August 29: Sterling Morrison, guitarist and bassist for Velvet Underground was born on this day in 1942...

Sterling Morrison, guitarist and bassist for Velvet Underground was born on this day in 1942...


He died on August 30, 1995 from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.


Holmes Sterling Morrison, Jr. was an original member of the rock group The Velvet Underground. Besides guitar and bass, he also sang back-up vocals.


Morrison met Lou Reed - another founding member of Velvet Underground, met at Syracuse University. In 1965, Morrison, Reed and John Cale teamed up to form Velvet Underground in New York City.


The name The Velvet Underground came from a book about the secret sexual subculture of the early '60s by Michael Leigh.


In 1971 Morrison earned a Ph.D. in medieval studies from The University of Texas at Austin while the band spent the summer in Kansas City. When it was time for the group to leave for New York, he carried an empty suitcase to the airport and at the departing gate told the others he was leaving the band and staying in Texas. in the 1980s, Morrison left his academic career to become the captain of a Houston tugboat.


In 1992, the core Velvet Underground line-up of Reed, Cale, Morrison and Tucker decided to reform for a tour and possible album. Morrison died in 1995.


Upon their induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, Reed, Cale and drummer Maureen Tucker performed a song entitled "Last Night I Said Goodbye to My Friend," which was dedicated to Morrison.

Universal Music Photo

Press links below to view You Tube videos:
-- "Venus in Furs"
-- "Foggy Notion"
-- "Last Night, I Said Goodbye to My Friend" (The band's tribute to Sterling Morrison at the 1996 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.)