Josephine Baker: June 3, 1906

Jet, June 6, 1994

* Josephine Baker, the grand dame of the French cabaret, on this date was born in St. Louis, MO. The provocative Ms. Baker went to Paris in 1925 after appearing in various U.S. revues and nightclubs, including being an end girl in the chorus of Shuffle Along. She later appeared in The Plantation Revue with Ethel Waters, where she was spotted and offered a job in a new Revue Negre opening in Paris.

She danced the. Charleston and sang Yes, Sir, That's My Baby. Paris went wild and she remained there to escape racism that confronted Blacks In the U.S. She would later be known for her "banana skirt" costume consisting of a string of bananas around her waist and as the star of the Folies Bergere. Ms. Baker also received numerous honors for her wartime activities and many humanitarian efforts. She adopted 12 orphans of various nationalities, calling them the "rainbow tribe" and lived with them in a chateau in France. She became a French citizen in 19 She died April 12,1975 in Paris.