Bettye Miller - Milt Abel Collection

Milt Abel playing bass in front of a wall of photographs at the Mutual Musicians Foundation in Kansas City, Missouri. An unidentified man is seated to the left of the photograph and the hand of a...

Milt Abel playing bass with a microphone on a stand in front of him. He appears to be in a living room with floral patterned curtains behind him.

Milt Abel playing double bass with a microphone in front of him. There's a curtain behind him and he's facing to the right of the photo.

Milt Abel playing double bass. There's a curtain behind him and he's facing to the right of the photo.

Milt Abel playing double bass in what appears to be a private home. He is facing the right of the photo.

A smiling Milt Abel wearing a dark suit standing in front of a patterned background.

Photo of Milt Abel from the side and slightly behind while taking a photo with the camera held up to his eye. The camera has a flash cube tower attached to it.

Milt Abel taking a photograph of an unknown subject. Unidentified white woman is in front of Abel and to the side looking at what Abel is photographing.

Milt Abel crouching under a tree in front of a large building in Philadelphia. He's wearing a light colored suit and a hat.

Milt Abel, center, holding a small model of a piano and double bass while looking toward Dianne Gregg standing next to him. At right is Carol Comer with hands applauding and eyes closed. All are...

Milt Abel with his bass posing for a photo to the right of a group of unidentified men (3 African American, one white). Three are standing and one man is seated in front of a drum set. All facing the...

Milt Abel with his double bass at Bettye Miller's birthday party. He's looking directly at the camera.

Milt Abel posing for a photo with an unidentified white woman and white man at Bettye Miller's birthday party. All are looking at the camera.

Partial view of Bettye Miller's birthday cake.

Unidentified band performing in front of an audience at Bettye Miller's birthday party. All are white men and include a pianist, double bassist, and a drummer. The audience is partially seen from...

Unidentified band performing in front of an audience at Bettye Miller's birthday party. The audience is partially seen. An unidentified man is standing in front of the band, but his role is unclear.

Performers in a line in front of an audience with a band behind them. The photo is taken from behind the audience, which is partially seen. It's unclear exactly what the performers are doing.

Unidentified white woman singing with an unidentified African American male bassist performing in front of an audience during Bettye Miller's birthday party. Photo taken from behind the audience which...

Unidentified white woman singing with an African American male bassist and white male guitarist in front of an audience during Bettye Miller's birthday party.

Unidentified group performing during Bettye Miller's birthday party. A woman is seated and singing into a microphone, a man is playing piano, and a second man has an electric guitar (partially seen)...

Unidentified group performing during Bettye Miller's birthday party. A woman is seated and singing into a microphone, a man is playing piano, and a second man has an electric guitar.

Photobooth picture strip with two photos of Bettye Miller's daughter (likely), Bettye Jo, at three years old.

Bettye Miller, piano, and Milt Abel, double bass, performing in front of a large crowd of white men and women standing in front of them. Photo taken from behind Miller's piano looking toward the crowd...

Saxophonist standing in the middle of an unidentified band during Bettye Miller's birthday party. Two audience members are partially seen from behind.

Saxophonist Bob Wilson (right) holding his saxophone with an unidentified pianist in a plaid jacket seated behind him along with another unidentified man standing by the piano.