John of Canada asked Sherry Jones:

How many languages did she speak?

Sherry Jones Hi John, this is a great question! Josephine Baker became fluent in French--in fact, it was said that she spoke better French than English. And indeed, when she came to the U.S. in 1935 to perform with the Ziegfeld Follies--the first black performer to headline with them--she felt so embarrassed by her poor, pidgin English that she only spoke French, evoking scorn from some people. "Honey," Fannie Flagg, her co-star, chided, "why don't you speak the way yo' mouf was born?"

Her English grammar was not very good in her young adulthood, probably at least in part because she skipped school most days as a child to hang out with the black vaudeville performers at the Booker T. Washington Theater in St. Louis, where she grew up, and dropped out of school altogether at age 13 to become a performer, herself.

Later in life, she did study with an English coach, improving her vocabulary, grammar, and diction. She also studied Spanish and German. Her romantic partner and business manager Pepito Abatino used to lock her in her room until she'd finished her lessons, which also included piano--but she seems to have had a gift for learning languages.

Thank you for the question! You can read all about Josephine's amazing life, funny stories and all, in JOSEPHINE BAKER'S LAST DANCE, debuting Dec. 4.

Sherry

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