Hinton grew up in Chicago, where he began playing bass in high school and then worked with jazz bands in the early to mid-1930s, most notably with violinist Eddie South. He made his reputation as one of the most potent bassists in jazz during 15 years (1936–51) with Cab Calloway (Calloway, Cab)'s band, in which he became noted for his full tone and rhythmic vigour. A master of slap bass (an exaggerated technique in which the strings are pulled far out and then let go so that they snap back), Hinton had a fluid and technical style that was unmatched. He subsequently toured with Louis Armstrong (Armstrong, Louis) and Count Basie (Basie, Count) before work with CBS in New York City (1954) led to his second career, in recording and television studios.

Apart from frequent work in popular music, Hinton maintained an active jazz career with dixieland, swing, and modern groups. His talent and professionalism made Hinton highly sought after, and he performed with Benny Goodman (Goodman, Benny), Frank Sinatra (Sinatra, Frank), Barbra Streisand (Streisand, Barbra), and Billie Holiday (Holiday, Billie), among others. Notable albums under his own name include Basses Loaded (1955) and Old Man Time (1989). Hinton also sought to promote jazz among younger musicians, and in the 1970s and '80s he taught at Hunter and Baruch colleges of the City University of New York. An exceptional photographer, he collected many of his pictures to illustrate his autobiography, Bass Line (1988), written in collaboration with David G. Berger. Over Time (1991) is a book of his photographs.