Maya Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928 as Marguerite Johnson. She was one of the two children born to her mother Vivian and her father Bailey.
Maya Angelou had a difficult childhood. Some of the hardships she endured were dealing with racial tensions, getting raped and becoming pregnant at a young age. She gave birth to her son Guy at the age of 16.
Maya Angelou gave her first musical performance in 1953 and her first acting performance in 1954 to 1955 in the movie "Porgy and Bess." Throughout the late '50s and through the late '80s, she became a coordinator of the Southern Christian Leadership conference per Martin Luther King Jr.'s request; associate editor in Cairo, Egypt; assistant administrator at the University of Ghana; and feature editor in Ghana.
Maya Angelou's first poem "Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie" was released in 1971, her first play "Cabaret For Freedom" in 1960, her first screenplay "Georgia, Georgia" in 1972 and her first children's book "Life Doesn't Frighten Me" in 1993.
One of Maya Angelou's most well-known works is her biography "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" released in 1970. This work is a six-volume series of books about her early life.