Ella Fitzgerald vs Kurt Cobain
Two music prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Ella Fitzgerald | Kurt Cobain | |
| Field | Music | Music |
| Sub-field | Composer | Rock |
| Born | 1917 | 1967 |
| Died | 1996 | 1994 |
| Country of birth | United States | United States |
| Star sign | Taurus | Pisces |
Who they are
Ella Fitzgerald
On the night of November 21, 1934, a seventeen-year-old girl walked onto the stage of the Apollo Theater in Harlem for Amateur Night and froze. She had entered intending to dance — she was a known dancer among her friends in Yonkers — but when she looked out at the audience, something failed. She stood there, in a dress borrowed from a friend, in shoes that didn't fit, before an audience that was already restless. Then she opened her mouth and sang. The audience went quiet. She won first place. The bandleader Chick Webb heard…
Full biography of Ella Fitzgerald →
Kurt Cobain
On September 24, 1991, a twenty-four-year-old guitarist from Aberdeen, Washington, released his band's second album on a major label with a budget of $65,000 and expectations calibrated for modest alternative success — perhaps 250,000 copies sold, a strong college radio profile, a tour. Instead, Nevermind by Nirvana sold 300,000 copies in its first week, knocked Michael Jackson off the number one spot on the Billboard 200 by January, and by the time it stopped charting had sold over thirty million copies worldwide. The album did not merely succeed commercially. It ended an era. Within eighteen…
Full biography of Kurt Cobain →
What they share
- Both are held here under Music.
- Both born in United States.
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- 50 years separate their births (1917 and 1967).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Ella Fitzgerald or Kurt Cobain?
- Ella Fitzgerald. Ella Fitzgerald was born in 1917, Kurt Cobain in 1967.
- What field is each of them in?
- Ella Fitzgerald is filed under Music (Composer). Kurt Cobain is filed under Music (Rock).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.