Tidwell's collection of original Frank Marshall Davis papers spans Davis's entire career, from his college years through his death in 1987. It includes original correspondence between Davis and friends, colleagues, and Tidwell himself, poetry and prose manuscripts, both of published and unpublished materials, newspaper clippings about Davis's work or featuring articles by Davis, and photographs, many of which were taken by Davis. The majority of these materials were given to Tidwell by Davis's family, and notably his daughter Beth Charlton, in order to aid Tidwell's research on Davis, particularly in order to write the introduction to Davis's memoirs, Livin' the Blues.