Poets and Dreamers: My Life in Americana Music

Gary Hartman Texas Music Series, Sponsored by the Center for Texas Music History, Texas State University

By: Tamara Saviano

Narrated by: Tamara Saviano

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 listeners 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 listenership of fans, students, and scholars of Americana and roots music.

©2025 Tamara Saviano (P)2025 Tamara Saviano

Excellent trip down memory lane!

As a fan, the reminders of so many artists whose music has been and remains an important part of my life. So glad I chose the audio book and that Tamara was the reader; I’ll likely buy a hard copy to read myself the second time through.

All the places I had been mentioned in the book and artists I saw in concert.

I liked everything about it. It told in detail the inner workings of my favorite genre of music before it was called Americana.

What a journey!

Heartwarming and honest tour of the authors incredible role in the evolution of Americana music. It taught me so much and brought me to tears as well. If you are a fan of the genre, Kristofferson or Guy Clark stop what you’re doing and
listen to Poets and Dreamers.