Ella Fitzgerald vs Michael Jackson
Two music prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Ella Fitzgerald | Michael Jackson | |
| Field | Music | Music |
| Sub-field | Composer | Pop |
| Born | 1917 | 1958 |
| Died | 1996 | 2009 |
| Country of birth | United States | United States |
| Star sign | Taurus | Virgo |
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 →
Michael Jackson
On August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, a steel-mill town on the southern shore of Lake Michigan, Katherine and Joseph Jackson welcomed their seventh child into the world. None of them could have imagined that Michael Joseph Jackson would grow up to become the most famous entertainer the world had ever known — a figure whose name, four decades later, remains synonymous with pop music itself.
Full biography of Michael Jackson →
What they share
- Both are held here under Music.
- Both born in United States.
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- 41 years separate their births (1917 and 1958).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Ella Fitzgerald or Michael Jackson?
- Ella Fitzgerald. Ella Fitzgerald was born in 1917, Michael Jackson in 1958.
- What field is each of them in?
- Ella Fitzgerald is filed under Music (Composer). Michael Jackson is filed under Music (Pop).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.