The Milton J. and Mona C. Hinton Collection is arranged in the following 16 series:

Series 1: Biographical Material

1919–2000s [12 boxes, 4 oversize folders; ca. 9 linear feet]

This series contains material that documents the personal or day-to-day lives of Milt Hinton, Mona Hinton, and other family members. Material includes personal and biographical notes, press packets, high school yearbooks, datebooks, calendars, address books, phone messages, passports, and identification and membership cards.

Of particular research interest are Milt Hinton’s datebooks from 1952 through 1970, documenting his extensive daily schedule of recording sessions, concerts, and other events. This series also includes material created by or relating to family members Charlotte Hinton, Hilda Downs, Rhoda Clayton, Pearl McKenzie, and Lucy Woods, as well as a family tree and other genealogical reference material. Click to view a PDF inventory of this series.

Series 2: Subject Files

1940s–2000 [3 boxes, 10 oversize folders; ca. 4 linear feet]

This series contains a variety of material created by or documenting Milt Hinton’s professional involvement with musicians or organizations, including Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Pearl Bailey, Hunter College, and Charmon Music Inc.

This includes material relating to print publications such as Bass Line, and recordings such as Old Man Time, as well as material written by others and sent to Milt and Mona Hinton, such as articles or theses about Milt Hinton or the history of bass playing. Material is arranged alphabetically by subject, personal name, or corporate name. Click to view a PDF inventory of this series.

Series 3: Correspondence

1950s–2000s [21 boxes, 1 binder; ca. 12 linear feet]

This series is comprised of letters, cards, postcards, and other written correspondence sent to or written by Milt or Mona Hinton, although the majority of material is correspondence written by others and sent to Milt Hinton. This series consists of both personal and professional correspondence, and includes letters from noted musicians and industry professionals such as Pearl Bailey, Cozy Cole, Clark Terry, Ben Webster, Joe Glaser, and many more. There are 20 letter boxes of correspondence arranged chronologically, as well as one box and one binder of postcards. Click to view a PDF inventory of this series.

Series 4: Notated Music

[6 boxes, 1 drawer; 8 linear feet]

This series contains six record boxes and one oversize drawer of published and unpublished notated music, including original music manuscripts. Material consists of scores, lead sheets, parts, and incomplete parts of sets. Material is primarily music composed or arranged by Milt Hinton, but this series also includes music composed or arranged by Earl Bostic and Clark Terry. Click to view a PDF inventory of this series.

Series 5: Concert and Event Material

1944–2001 [6 boxes; 6 linear feet]

This series contains six record boxes of concert programs, flyers, and other promotional material relating to concerts and musical performances that Milt performed in or was involved with. Material is arranged chronologically by year or decade.

Series 6: Financial Records

1954–2000s [6 boxes; 6 linear feet]

This series contains records that document Milt and Mona Hinton’s finances. Three record boxes consist primarily of contracts, and three record boxes consist primarily of assorted tax statements and related documents. Material is arranged chronologically by year or decade.

Series 7: Articles and Newspaper Clippings

1940s–2000s [3 boxes; 3 linear feet]

This series contains three record boxes of magazine articles and newspaper clippings about Milt and Mona Hinton, as well as magazines and newspaper clippings that Milt and Mona Hinton collected, such as musician obituaries. Material is arranged chronologically by decade, and content is primarily newspaper clippings about Milt Hinton from the 1980s and 1990s.

Series 8: Photography Exhibit Material

1980s–2000s [3 boxes; 3 linear feet]

This series contains three record boxes of material relating to exhibitions of Milt Hinton’s photographs. Material includes exhibit programs, promotional material, loan agreements, and exhibition correspondence, and arranged alphabetically by exhibiting institution. This series does not include Milt Hinton’s photographs which are part of the Milton J. Hinton Photographic Collection (see Related Material).

Series 9: Audio and Moving Image Material

1930s–2000s [ca. 46 linear feet; 6.5 terabytes of data]

This series contains audio and moving image material in a variety of formats, including disc, open reel audio, audiocassette, DAT, film reel, Betacam, Hi8, Video8, U-Matic, and VHS. Much of this material has been digitized and these digital files are available for approved in-person viewing and research. All content is non-commercial. Audio content is primarily interviews conducted by Milt Hinton and others, and musical performances that include Milt Hinton. Film and video include “home content” taken by Milt Hinton and others, musical performances by Milt Hinton and others, and assorted jazz films.

Series 10: Visual Material

1940s–2000s [ca. 9 linear feet]

This series contains two-dimensional visual material, including event posters, drawings and paintings of Milt Hinton, calendars featuring Milt Hinton’s photographs, and other graphic material owned by Milt and Mona Hinton. Material is arranged by size and format, and includes both framed and unframed items. This series does not include any photographs taken by Milt Hinton that are part of the Milton J. Hinton Photographic Collection (see Related Material).

Series 11: Awards, 1970s–1990s

[7 boxes, 2 oversize containers; ca. 10 linear feet]

This series contains the many honors and awards bestowed on Milt Hinton during his lifetime. Hinton received honorary doctorates from William Paterson College, Skidmore College, Hamilton College, DePaul University, Trinity College, the Berklee College of Music, Fairfield University, and Baruch College of the City University of New York. Other honors conferred on Hinton include the New York State Governor’s Arts Award, the Artist Achievement Award by the Governor of Mississippi, and the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Fellowship.

Included in this series are proclamations of “Milt Hinton Days” from various cities, as well as a street sign for “Milt Hinton Place,” located in Queens NY. Material includes plaques, trophies, statues, medals, ribbons, and diplomas, and in some cases, programs, invitations, and other documentation accompany the award.

Series 12: Artifacts, 1940s–2000s

[16 boxes, 4 oversize items; ca. 18 linear feet]

This series contains artifacts owned by Milt and Mona Hinton. Material includes Milt Hinton’s 35mm Argus C3 camera and camera equipment, clothing, jewelry and accessories, festival buttons, home décor, bass figurines, and various souvenirs or gifts such as mugs, clocks, and novelty toys. Instrument-related material includes bass and violin strings, rosin, bow holders, an amplifier, tuning fork, and other bass tools and accessories.

This series also includes material created or owned by other musicians, such as scrapbooks created by Clyde Hart, personal effects of Chu Berry, “Papa” Jo Jones’ snare drum, and drum sticks and mallets signed or owned by musicians such as Red Norvo, or Louie Bellson.

Series 13: Photographs by Mona Hinton

1950s–2000s [24 boxes, 1 binder; ca. 12 linear feet]

This series contains 24 photo boxes and one album of photographs taken by Mona Hinton. Most photographs are family snapshots, 5 x 7 color prints, from the 1970s–1990s. Also included in this series is a small number of color slides and 35mm film negatives. Material is arranged chronologically by decade. This series does not contain photographs taken by Milt Hinton that are part of the Milton J. Hinton Photographic Collection (see Related Material).

Series 14: Rinkeydinks Material, 1949–1960s

[3 boxes, 1 oversize item; ca. 4 linear feet]

This series contains material created or collected by Mona Hinton relating to the Rinkeydinks, a social and civic club active in the 1950s and 1960s. Mona Hinton was a founding member of the New York chapter of the Rinkeydinks, along with other wives of New York musicians, including Catherine Basie, Ruth Bowen, Chickie Evans, Helen Darden, Barbara Jacquet, and Hildegard Bostic. Items in this series include financial and administrative records, such as drafts of the club’s constitution and bylaws, magazine articles, newspaper clippings, event invitations, photographs, and costumes.

Series 15: Hinton Personal Library:

[102 books; ca. 12 linear feet]

This series contains selected books on a wide range of musical and general subjects from Milt and Mona Hinton's personal library. Most are signed, usually by the author, or contain annotations or information about Milt or Mona Hinton. The books reflect Milt and Mona Hinton's wide and varied interests and, in addition to books related to jazz, include books on photography, literature, poetry, and African American history. The 1970 anthology 3000 Years of Black Poetry, edited by Alan Lomax and Raoul Abdul, includes Mona Hinton’s English translation of the poem “Two Countries” by Cuban poet José Martí (1853–1895).

Series 16: William James “Count” Basie Estate Material:

1943–2008 [1 box; 1 linear foot]

This series contains one record box of documents created or compiled by William James “Count” Basie and his wife, Catherine Basie, both close friends of the Hintons. When Catherine Basie died in 1983, Mona was named co-executor of her estate, and when Count Basie died in 1984, Mona Hinton was named one of the co-executors of his estate.