The story behind

Trouble Never Travels Lonesome

I find it fascinating exploring where song ideas come from. This month’s feature is a song co-written by Michael Henchman and me. Michael is an accomplished songwriter who lives in the great Northwest. This is Michael’s first time to agree to co-write with someone else. I am honored that he chose me for this song. Here are his thoughts describing where the initial idea came from.

“The song "Trouble Never Travels Lonesome" takes its inspiration from an historical fiction, "The Montana Trilogy”. These books explore the lives of the rugged Scottish settlers and sheep farmers who began arriving in northern Montana, at the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains, in the early 1900s. The trilogy was written by renowned Western writer Ivan Doig (now deceased) who grew up and worked on Montana ranches in his early years. These experiences gave him a firsthand and authentic perspective on this slice of American history. He describes glorious summers and bitter winters, determined struggles to survive, and the nascent beginnings of the U.S. Forest Service as it sought to control wildfires. The song title itself derives from a common settler phrase of the same wording, implying that trouble is always around the next corner and often makes multiple appearances.”