Joséphine Baker (1906-1975) was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to a poor family. She started working at age 8 and had already been married twice by the time she turned 15. Despite her hard life, she discovered the joy of performing on stage, and in her memoirs she wrote that knowing people were watching her up there genuinely electrified her. Her stage career brought her to Paris in 1925, and it was love at first sight, on both sides.
Parisians of the time had fallen for jazz music and African dance, and when an American producer offered her a show, she did not hesitate for a moment, even though it meant dancing topless (which was fairly common in Paris at the time). Her first show, called Le Revue Nègre, was an overnight sensation, and almost immediately she had won over the City of Light.
Just as Paris fell in love with Joséphine Baker, Joséphine herself was captivated by Paris. For the first time in her life, she was treated as an equal, and she embraced the Parisian nightlife, spending her evenings after the show in the jazz clubs of Montmartre until sunrise. Baker became a Parisian celebrity and the highest-paid dancer and singer of her era, and the mutual love between the singer and the city gave us her most famous song, about having two loves: her country and Paris.
World War II gave Joséphine the chance to show her loyalty to France. After the Nazi occupation, she joined the Resistance and carried messages written in invisible ink in the margins of her sheet music.
When she returned to Paris after the Liberation in 1944, she was welcomed as a hero. From then until her death in 1975, her life had its share of ups and downs, including trouble in her marriages and financial difficulties, but Parisians never tired of her, and she kept their love until the end. When she died, she was given a state funeral at the Madeleine Church, an honor very few receive.
The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
– Start the tour at the Alma-Marceau metro station. Coming out of the station, walk along Avenue Montaigne until you reach the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées at number 13 (this is where Joséphine Baker first performed when she arrived in Paris, and where she scored her first great success).
Joséphine Baker’s apartments
– Turn left onto Rue Brocador and right onto Rue de la Trémoille, where she lived with her husband, Jo Bouillon. Then turn left onto Rue François 1er. Her nightclub, Chez Joséphine, once stood here.
– Head toward Avenue George V and then turn right onto the Champs-Élysées. At number 77, you will find the “Marble Palace,” where Joséphine Baker lived. Her lavish apartment housed a collection of wild animals, among them her pet cheetah, named Chiquita. All eyes in Paris were on her whenever she strolled down the Champs-Élysées with her cheetah wearing a diamond-studded collar.
The nightclub where Joséphine Baker danced
– Turn left onto Rue du Colisée and you will reach the restaurant Le Bœuf sur le Toit, at number 34. The restaurant moved here in 1941, and this is where Joséphine Baker’s husband worked as the lead musician of the resident jazz band (to this day, there is a jazz night here every Monday).
Her funeral and a beloved café
– Continue on and turn right onto Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, then onto Rue Royale to reach the Madeleine Church. This is where her state funeral was held, in honor of her work during World War II.
– Continue along Boulevard des Capucines until you reach the Café de la Paix, at number 12. This was one of the singer’s favorite cafés, and you are more than welcome to step inside and enjoy a cup of coffee at a steep price, since you’ve reached the end of the tour.
A few more tips for fans of Joséphine Baker, and of jazz in general:
1. If you want to start the evening the right way, why not begin with dinner at La Coupole, on Boulevard Montparnasse at number 102? This was one of Joséphine Baker’s favorite spots, and she used to dance in the basement here. A few steps away, you will find a small square now named after her.
2. If you love jazz, don’t miss one of the best jazz clubs around, Duc des Lombards, on Rue des Lombards at number 42. Or, if you’d rather catch a dance show, don’t miss the Folies Bergère, where Joséphine Baker once performed (it’s located on Rue Richer at number 32).
3. If you find yourself in Montmartre, don’t miss the restaurant Aromatik, on Rue Jean-Baptiste at number 7. It’s just a few steps from Rue Fontaine at number 40, where her nightclub, Chez Joséphine, used to be. This was one of her favorite restaurants, and to this day you can enjoy lunch there at relatively reasonable prices for this type of place.
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