This album is the fifth in Ella Fitzgerald's Song Book series for Verve Records, and is entirely dedicated to the songs of George and Ira Gershwin. It was produced by Norman Granz and arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle, with his orchestra.
The recording sessions took place in Los Angeles between January and March 1959. The album includes 53 songs in its original vinyl edition, although later CD versions have added extra tracks. It is considered one of Fitzgerald's finest works and a landmark in the interpretation of the Great American Songbook.
The album was a commercial and critical success, reaching number 14 on the Billboard pop albums chart. In 1960, it won the Grammy Award for Best Female Vocal Performance, and in 2003 it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.