. And the live Jill Scott album, changed my mind about live albums. They can be wonderful *if* done right.
My experience of listening to Anita Baker's music has been largely limited to her studio albums, so unlike many hardcore fans, I actually enjoyed this album. I could tell that the performances were not all from the same concert and could feel where the disjoint in the album, but at the end of the day, what really mattered was Anita Baker's performance and that came through for me.

You are My Everything

2004-07-14T21:20:00.000+01:00

At last!!! Some new studio material from Anita Baker. I heard it was coming, but I didn't want to believe it until I heard it. Finally I did over the 4th of July weekend on a radio station in New Orleans. I was attending the annual Essence Music Festival for the first time (more about that later). You Are My Everything is a wonderfully sultry song, which will not disappoint fans. Now, I'm really excited about the album. What do you all think about the single?

Welcome to the Anita Baker Pages Weblog!

2004-07-13T21:53:00.000+01:00

When I started re-designing the Anita Baker Pages website, I wanted to include an interactive forum that would allow me to communicate more directly with visitors.
However, I did not want to go the discussion board route for two main reasons: firstly, I don't have the time to moderate a number of threads every day; secondly, there is already a great Yahoo email list in use by many Anita B. fans and I don't want to duplicate their work.

This blog will allow me to share my experiences and thoughts related to Anita Baker and her music and you all to add your comments. The guestbook will continue to be available for more general comments about Anita Baker.
I'm really excited about this new project. I plan on posting regularly and look forward to reading your comments on the web!!!!

Ore