My introduction to Guy Clark came early. I was 14 years old in 1975 when a friend of my dad’s brought over Guy’s first LP Old No. 1. Dad was into Memphis soul music and the friend tried and failed to interest him in folk music. But one listen to Old No. 1 and folk music was IT for me. “She Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” was the theme song for my teen angst. I eventually moved on to other folkies and 70s rock music but it was Guy’s songs that started me down the path.
I moved to Nashville in the mid-90s when commercial country music was booming. As an editor at Country Music Magazine I gave Guy ink on Dublin Blues, Keepers and Cold Dog Soup. In 2000, Lee Roy Parnell took me to Guy’s workshop for a long Saturday of drinking, smoking and listening to Guy’s stories. It was around this time that I began to dig down into Guy’s back catalog and delight in the treasure of his songs. Guy Clark became (and remains) my No. 1 favorite songwriter of all time.
By the time The Dark came along in 2002, Sugar Hill Records hired me to write press materials. I went to Guy’s workshop once again to interview him. When the CD was released, Sugar Hill threw a dinner party for Guy. We sat together and afterward Guy and I went to the Nashville club 12th & Porter to see Jim Lauderdale perform. I followed Guy like he was my guru and drank everything he drank and smoked everything he smoked. It took me more than a week to recover from that night, no matter that Guy’s got twenty years on me.
After that, I decided it was best for my health if I didn’t try to keep up with Guy. However, I was lucky enough to work for Dualtone Music Group as Guy’s publicist for 2006’s GRAMMY-nominated Workbench Songs and 2009’s GRAMMY-nominated Somedays the Song Writes You. Working with Guy and pitching his music to the press has been one of my most pleasurable jobs.
Somewhere in the middle of all of that, an academic press approached me about writing a book about Guy’s life and legacy. I’ve spent many hours with Guy, his family, friends and colleagues over the last several years interviewing him for his definitive biography.
For the most part, we recorded This One’s For Him: A Tribute to Guy Clark live with the band all in the same room. We kept overdubs to a minimum although we did compromise to accommodate a few artist vocals. We could not have produced this incredible collection without all of the artists, musicians, engineers, publicists, managers and the wonderful music communities of Nashville, Tennessee and Austin, Texas. We pulled together the best of both cities and I am grateful for the enthusiasm of all involved.
With eternal gratitude and love to the finest songwriter from the great state of Texas—Guy Charles Clark.
Tamara Saviano
