Learn about the songs in the show

 

Where does the idea for a musical like this one come from? Does it start with the story or the song, the chicken or the egg? 

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In the case of Miss Isabella Rainsong and Her Traveling Companion, the answer is a little complicated. The idea for the this show came as Ross was creating the music for another show in 2009. He needed a backstory for the itinerant musician character he was playing in the show. The question, "Why does a homeless-looking guy have such a beautiful guitar?" was the spark that ignited the flame for Miss Rainsong. As the idea evolved, he saw this new show as  a vehicle for a singer-songwriter -- any singer-songwriter who creates meaningful songs about people and life -- to put their songs into a story arc about a beautiful and mysterious guitar who helps people rise up from rock bottom while riding the rails across the country. 

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To prove the point (that the show could draw from an existing book of songs), he created the show using his own songs -- songs he had written over the last 20 years. He did end up writing a couple of new songs specifically for the show, but otherwise built the storyline around existing songs. After all, if your telling stories about people, you can meet just about anyone on the train.

 

So most of the songs in the show have a history that's separate from the roles they play in the show. Click the "show more" links to read the lyrics and learn the backstories of the songs...