Janice Hathaway
Trains in Trouble
Transmorgraph, archival print
2020
Trains in Trouble was made for my Glass Veal and Fresh Dirt colleague Davey Williams, who passed away in 2019. Davey and LaDonna Smith performed with the notorious Alabama blues band Trains in Trouble. Davey was raised in the deep south and studied guitar with the late great blues master, Johnny Shines and played in his bands. Davey brought his surrealist free improvisation technique to the blues.
Davey and his brother Johnny Williams had a lifetime interest in trains and airplanes. They learned to fly in their dad’s airplane and made model airplanes and trains. They later included them in their collective drawings and paintings.
Davey was a dear friend since the 1970s, allowing me to see his great versatility, energy and love for those around him, in particular Neko Linda Williams and LaDonna Smith.