Maya Angelou was born on April 4th, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri and her first name being Marguerite Annie Johnson. Marguerite was the daughter of Bailey Johnson, a doorman and navy dietitian, and Vivian Johnson, a nurse and card dealer. At the age of three, she and her brother (who was four) were sent to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas by train alone. At the age of 8 and after an incident involving Marguerite, her mother, and her mother’s boyfriend, Marguerite met Mrs. Bertha Flowers. Mrs. Flowers was Marguerite’s teacher who introduced her to authors and black female artists that would affect her life and career. During World War II, Maya attended the California Labor school and before graduating, worked as the first black female streetcar conductor in San Francisco. At the age of 17 and three weeks after graduating from school, Marguerite gave birth to her son Clyde, who later changed his name to Guy Johnson. …show more content…
She also formed a dance team with Alvin Ailey and Ruth Beckford called “Al and Rita” and performed modern dance at fraternal black organizations throughout San Francisco. In 1954, after Marguerite’s marriage ended, she became a professional dancer in clubs around San Francisco. It was around this time she decided to change her professional name to Maya Angelou. Maya toured Europe during 1954-1955 with a production of the opera Porgy and Bess. During the tour, she learned many languages and gained proficiency in several languages. In 1957, Maya Angelou recorded her first album named “Miss Calypso”, which was reissued as a CD in