A Houston Professional Musician’s Association (American Federation of Musicians) membership card, issued to Velvet Underground guitarist Sterling Morrison, under his legal name, Holmes Sterling Morrison, Jr.

Morrison has signed the card on the front in black ink.  This union membership card would have been the last one Morrison was issued; it expired on December 31, 1995–a few months after Morrison’s death.

We acquired this from Sterling Morrison’s widow, Martha Morrison; her letter of authenticity is included, as is Recordmecca’s written lifetime guarantee of authenticity.

A unique Velvet Underground collectible from Sterling Morrison’s wallet!  3 3/8″ x 2 1/8″.

From Wikipedia: In 1970, when the band was back in New York City to play an entire summer’s engagement at Max’s Kansas City, Morrison seized the opportunity to complete his undergraduate degree at the City College of New York. He remained in the Velvet Underground as lead guitarist after Lou Reed left the band in acrimonious circumstances in August 1970. In 1971, however, he began graduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin , where he would earn a PhD in medieval literature…Morrison’s last performance with the band was on August 21, 1971, at Liberty Hall in Houston, Texas. When it was time for the band to return to New York, Morrison packed an empty suitcase and accompanied them to the gate of their departing plane, before finally telling them he was staying in Texas and leaving the band, the last founding member to quit.

In 1993 the Velvet Underground reunited with Morrison, and toured Europe to great acclaim; in 1994 Morrison was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which claimed his life in August 1995.