ELLA: A Biography of the Legendary Ella Fitzgerald w/ 2-CD Set

ELLA, the Trade Paperback, includes an exclusive 2-CD set of 39 studio and live tracks. These tracks were carefully selected by Ella expert/author Mark from all four of her major recording labels (Decca, Verve, Capitol & Pablo), gathering for the first time ever in one collection the best of her work from 1938 through 1989, and sequenced as she would have sung them in live performance. This collection is exclusive to the book and cannot be purchased elsewhere.

Ella Jane Fitzgerald, The First Lady of Song, became an internationally celebrated cultural force who has been called the greatest female singer in history. ELLA chronicles the ultimate rags-to-riches embodiment of the American dream, whose personal life was one of the best-kept secrets in show business until now.

This Centennial Birthday Edition includes complete Discography, Videography and Media Appearances, Top Ten Lists, Index, and Notes. Illustrated with 280 photos of Ella, including artifacts from her life and internationally acclaimed career. Developed with material from the archives of her estate, ELLA reveals the unknown side of the famous vocalist. This tome not only covers her phenomenal career with many never-before seen photos, interviews, and anecdotes, but delivers for the first time the true, untold story of Ella - the woman.

In her lifetime, Ella sold over 40 million albums, wrote hit songs, devoted herself to philanthropy, and amassed countless awards and commendations, including 14 Grammys, honorary doctorates from Dartmouth, Princeton, Harvard, and Yale, the National Medal of Arts, France's Commander of Arts and Letters, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Known in every part of the world as Queen of Jazz, First Lady of Song, Mama Jazz, and The Memorex Lady, Miss Fitzgerald's bittersweet life juxtaposes the tragedy of a homeless orphan who faced poverty, racial prejudice, sexual and physical abuse, with a talent and a burning ambition that led to an astonishing musical career spanning seven decades. She was an African American woman who fought racism and sexism in an industry completely dominated by white males. Despite her challenges, Ella Fitzgerald topped them all, enjoying a career and a musical legacy rivaling or surpassing those of Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Michael Jackson.

Author Geoffrey Mark, an Emmy Award winner and Grammy Award nominee, has been called a walking encyclopedia of show business history. He personally saw Ella 25 times in concert and was privileged to assist her during the later years, by providing playlists utilizing songs that fit her vocal range, in the order in which they should be performed. He also became a close friend to jazz great Joe Pass, Ella's preferred guitar accompanist.

A singer/stand-up comedian in nightclubs and cabarets, and an Off-Broadway veteran, Mark has hosted radio series, written comedy for several stand-up comedians, and writes and produces documentaries and reality shows for cable television. Mr. Mark has three best-selling books, including The Lucy Book, and is the producer of Nigel: Come Back to Me, a CD with a seventeen piece Big Band. He is regularly booked for lectures, nightclubs and corporate events.