James Brown 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
| James Brown | Michael Jackson | |
| Field | Music | Music |
| Sub-field | Composer | Pop |
| Born | 1933 | 1958 |
| Died | 2006 | 2009 |
| Country of birth | United States | United States |
| Star sign | Taurus | Virgo |
Who they are
James Brown
James Joseph Brown Jr. was born on May 3, 1933, in Barnwell, South Carolina, and raised in Augusta, Georgia, in conditions of severe poverty during the Great Depression. He shined shoes, picked cotton, and by his own account wore clothes made from flour sacks. He was arrested for petty theft at sixteen and sentenced to hard labor. What emerged from that crucible was not bitterness, though there was plenty of reason for it — what emerged was the most kinetic, most commanding live performer in the history of American popular music, a man who turned…
Full biography of James Brown →
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
- 25 years separate their births (1933 and 1958).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, James Brown or Michael Jackson?
- James Brown. James Brown was born in 1933, Michael Jackson in 1958.
- What field is each of them in?
- James Brown is filed under Music (Composer). Michael Jackson is filed under Music (Pop).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.