Milt Hinton

About

From Wikipedia:

Milton John Hinton (June 23, 1910 – December 19, 2000) was an American double bassist and photographer.

Regarded as the Dean of American jazz bass players, his nicknames included “Sporty” from his years in Chicago, “Fump” from his time on the road with Cab Calloway, and “The Judge” from the 1950s and beyond. Hinton’s recording career lasted over 60 years, mostly in jazz but also with a variety of other genres as a prolific session musician.

He was also a photographer of note, praised for documenting American jazz during the 20th Century. […]

From the mid-1950s through the early 1970s, he contributed to thousands of jazz and popular records, as well as hundreds of jingles and film soundtracks. He would regularly play on three three-hour studio sessions per day, requiring him to own multiple basses that he hired assistants to transport from one studio to the next. During this era, he recorded with everyone from Billie Holiday to Paul McCartney, Frank Sinatra to Leon Redbone, and Sam Cooke to Barbra Streisand. As Hinton summarized his time in the studios, “I might be on a date for Andre Kostelanetz in the morning, do one with Brook Benton or Johnny Mathis in the afternoon, and then finish up the day with Paul Anka or Bobby Rydell. At one time or another, I probably played for just about every popular artist around in those days.” […]

Milt Hinton played double-bass on “Little Woman Love“, a track recorded during the “Ram” sessions in 1970/71 and released as the B-Side of “Mary Had A Little Lamb“, Wings’ second non-album single, in May 1972.

Paul said to me he wanted someone for a slap bass and I suggested Milt Hinton, called The Judge, 65 years old at the time. We were amazed at the energy he had.

Denny Seiwell – Drummer in “Little Woman Love” – From “Paul McCartney Recording Sessions (1969-2013)” by Luca Perasi

Last updated on April 17, 2022