75: Anita Baker – Powerful Women of 2013

Anita Baker got her start in music with the Detroit band Chapter 8 in the late '70s. After their short-term success and being dropped from the band's record label, she decided to take a break from music for some time.

In 1983, Baker returned with the release of her solo debut, 'Songstress.' She was then signed to Elektra Records and released 'Rapture,' which spawned the hit 'Sweet Love.' Not only was 'Rapture' her most successful album, she won two Grammys: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song for 'Sweet Love.'

In 1988, she released 'Giving You the Best That I Got,' and the title track became her biggest pop hit. The song peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped R&B and adult contemporary charts. More Grammys and more LPs followed.

Baker is now on her eighth studio album, 'Only Forever,' which she plans to release soon. The first single off the effort is her take on Tyrese's 1999 track 'Lately.'