Glory Train, A.K.A., This Train is Bound for Glory
Serigraph
1951
Color Serigraph
15" x 18" plate
This painting was inspired by Copperville’s Moaney Quartet, who emulated a train bound for heaven. The Moaney or Twilight Quartet ran from the front to the back of the church, rhythmically shouting and jumping to activate the entire congregation–using their voices to transform the church into a loud locomotive engine that was about to take off. The artist’s notes describe the scene at the Copperville Church. The presence of a devil and angels implied that the train was capable of transporting its passengers to heaven or hell. The effect was powerful to all who witnessed the quartet:
As the Twilight Quartet starts up in their battle of song, out of the open windows of the Copperville African Methodist Church comes the deep-throated whistle of the Gospel Train…The leader Jim, begins in a quavering tenor, “This Train my Lord,” its weird intervals make the shivers run down your back as you sit in the stiff backed pew.