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BIO
Born to Carrie McDonald, a laundress, and Eddie Carson, a musician, Josephine's
early life hinted at her future career. She first danced for the public
on the streets of St. Louis for nickels and dimes. Later, she became a
chorus girl on the St. Louis stage. At 15, she married a Pullman porter
named Baker, but left him when she ran away from St. Louis at age 17,
feeling there was too much racial discrimination in the city. Her first
job in Paris was in La revue negre. Her next significant job was at the
Folies bergere, where she was a member of their all-black revue. It was
at the Folies bergere, in 1925, that she first performed her famous banana
dance. She quickly became a favorite of the French, and her fame grew.
She had many ups and downs during her career. Although popular in France,
during the McCarthy era she was told that she was no longer welcome in
the United States. In 1937 she renounced her American citizenship and
became a citizen of France. In 1961, she was awarded the Legion of Honor,
France's highest honor. In the late 1960's, she began having financial
difficulties, and stopped performing in 1968. Princess Grace offered her
a home in Monaco when she learned of Josephine's financial problems. At
the request of Princess Grace, she performed at Monaco's summer ball in
1974, and was a great success. That same year, she staged a week of performances
in New York and called the show 'An Evening with Josephine Baker.' She
had just begun a Paris revue celebrating her half-century on the stage,
when on April 10 she was stricken and went into a coma. She died without
regaining consciousness. Her funeral was held in Paris, and she was buried
in Monaco.
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