The collection consists of materials created by and belonging to composer and harmonica virtuoso, Eddie Manson. Included are: music manuscripts; correspondence; business papers, and sound recordings pertaining to music for film and television, concert music, and Jewish service music.

Manson graduated from The Juilliard School of Music and the New York University School of Radio-TV; studied composition with Vittorio Giannini and Rudy Schramm, clarinet with Jan Williams, and orchestration with Adolf Schmidt; began scoring for live television shows such as Armstrong circle theater, Kraft theater, Westinghouse theater, Studio one, and Lamp unto my feet; wrote and performed harmonica score for the film, The little fugitive; was nominated for Emmy awards for scores for Harvey and the documentary, The river Nile; wrote television scores for numerous movies of the week and composed for series such as Ben Casey, Slattery's people, and The virginian; original concert works include Symphony no. 1, Fugue for woodwinds, Ballad for brass, Parable for 16 horns, Yankee doodle toccata, and Bachiana americana; also performed worldwide as a virtuoso harmonica soloist; performed on film scores such as Coal miner's daughter, Oklahoma crude, The longest day, Hard times, Sting II, Maria's lovers, and Born on the fourth of July; scored commercials; arranged music for Michael Jackson, The Miracles, The Jackson 5, Red Buttons, and Don Ho; served as music director and vice president of Creative Arts Temple (1980-1988) and as artistic director of Temple Sholom Aleichem (1993-94); taught film scoring at UCLA and was a columnist for Overture Magazine; married twice, to pianist/vocalist Margery Welles (d. 1958), and ballerina Paula Dorne (d. 1993); died in July 1996.