African American Music History Smokey Robinson Signed Studio Payment Check 1992

Smokey Robinson

Manuscripts & Autographs

Robinson, William “Smokey.” Signed check dated 1992 documenting the financial administration of demo recording and tape mixing within the later career of the Motown singer, songwriter, producer, and former label executive. As lead singer of the Miracles and a songwriter, producer, talent scout, and vice president at Motown, Robinson helped shape both the company’s repertory and its recording operations. This check records a direct payment associated with music production, revealing how studio work was commissioned and compensated through an artist’s business account and providing primary-source evidence for the study of African American popular music, independent recording activity, and the administrative labor behind finished recordings.

Robinson, William, Jr. Signed check. March 28, 1992. 1 page. Printed with the heading “William Robinson, Jr.” and completed entirely in Robinson’s hand for $270. His handwritten memorandum identifies the purpose as “(Demos Mixed tape)” and adds the titles or working references “Living Proof - Relentless.” Signed “William Robinson” in blue ink. The check links a specific expenditure to the preparation of demo material, showing the mechanisms by which mixing services and developmental recordings were documented before commercial release or further production. No reliable source located during research establishes whether “Living Proof” and “Relentless” were released compositions, working titles, or projects involving another artist; they are therefore retained only as Robinson’s contemporary annotations.

Ink remains clear and the handwritten production notations and signature are fully legible; no significant wear reported, near fine. A particularly informative signed financial document preserving Smokey Robinson’s own terminology for studio work and offering concrete evidence of the business processes underlying music production.

Item #7452

Price: $85.00