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Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker was born in a poor part of St. Louis Missouri on June 6 1906, to mother Carrie McDonald. Her mother was forced to work as a laundress while her white skinned father Eddie Carson was a drummer for Vaudville Shows.

From watching dancers at a local vaudville house josephine at age 16 "graduated" and moved to Philadelphia to dance in a touring show. It was good because her grandmother was living there at the time. Twice she had been married already. First to Willie Wells for a few weeks and to Will Baker also for a very short time.

Josephine went to Paris for a HUGE pay of $250 a week to dance at the Theatree des Champs Elysees as a variety dancer for La Revue Negre with other African Americans. Including Sidney Bechet who introduced "le jazz hot" and went to fame internationally.

Josephine Baker survived a long lawsuit about her abandoning Le Revue Negre for star billing in the Folies-Bergere in the year 1926. This case was one of tons in her life. She was twenty years of age she was brilliant in the jungle banana dance. In 1926 josephine recorded her voice for the first time ever. Magazine covers and posters made her more famous.

Josephine married Jean Lion, a french industrialist. The two were divorcedin 1940 during the beginning of World War 2. When occupied Belgium Josephine became a red cross nurse in the front lines of World War 2.

Spending years away from the United States Baker returned in August of 1963 to attend a civil rights march in Washington D.C.. The march pushed equal rights in all races. In october she went to Manhattan to sing and dance and "fight bias".

Baker died in her sleep from a stroke on April 12, 1975. The Roman Catholic funeral service was held at The Church of Madeleine in Paris which was her true home. Josephine Baker will be remembered forever, no matter what.

Sources: www.lkwdpl.org cnn.com about.com =