The life of the very private and media-shy Ella Fitzgerald has long been shrouded in a mixture of half-truths and fiction. What emerges in Stuart Nicholson's groundbreaking biography is a remarkable story of a poor black girl's determination to realize the American Dream in the face of racial and sexual prejudice. She succeeded, and is now the definition of "jazz singer" to millions, one of the greatest of all jazz musicians. In this fullest account ever of her life, Nicholson draws on fresh research and interviews with Ella's friends and colleagues. Supplemented by Phil Schaap's authoritative discography, Ella Fitzgerald is a rich and revealing portrait of one of the most popular American singers in history. The life of the very private and media-shy Ella Fitzgerald (1918-1996) has long been shrouded in a mixture of half-truths and fiction. What emerges in Stuart Nicholson's ground breaking biography of "The First Lady of Jazz" the a remarkable story of a poor black girl's determination to realize the American Dram in the face of racial and sexual prejudice. Ella succeeded, and is now the very definition of "jazz singer" to millions of fans and one of the greatest of all jazz musicians. In this fullest account of her life to date, Nicholson draws on fresh research and interviews with Ella's friends and colleagues. Supplemented by Phil Schaap's authoritative discography, Ella Fitzgerald is a rich and revealing portrait of one of the most popular American singers in twentieth century musical history. Ella Fitzgerald is a glittering, engaging, comprehensive biography and "must" reading for all her fans. -- Midwest Book Review Stuart Nicholson's books include Jazz: The 1980s Resurgence and Billie Holiday. He lives in England.