Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers & Hart Song Book is the first album in Ella Fitzgerald's Song Book series, released in 1956 by Verve Records. It was produced by Norman Granz and features songs composed by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, with arrangements by Buddy Bregman.
The album was recorded at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles in 1956, with an orchestra conducted by Buddy Bregman. It includes 16 tracks spanning Rodgers and Hart's career from the 1920s to the 1940s, and was a critical and commercial success, establishing the Song Book format.
This work is considered a milestone in Fitzgerald's discography, as it combined her vocal virtuosity with the American songbook. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000 and is widely praised for its interpretations of classics like 'My Funny Valentine' and 'The Lady Is a Tramp'.