Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book

This album was the first in Ella Fitzgerald's series of Song Books, released by Verve Records in 1956. Norman Granz, the label's founder and Fitzgerald's manager, produced the project with the aim of establishing the singer as the definitive interpreter of the Great American Songbook.

Recording sessions took place in Los Angeles and New York throughout 1956, with orchestral arrangements by Buddy Bregman. The album includes 32 songs composed by Cole Porter, ranging from Broadway classics to jazz standards, and was a critical and commercial success that set the template for the Song Books series.

The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000 and is regarded as a masterpiece of vocal interpretation. The collaboration between Fitzgerald and Porter, though indirect, resulted in one of the most iconic recordings of the 20th century, highlighting the singer's versatility and impeccable phrasing.