Collection Timeline

1892 to 1997

1892
Sepia photo of Alice Anthony Cheatham (1876-1959) and family. Seven people stand and three people sit on steps leading to the brick building behind them. They are all dressed in formal wear and none are looking at the camera. Alice is the rightmost figure, wearing a light-colored blouse, belt, and long skirt. In marker is written "ALLEN TEMPLE ATLANTA GA 1892" on the top center, and an arrow pointing to Alice with "ALICE MOM" written above her. The photo is pasted on a cardboard backing. On the back of the cardboard is written "Allen Temple Atlanta 1892" in pencil and black marker. Alice, who was "part Indian, mixed with Oriental" (I Guess I'll Get the Papers and Go Home Advance pg 1), worked as a maid and schoolteacher in Tennessee.

1901
Alice Anthony Cheatham (1876-1959) on the left, standing next to Marshall Nye Cheatham (1869-1942) on the right, who is sitting. Alice wears a high-collar, lace dress and has a poofy hairstyle. Marshall sports an impressive mustache, a bowtie, and a suit jacket. Alice worked as a laboratory technician and teacher, while Marshall owned and operated a whites-only barber called "Cheatham and Bibb's Barber Shop," in Nashville, Tennessee (I Guess I'll Get the Papers and Go Home pg 1). The couple would go on to have two sons, Marshall Nye Cheatham Jr. (1903-1978), and Doc Cheatham. The back of the picture has "Estate of Doc Cheatham - Printed From Doc's Book." The picture has four small holes poked through the corners, such as those made by thumbtacks.

1934
Doc Cheatham (center) sits on a chair between his mother, Alice L. Anthony Cheatham (1876-1959) on the left, and father Marshall Nye Cheatham (1869-1942) on the right. To Marshall Cheatham's right is his first son and Doc's older brother, Marshall Cheatham Jr. (1903-1978). Around them are other family members. On the top right is cursive is written: "Mother from Edward." On the bottom left is "Gus Anderson '34." The picture has four small holes poked through the corners, such as those made by thumbtacks.

1937
Doc Cheatham (center), a camera around his neck, smiles with Wilbur de Paris's (1900-1973) band on tour in Lagos, Nigeria. Several men stand outside in a crowd; a few are seen playing woodwind and brass instruments. In front of the men is a woman dancing, wearing a short-sleeved shirt, long skirt, and gele (head wrap). In the bottom right corner are traces of pencil marks; a clearer scan in Cheatham's I Guess I'll Get the Papers and Go Home, reveals that this says "Lagos, Nigeria 3/14/37."

1951
Doc Cheatham poses with Eddie Barefield (1909-1991) in swimming attire. The two performed in Cab Calloway (1907-1994)'s jazz band together and were there on tour along with Milt Hinton (1910-2000), his wife Mona Hinton (19192008), and others. Barefield was a saxophonist, clarinetist and arranger who also worked with Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1966), and Duke Ellington (1899-1974). The musicians stand on a diving board extending over a pool. In the background, a person sits at the edge of the pool. Behind is part of the Sir John Hotel. To the right of Cheatham is a sign reading "Shower before entering pool." The Sir John Hotel, which opened in 1951 under the moniker Lord Calvert Hotel, hosted many famous people, such as Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, and Muhammed Ali until it was torn down in the 1960s. Milt Hinton, bassist, and photographer, wrote in his book Playing the Changes, "We were staying at a brand new black motel called the Sir John. It was considered luxurious in those days because it had a pool and its own little nightclub," (pg 136), the Knight Beat Club. The hotel was popular in Overtown, an area of segregated Miami where people of color were allowed to stay. The picture has four small holes poked through the corners, such as those made by thumbtacks.

1966
Typewritten letter on two pages from Donald Russell "Russ" Connor (1921-2014), drummer and jazz historian, to Doc Cheatham. It is on top of two reels of tape in a green box, on the underside which is written "Cab Calloway Records." Connor congratulates Cheatham on a performance with Benny Goodman at the Rainbow Grill, then provides a tracklisting for the reels of tapes. These records are from 1931-4, and it seems Connor and Cheatham were going through old Calloway band records to identify which ones Cheatham played on. Connor writes that Track I includes trumpet playing from R.Q. Dickerson (1898-1951), Lamar Wright (1907-1793), Reuben Reeves (1905-1975), Edwin Swayzee (1906-1935), and Cheatham. Track II has trumpet playing from Wright, Swayzee, and Cheatham. The second page ends with Connor's signature. Connor was best known for cataloging works by Benny Goodman (1909-1986).

1973
Scan from page one of "Adolphus 'Doc' Cheatham" two-record set released by the label Jezebel Records. The top 2/3rds of the page has a picture of the Albert Wynn Band at the Dreamland Cafe in 1926, with Doc Cheatham, Al Wynn (1907-1973), and Brownie McGhee (1915-1996) in the front row from left to right, and an unidentified musician, Silas White, Ben Thigpen (1908-1971), Gerald Hobsen, and Jimmy Flowers in the back row from left to right. The notes quotes an article by jazz historian Nat Hentoff (1925-2017) on Cheatham, the book Who's Who of Jazz by John Chilton (1932-2016) on Cheatham's early-middle career, and Cheatham himself on how he became a musician. Cheatham wrote that he began playing drums, then switched to cornet, in the Bright Future Stars band, which met at the Philips Chapel in Nashville; each practice cost 25 cents.

1985
Doc Cheatham smiles while sitting on a wooden stool. He is angled toward the camera. Cheatham has dark curly hair, and wears a dress shirt, plaid blazer with pocket square, striped bowtie, slacks, socks, and dress shoes. His left hand, holding his trumpet, is crossed over his left hand, on which his wedding ring is visible. A Louis Armstrong pendant hangs from the trumpet. Photographer Scott Sternbach wrote "I knew him pretty well as I was moonlighting as a bartender at Sweet Basil Jazz Club...It was a 4th flr walkup but that did not deter Doc on his 80th Birthday. I had invited him up to the studio one Sunday to create an image for a commemorative poster. If I recall we had a birthday cake and a small celebration in my studio. I really love that image and in particular the way the Louis Armstrong pendant [sic] hangs in just the right place off of the horn."

1989
10" x 8" black and white photograph. Doc Cheatham performing at the 1989 Lionel Hampton-Chevron Jazz Festival.
8.25"; x 10.75"; event program. Includes artist biographies, concert schedules, performance schedules, workshop and clinic information, and sponsor information.
8" x 10" black and white photograph. Doc Cheatham speaks into a microphone while holding his trumpet at the 1989 Lionel Hampton-Chevron Jazz Festival.

1990
Doc Cheatham lounges in a pool chair, stretching out his legs. He wears a hat, red and white checkered short sleeve button-up, bolo tie, blue and white striped trousers, grey socks, black shoes, and sunglasses. He was a performer on this eighth annual Floating Jazz Festival run by the Norwegian Cruise Line.
Doc Cheatham poses for a picture on a street in Philipsburg, capital of Sint Maarten. He wears a hat, red and white checkered short sleeve button-up, bolo tie, blue and white striped trousers, gold watch, black shoes, and sunglasses. In his left breast pocket is a photo or piece of paper. To the left and behind him is Sr. Marie Laurence Primary School, as well as a Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant. In the background is a sign for the popular tourist destination Bobby's Marina, and in the distance is a tree-covered hill. To the right, lining the street, are parked cars. Sint Maarten was a stop on this November 1990 Norwegian Cruise Line journey to the Bahamas.
Doc Cheatham stands on the Great Bay Beach in Sint Maarten. He wears a hat, red and white checkered short sleeve button-up, bolo tie, blue and white striped trousers, gold watch, black shoes, and sunglasses. In his left breast pocket is a photo or piece of paper. In the background is water, buildings lining the beach, and foliage-covered hills. Sint Maarten was a stop on this November 1990 Norwegian Cruise Line journey to the Bahamas.
Doc Cheatham and his daughter, Alice, smile as they sit aboard red chairs on a cruise ship. He wears black-rimmed glasses, a navy suit jacket and pants, a white button-up, a gold watch, a red bowtie with polka dots, and a red pocket-square. On his right, Alice wears gold jewelry, a black lace shawl, and a black long dress with spaghetti straps. On the circular table to the left of them is a glass partially filled with liquid, and a menu. Alice Cheatham Croker and Amanda "Nellie" Cheatham (Croker's mother and Doc's widow), accepted the Grammy Doc Cheatham received posthumously in 1998.
New York Times newspaper advertisement about Royal Viking Line's jazz cruises. The ad mentions week-long trips from Manhattan to the Bahamas. These cruises boast "the sounds of such jazz greats as Cab Calloway and Doc Cheatham."

1991
Doc Cheatham stands with both hands in pockets of his grey dress pants. He smiles with a toothpick between his teeth. He also wears black-rimmed glasses, red suspenders with a vertical navy stripe down the middle and gold clips, a red tie with various musical instruments on it, a navy jacket, and has a red pocket-square in his left pocket and a pin on the right side. Cheatham stands in front of a closet with coats hanging on a rack, and to the left, the tiled floor, bach mat, shower curtain, and trash can of a bathroom is visible.

1993
Doc Cheatham plays his trumpet aimed forward, parallel to the ground. Second from the right, Cheatham is sitting on a wooden stool and wears a brown dress shirt, black bolo tie, brown watch, grey jacket and pants, and black socks and shoes. To the left are Pud Brown (1917-1996) and trumpeter Lionel Ferbos (1911-2019), wearing white dress shirts, black ties, and pants. Behind and between them is Ernie Ellie (1942-) behind a drumset. The almost-bald Lionel Ferbos holds his trumpet down and watches Doc Cheatham seriously through black-rimmed glasses. On the far left, Brown plays clarinet intently, eyes closed behind wire-frame glasses. In front of him are a saxophone and clarinet on stands. To the right of Cheatham is trombonist Fred Lonzo (1950-) pointing his instrument down and watching Cheatham. Behind the musicians is a brick wall with large framed photographs in the Palm Court Jazz Cafe.

1995
Sweet Basil jazz club program excerpt with details about Doc Cheatham's 90th birthday party. Cheatham regularly performed at Sunday brunches there for 17 years with his quartet, which consisted of himself, pianist Chuck Folds (1938-2022), bassist Earl May (1927-2008), and drummer Jackie Williams (1933-). There are two pages front and back. There is information about June 6-11 performances by Kenny Barron Quintet, the Tuesday June 13 Doc Cheatham's 90th Birthday Celebration, June 14-18 with Eddie Harris, June 20-25 with the Javon Jackson Quartet, June 27-July 2 with the Charnett Moffett Trio, and July 4-9 with the Terumasa Hino Quartet. The birthday celebration had an invitation-only reception and performances with Doc's quartet at 8 PM and 10 PM, with a $15 music charge.
Photo of Doc Cheatham's possessions on a blue, quilt-covered table. There is a black, closed trumpet case with a sticker from the Göteborg Tradjazz Festival 1994, a trumpet with attached mouthpiece, trumpet mute (given to Cheatham by "King" Oliver), black cane, glass ashtray, music manuscript book index, and a plaid-patterned fabric on a blue, quilt-covered table. In the background on the right side, is an upright piano.
Photo of Doc Cheatham's 90th birthday cake. The cake is decorated with white piping around the outside edges, the top has alternating yellow, blue, and white flowers, green leaves, multicolored lit 90 candles on top, and in red is written, in cursive, "Happy Birthday Doc Cheatham" with lines and dots under his name. The cake is angled on a wooden table.
Photo of Doc Cheatham's wife, Amanda "Nellie" Cheatham smiling next to the table touching Doc's trumpet. She wears a single-strand pearl necklace, white buttoned shirt with lace down the front, a black formal jacket, and a gold pin with three flowers on her left side. In the background is a black grand piano with the top open. Behind the piano on the wooden wall is a copy of the 1958 "A Great Day in Harlem" black-and-white photograph, taken with 57 jazz musicians by Art Kane.
Doc Cheatham holds a microphone in his right hand as he speaks into it and holds a pink charm in his left hand. He wears black-rimmed glasses, a multi-colored bowtie, a dark blue suit jacket with red pocket square, a black button-down dress shirt, and a trumpet pin. In front of him, the backs of the heads of attendees can be seen. Behind Cheatham to the left is a black grand piano with the top open. On the wood-panelled wall behind is a black and white Sweet Basil sign, and to the left is a framed black and white poster that says "Adolphus 'Doc' Cheatham Ninetieth Birthday Celebration," a picture of Cheatham in a suit holding a saxophone with a coronet on a stand next to him taken at Lincoln Elementary, Nashville, Tennessee, and "Sweet Basil, New York June 13th, 1995."
Doc Cheatham sits on a chair and plays his trumpet pointing towards the ceiling. He wears black-rimmed glasses, a multi-colored bowtie, a dark blue suit jacket with red pocket square, a black button-down dress shirt, and a trumpet pin. A microphone on a stand with yellow tape wrapped around the end is in front of him. Behind him to the left, pianist Chuck Folds (1938-2022) plays on a black grand piano. Behind the piano on a wood-panelled wall is the 1958 "A Great Day in Harlem" photograph by Art Kane. Folds wears a checkered tie, button-down shirt, and black blazer. On the piano is a dark orange plunger mute. Another microphone is pointed towards the inside of the piano. To the left in front of Cheatham is Al Grey (1925-2000), wearing a striped shirt, blue jacket, and white bucket hat and playing a bass trumpet. Behind Grey is Earl May (1927-2008) playing a bass.
Doc Cheatham sits on a chair and smiles at a black rectangular object he holds in his hands. He wears black-rimmed glasses, a multi-colored bowtie, a wedding ring, a dark blue suit jacket with red pocket square, a black button-down dress shirt, grey slacks, and a trumpet pin. A microphone on a stand with yellow tape wrapped around the end is in front of him. Behind him to the left, pianist Chuck Folds (1938-2022) smiles and claps while sitting at a black grand piano. He wears a checkered tie, button-down shirt, and black blazer. Behind the piano on a wood-panelled wall is the 1958 "A Great Day in Harlem" photograph by Art Kane. On the left, a framed Greenwich Village Jazz Festival is hung on a wall. In front are attendees with their hands clapping. On the right, an announcer in a white suit holds a microphone with a yellow tape-wrapped end.
Doc Cheatham sits on a chair and smiles with his head turned to the left. He wears black-rimmed glasses, a multi-colored bowtie, a dark blue suit jacket with red pocket square, a black button-down dress shirt, grey slacks, and a trumpet pin. He holds his trumpet pointed towards the floor with both hands. Cheatham looks at a woman with short black hair, red flower earrings, a teal sweater, green suit jacket and pants, a beaded necklace, red lipstick, and a chunky silver ring, who speaks into a microphone she holds with her left hand. Behind her is a drum set and drummer Jackie Williams (1933-) 's hands can be seen. Behind Cheatham on the left is Earl May (1927-2008) holding his bass. On the wood-panelled wall behind everyone is a black and white Sweet Basil sign, and a framed poster to the left of it with a photo of a young Cheatham with a saxophone and cornet. The backs of attendee's heads can be seen in the foreground.
Doc Cheatham sits at a bar and smiles towards the camera. He wears black-rimmed glasses, a multi-colored bowtie, a dark blue suit jacket with red pocket square, a black button-down dress shirt, grey slacks, and a trumpet pin. On Cheatham's right is a middle-aged Caucasian woman with two pink ribbons in her brown hair, large shiny earrings, pink lipstick, lilac eyeshadow, and wears a white lace top with a gold pin in the top center. At the left edge is a man smiling at the camera. He wears brown sunglasses, a blue and white button-down, blue blazer, and his fist is closed on the wooden bar counter.
Black and white poster created for Doc Cheatham's 90th birthday celebration. At the top is printed "Adolphus 'Doc' Cheatham Ninetieth Birthday Celebration." Below is a photograph of a young Cheatham in a suit holding a saxophone with a coronet on a stand next to him taken at Lincoln Elementary, Nashville, Tennessee. At the bottom is printed "Sweet Basil, New York June 13th, 1995." In his autobiography, I Guess I'll Get the Papers and Go Home, Cheatham writes "At the age of fourteen I took up the cornet through...'Bright Future Stars'...organized by Mr Meredith, Dean at the Philips Chapel at Nashville" (pg. 5).

1996
Doc Cheatham wears an olive green cap, black-rimmed glasses, bolo tie, light blue dress shirt, black suit jacket, dark grey slacks, black shiny dress shoes, and holds a black cane in his right hand. He stands outside of the Savannah Old City Hall in Savannah, GA and looks to the right. In his left hand is a Key to the City of Savannah on blue velvet backing. Cheatham received the key in 1996 with fellow musicians James Moody (1925-2010), Jon Faddis (1953-), and Irene Reid (1930-2008). Behind Cheatham are stone steps with a black railing and a stone pillar. On the pillar is the Savannah Historical Marker, commemorating the first steamship to cross the ocean.
Article written by Denver Post Critic-At-Large Jeff Bradley titled "'Doc' Cheatham's vitality rubs off from jazz-legend friends." Bradley gives an overview of Cheatham's career, quotes from a phone interview between Bradley and the 91-year-old Cheatham about King Oliver, Freddie Keppard, and Louis Armstrong, and discusses Cheatham's upcoming performances. Bradley notes that Cheatham's style of playing is similar to Armstrong's. In the interview, Cheatham also talks about his knee arthritis, mentions that trumpeter Max Schlossberg (I Guess I'll Get the Papers and Go Home Advance Copy, pg. 50) taught him to breathe with his diaphragm, and touches on his recent album with Nicholas Payton. Details are given about the 18th Summit Jazz Party, in which Cheatham performed, and a concert at the University of Colorado alongside Dick Hyman, Ken Peplowski, and Howard Alden, both November 27, 1996.
Scanned book review from Martin Gayford of the Sunday Telegraph of Doc's Autobiography I Guess I'll Get the Papers and Go Home with a note from the book's editor, Alyn Shipton (1953- ). Gayford notes "Doc's tranquil and serene temperament" and claims this memoir and discography "will interest anyone who loves that period and style." A 1952 portrait of Cheatham is included. Shipton writes in pen on the right page "Good to talk to you last week. Here's the first major review of your book from the Sunday Telegraph. More to follow." The note was sent from Oxford, England, where Shipton resides.

1997
Doc Cheatham sits and holds his trumpet. From left to right, Cheatham is surrounded by Jackie Williams (1933-), Bucky Calabrese (1927-1995), and Chuck Folds (1938-2022). They made up Doc's Quartet, performing on regular Sunday afternoons at the popular jazz restaurant Sweet Basil in Greenwich Village, New York. The right side edge has "Folds" written on it, presumably in reference to Jane Folds (-2022), the photographer and Chuck's wife. The picture has four small holes poked through the corners, such as those made by thumbtacks.
Doc Cheatham speaks into a microphone, which he holds with his left hand along with his trumpet. He wears a pale pink button-down, multicolored bow tie, plaid-patterned jacket, and red pocket-square. Behind him is a wood-panelled wall with a black and white Sweet Basil sign, and the top of an open black grand piano. Cheatham and his quartet played regularly at Sweet Basil Jazz Club at jazz brunches for 17 years. Sweet Basil was a prominent location for live jazz performances from when it opened in 1974 till it closed in April 2001.