5 Facts About the Cole Porter Songbook Album

Verve Records released the album. Norman Granz founded the label partly to showcase Ella Fitzgerald’s talent.

The album is part of a series of Songbook recordings. Fitzgerald recorded multiple Songbook albums for Verve, each dedicated to a single composer.

Cole Porter wrote all the songs on the album. The Songbook series celebrated the work of major American songwriters.

The recordings were made with a full orchestra. Arrangements were crafted to support Fitzgerald’s vocal style.

The album helped establish Fitzgerald as a leading interpreter of the Great American Songbook. It remains a definitive collection of Porter’s work.