Local fans unite to honor blues musician

<p>The fiery red and moody purples only serve to accentuate the blues.</p><p>Governor Davis, a local blues luminary, cradles his guitar in the atmospheric painting. His fedora is pulled low, casting shadow over his face. But through it all, the raw power of his blues prowess is captured in the red-tinged portrait by Greenwood artist Victoria Gillieron.</p><p>&quot;It reflects a side of me that most people don’t get to see. I like that. I give the artist credit,&quot; Davis said.</p><p>The painting, which once hung in now-closed Greenwood restaurant Hops &amp;amp; Fire, became the focus of an outpouring of support and collaboration from local blues fans. They collaborated to purchase it, with the hopes to give it to Davis.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery<p>During an event Davis is hosting on Sunday at the Slippery Noodle, they’ll stand on stage with Davis to present the work of art to him.</p><p>&quot;I thought it was nice to do for a guy whose music we’ve enjoyed over the years,&quot; said Don Cummings, a Greenwood resident who spearheaded the effort to buy the painting. &quot;I wanted him to know that people appreciated him.&quot;</p><p>Davis, 70, developed a love for the blues growing up in his hometown of Chicago. His father played piano in blues clubs on the city’s northside, and his aunt was a church organist who taught him to play piano.</p><p>Throughout his teenage years, he was influenced by performers such as James Brown, Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf, who performed in clubs and theaters in his own neighborhood. With music at his core, he attended Vincennes University on a music scholarship and taught himself to play guitar.</p><p>Davis has toured the U.S. and played at some of the top blues bars. His home base is the Slippery Noodle, the famed club in downtown Indianapolis.</p><p>The fact that he calls Indiana home is special for blues enthusiasts in the region. That appreciation motivated Gillieron to paint Davis in the first place.</p><p>&quot;I love the blues. It’s one of my favorite types of music. It’s so soulful, and he does it so well,&quot; she said.</p><p>Gillieron, a Greenwood native and local artist, was inspired to paint Davis during a performance he gave at the Slippery Noodle. She was struck by the way the red stage lights provided a backlight with blue and purple in the periphery, and took photos to capture it.</p><p>&quot;I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, there’s my painting,’&quot; she said.</p><p>Gillieron approached Davis and let him know about her intention to paint his portrait. He was excited about the possibility, so much so that when it was finished, he purchased a print of the painting to give to his mother. But he never knew what happened to the painting once it was done.</p><p>&quot;It was a very good portrait, I really liked it,&quot; Davis said. &quot;But I didn’t even know that the painting was still in existence.&quot;</p><p>Gillieron had worked with John Barto, the owner at Hops &amp;amp; Fire, to have some of her artwork hanging around the restaurant and expose it to potential buyers.</p><p>The Davis portrait was mounted along the south wall in the eatery, which caught Cummings’ attention.</p><p>&quot;I recognized it from the very first time I was there. It’s a pretty big painting, and I knew it was Governor Davis. I thought that was cool; you don’t see a lot of paintings around of local musicians,&quot; he said.</p><p>When Hops &amp;amp; Fire closed in July, the impression the artwork had made stuck with Cummings. He was concerned that such a cool piece of art, depicting an icon of the local blues scene, would be lost.</p><p>So he contacted Barto, who told him that the painting was back with the artist. Cummings formulated an idea to purchase it, giving it Davis. Gillieron thought it was a great idea, and held the painting while he raised money to buy it.</p><p>The piece was selling for $1,000, and Cummings started a fundraiser through Facebook called &quot;Give it to The Guv.&quot; The fundraiser went live in mid-September, and six days later, they had met their goal of $900. More than 20 people had donated to it, ensuring that the work of art went back to Davis.</p><p>&quot;Some friends that I’ve enjoyed music with, local musicians donated to it, and eventually, we got there,&quot; Cummings said. &quot;I was surprised how quick it took off. I thought we could get there, and we did.&quot;</p><p>Once it appeared that they’d raise the money, Cummings contacted Davis to tell him about his plan. The musician was taken aback. </p><p>&quot;I was completely stunned, humbled. When I found out, I thought they must be crazy,&quot; Davis said. &quot;Who wanted to pay that money to buy a portrait of me?&quot;</p><p>Davis will be hosting the Indianapolis Area Blues Challenge on Sunday at the Slippery Noodle. The winners from the event will be entered into the International Blues Challenge, held in January on Memphis, Tennessee’s legendary Beale Street.</p><p>During a break in the show, Slippery Noodle owner Hal Yeagey and others will present the painting to him.</p><p>To give it to Davis in his home club seems like a fitting close to the story, Gillieron said.</p><p>&quot;I love the Slippery Noodle. There are such historic vibes there anyway. There have been a lot of wonderful, wonderful musicians who have come through there. And I think he’s one of the best,&quot; Gillieron said.</p><p>For Davis, he’s been overwhelmed that his music has touched so many people, enough so they’d do something so meaningful for him.</p><p> &quot;Seeing how it all just falls in place, I thank them, because I feel very honored that they wanted to do it,&quot; Davis said. &quot;Don said I give so much to the people, that they wanted to give something back to me.&quot;</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="If you go" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Portrait presentation to Governor Davis</p><p>What: During the Indianapolis Area Blues Challenge, an annual competition of local blues performers, longtime blues artist Governor Davis will be presented with a portrait done by Greenwood artist Victoria Gillieron. Local fans donated money to buy the portrait for Davis.</p><p>When: 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday; the portrait presentation will be at approximately 5.</p><p>Where: The Slippery Noodle Inn, 372 S. Meridian St., Indianapolis</p><p>Admission: $5 cover charge</p><p>Information: slipperynoodle.com</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]