Ella Fitzgerald vs Louis Armstrong
Two music prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Ella Fitzgerald | Louis Armstrong | |
| Field | Music | Music |
| Sub-field | Composer | Jazz |
| Born | 1917 | 1901 |
| Died | 1996 | 1971 |
| Country of birth | United States | United States |
| Star sign | Taurus | Leo |
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 →
Louis Armstrong
Louis Daniel Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901, in the Third Ward of New Orleans, in an impoverished neighborhood his neighbors called "the Battlefield." His father abandoned the family when Louis was an infant, and his mother, Mary Ann Armstrong, often worked as a domestic servant, leaving young Louis and his sister largely to fend for themselves. He grew up in the streets, singing for coins in a vocal quartet, delivering coal, and selling newspapers. He received his first formal musical instruction not in a school or conservatory but in the New Orleans Colored…
Full biography of Louis Armstrong →
What they share
- Both are held here under Music.
- Both born in United States.
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- 16 years separate their births (1917 and 1901).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Ella Fitzgerald or Louis Armstrong?
- Louis Armstrong. Ella Fitzgerald was born in 1917, Louis Armstrong in 1901.
- What field is each of them in?
- Ella Fitzgerald is filed under Music (Composer). Louis Armstrong is filed under Music (Jazz).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.