Poets and Dreamers: My Life in Americana Music

Part memoir, part oral history, Poets and Dreamers: My Life in Americana Music traces Tamara Saviano's remarkable journey through the rise of the Americana music genre. Spanning more than three decades, Saviano unfolds the story of Americana--country music's bohemian cousin--from her unique perspectives as a journalist, historian, Grammy-winning music producer, filmmaker, and artist emissary.

The first woman president of the Americana Music Association and producer of the early Americana Honors and Awards shows at Nashville's storied Ryman Auditorium, Saviano takes readers behind the scenes for some of the most significant moments in Americana history. Poets and Dreamers illuminates the exceptional Americana community: an ever-expanding yet close-knit circle of friends and unsung heroes devoted to the success of roots music and its artists.

Highlights include interviews with artists and colleagues and memories of special events, concerts, and day-to-day life with singers, songwriters, and musicians. Tender stories recalling Saviano's close relationships with two of her most enduring clients, iconic songwriters Kris Kristofferson and Guy Clark, round out this singular historical work. Including photographs of significant people and moments in Americana music, Poets and Dreamers: My Life in Americana Music will entertain and inform a worldwide readership of fans, students, and scholars of Americana and roots music.

TAMARA SAVIANO is the author of Without Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark, winner of the Belmont Award, sponsored by the International Country Music Conference. A Nashville music and film producer, she also produced Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster, which won the 2005 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album, and the 2020 documentary Without Getting Killed or Caught. In 2017, the Texas Heritage Songwriters Association honored Saviano with the Darrell K. Royal Texas Legend Award for her work with Texas songwriters, and in 2020, the Austin Music Awards selected her to receive the Margaret Moser Award, which recognizes women in music.