Title: Milt Herth Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1924-1969

Creator:

• Herth, Milt (Milton Eric), 1902-1969

Call Number: Mss 757; Micro 1150; PH 3803; Audio 1204A

Quantity: 0.4 cubic feet (1 archives box), 1 reel of microfilm (35 mm), 75 photographs, 1 drawing, and 1 ephemera item (1 archives box), 46 tape recordings and 24 disc recordings

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Papers of Milt Herth, a nationally popular musician born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, who introduced jazz and swing music to the organ. Included are press releases, fan mail, an obituary and death certificate, microfilmed biographical clippings and a scrapbook, photographs, contracts, two scripts, and memorabilia. Concerning his musical activities are published arrangements, playlists and program listings, scores, promotional material concerning the Hammond organ, and audio recordings of his own music and music that he collected.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00757

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Popular entertainer Milt Herth was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin on November 3, 1902. As a child, Herth learned to play the drums and the piano, and by the age of sixteen he was leading a three-piece band at a Kenosha ice cream parlor. Then, in reaction to his parents' wishes that he study law, Herth ran away from home and played the piano with a traveling medicine show. Tiring of this life, he returned home and formed a dance band that played in the Kenosha area. Herth gave up music briefly following his marriage to Myrtle Wells in order to find more permanent employment. It was at this time that Herth discovered the organ and began playing in movie theaters. Later he studied under Frank Wilson Van Dusen, director of the organ department at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago.

In 1935 Herth became musical director for Radio Station WIND in Gary, Indiana, where his use of the electric Hammond organ to play swing music became very popular. The same year he began recording for Decca Records, the first musician to record on the Hammond organ. In 1937 he made his national radio debut on Fibber McGee and Molly, following this with repeat appearances on the Al Peace Show, and Bing Crosby's Kraft Music Hall. Eventually, Herth added drums and a piano to his performances, thus forming the Milt Herth Trio. The popular group toured the most famous hotels and night clubs in the United States including the Copacabana, Boston's Copley Plaza, and Chicago's Congress Hotel, and they appeared together in the full-length motion picture Juke Box Jenny in 1941.

Herth continued to record with Decca until changing to Coral Records in 1949. He also appeared on television and played in night clubs in Florida and Las Vegas. At the same time Herth endorsed and promoted the Hammond electric organ in music stores across the country. In 1955 Herth traveled to Las Vegas for a brief engagement at the Desert Inn. He liked it so well that in 1957 he sold his homes in New York City and New Jersey and settled in Nevada permanently. Following the move, Herth became involved with charitable work for local organizations, but still continued to devote much of his time to national promotion of the Hammond organ. He died from a heart attack on June 17, 1969.

Although a small collection, the papers document Herth's career as a musician from his employment as a movie theater organist in the 1920s to his death in 1969. Unfortunately, the depth of coverage is uneven, and although the papers provide a nearly complete representation of his musical recordings, other aspects of his career are treated largely through clippings rather than primary documentation. There is virtually no documentation in the papers concerned with Herth's personal life.

The collection is organized as music files, biographical material, general papers, and audio recordings. The MUSIC FILES comprise the largest and most important part of the papers. Papers about Herth's musical activities include his published arrangements of popular songs for the Hammond organ, “fake books,” and other music (some annotated in his own hand) for his performances. Handwritten materials include copyrighted arrangements of “Whistler and His Dog” and “High Society,” two notebooks of chord progressions, song playlists, and program listings. Also filed here are brochures, biographies, photographs, and correspondence relating to his promotion of the Hammond organ during the mid-1960s.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION consists of a large number of clippings and articles about Herth's career. Some of the clippings were originally contained in a scrapbook which spanned the years 1924 to 1961, but which most heavily document the early 1930s. Additional loose clippings chiefly pertain to the periods 1938-1942, 1950-1955, and the 1960s. Because of their deteriorated condition, the clippings have been microfilmed and the originals destroyed, although original photographs and memorabilia in the scrapbook were retained. Additional biographical information consists of obituaries, a death certificate, and memorabilia.

GENERAL PAPERS consist of two folders of correspondence, record company and personal appearance contracts, memorabilia of Myrtle Herth, and two scripts--a revised final script for the motion picture Juke Box Jenny and a partial script from the Chesterfield Radio Supper Club, hosted by Perry Como. The correspondence is quite miscellaneous in nature, including letters requesting information about the Hammond and early mail sent to him as music director at WIND requesting that he play certain songs.

AUDIO RECORDINGS include tape and disc recordings which seem to represent a good share, although not all, of his recording activities. This series also includes a selection of jazz and popular music recordings by other performers from his personal collection.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Mrs. Beatrice Wells, Kenosha, Wisconsin, 1988. Accession Number: M88-186, M88-249

Processing Information

Processed by Joe Marx (archives intern), 1988.

Mss 757	Series: Music Files
Box   1 Folder   1	Playlists, undated
Box   1 Folder   2	Handwritten, copyrighted scores, undated
Box   1 Folder   3	Handwritten chord progressions, undated
Box   1 Folder   4	Music by others used for performances, undated
Box   1 Folder   5	Published Herth arrangements, 1939, 1942, 1958, 1960
Box   1 Folder   6	Hammond organ promotional material, 1964-1967
	Series: Biographical Information	⇧
Micro 1150	Scrapbook, 1924-1935, and loose clippings, , 1938-1969
PH 3803	Photographs, drawing, and ephemera
Mss 757 Box   1 Folder   7	Press releases, undated
Box   1 Folder   8	Obituaries and death certificate, 1969
Box   1 Folder   9	Memorabilia
	Series: General Papers	⇧
Box   1 Folder   10	Scripts, 1941, 1945
Box   1 Folder   11	Contracts, 1947-1958
Box   1 Folder   12	Correspondence, 1930-1969
Box   1 Folder   13	Myrtle Herth memorabilia, undated
Audio 1204A	Series: Audio Recordings	⇧
Audio   1204A/1	#1 Milt Herth Solos 1937 - Plus - Decca Black Label, 1937
Audio   1204A/2	#2 Milt Herth Trio - Decca Blue Label
Audio   1204A/3	#3 Milt Herth Trio - Blue Label Decca
Audio   1204A/4	#4 Milt Herth Trio - Decca Blue Label and Others
Audio   1204A/5	#5 M.H. Trio - Albums - Decca and Coral Deca Singles
Audio   1204A/6	#6 Misc. Milt Herth
Audio   1204A/7	#7 M.H. Trio - Ablums - Happiness 1st and Most Happy Organ and 3 R.C.A. Victor Singles
Audio   1204A/8	#8 M.H. Trio -Albums - MGM Capital and Decca RCA
Audio   1204A/9	#9 M.H. w/ Joe Green - XYL - Mar. and Orchestral Gems, Collectors' Items
Audio   1204A/10	#11 Collectors' Items - Orch., Amrose Orch., Bix-Armstrong, Adrews Sis., Busse-Bing
Audio   1204A/11	#12 Collectors' Items, Bob Crosby Band (Also Bob Cats)
Audio   1204A/12	#13 Collectors' Items - Dodd's J, Dorsey Bros., T. Dorsey Band, Duchin Eddy, Ellington-Duke, B. Goodman, Glahe Musette Band
Audio   1204A/13	#14 Collectors' Items, Hal Kemp - Jimmy Lunceford - Fred Martin - Clyde McCoy
Audio   1204A/14	#15 Collectors' Items, "M" through X (Inc.)
Audio   1204A/15	#16 Collectors' Items, Tahitian Rhythms, Jungle Drums - Bob - Crew - Kenton - Darin Etc.
Audio   1204A/16	#17 M.H. Favorite, "Piano Greats"
Audio   1204A/17	Milt Herth Trio - N.B.C. 1938, Tune Twister Trio A. Rollini, 1938
Audio   1204A/18	Park Sheraton, End of Yom Kippur Service
Audio   1204A/19	Park Sheraton, Sheraton Broadcast
Audio   1204A/20	Xmas Music #1, 1968 December 25
Audio   1204A/21	Xmas Carols #2, 1968 December 25
Audio   1204A/22	Milt - CBS remote
Audio   1204A/23	Catalina Island
Audio   1204A/24	Dale Graduates
Audio   1204A/25	Samples in first then songs to keys
Audio   1204A/26	Rono Scott - World Transcriptions of Milt Herth
Audio   1204A/27	World Transcription, 60 Selections - Rono Scott, 1940-1948
Audio   1204A/28	Pete Fountain Plays - Bert Krempfert
Audio   1204A/29	Tijuana Bass
Audio   1204A/30	Mr. Mel Herty
Audio   1204A/31	Blank, Many Tapes
Audio   1204A/32	[unidentified]
Audio   1204A/33	[unidentified]
Audio   1204A/34	RCA - Worlds Fair - 1965 - N.Y.C., Elinor Johnson - Sound Eng. '37, 1965
Audio   1204A/35	Park Sheraton and Others, 1958 August 11
Audio   1204A/36	Pete Fountain - Salutes the Great Clarinetists
Audio   1204A/37	Johnny Hodges - Welk
Audio   1204A/38	Concert
Audio   1204A/39	Wally Re Floyd
Audio   1204A/40	Dale, Tape 1, Milw.
Audio   1204A/41	Dale, Tape 2, Milw.
Audio   1204A/42	Dale's gripe session
Audio   1204A/43	Oscar Holt
Audio   1204A/44	[unidentified]
Audio   1204A/45	[unidentified]
Audio   1204A/46	[unidentified]
Audio   1204A/47	Rockin' in Rhythm
Audio   1204A/48	In An 18th Century Drawing Room
Audio   1204A/49	The Whistler and His Dog
Audio   1204A/50	I'm Looking Over a Four Lear Clover
Audio   1204A/51	Toy Trumpet
Audio   1204A/52	Hi-Jinks on the Hammond
Audio   1204A/53	Most Happy Organ
Audio   1204A/54	Happiness is Milt Herth at the New Hammond "H" Organ
Audio   1204A/55	The Glow Worm
Audio   1204A/56	Rose Rose I Love You
Audio   1204A/57	[unidentified]
Audio   1204A/58	Milt Herth Trio, 1953 August 11
Audio   1204A/59	Milt Herth, 1945 February 17, 23
Audio   1204A/60	Oh, She's Gone Gone Gone
Audio   1204A/61	Minuet in Jazz
Audio   1204A/62	In An 18th Century Drawing Room
Audio   1204A/63	Put on Your Old Grey Bonnet
Audio   1204A/64	Bluebird of Happiness
Audio   1204A/65	Clair De Lune
Audio   1204A/66	Schon Rosmarin (Fair Rosemary)
Audio   1204A/67	Rhapsody in Blue Parts I and II
Audio   1204A/68	Rhapsody in Blue Part III
Audio   1204A/69	The Blue Danube
Audio   1204A/70	The Man I Love