Tom Ball
Host and Marketing RepresentativeTom Ball is the host of 'Homespun' on WCMU, and is also a marketing representative for the station. He is responsible for securing program sponsorships for both WCMU Public Radio and WCMU Public Television.
Tom has been married for nearly 20 years to his lovely and talented wife Diana. They have one cat, and a yard full of beautiful flowers (no thanks to him!). Tom has been associated with WCMU for over 35 years, doing everything from fundraising, to filling in for vacationing staff members, to even taking out the trash!
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……50 years ago this year, one of the best selling Bluegrass albums of all time, “Old and in the Way,” was released, and on this week’s edition of Homespun we’ll re-visit this classic album along with solo projects from Old and in the Way’s David Grisman and Peter Rowan…and we’ll celebrate Doc Watson’s birthday with a couple of his classic sides! -
…Well, The Paczki’s are all baked up, and the Gumbo is on simmer, so on the next Homespun we’ll sample some of the sounds of Louisiana with Marc and Ann Savoy and Breaux Freres! We’ll also hear new music from Chatham Rabbits, Gary Louris, plus Drew and Ellie Holcomb. -
…It feels like winter is trying to break a bit, so with this edition of Homespun we’ll melt the ice with music from Mandolin master Dave Apollon, guitar swinger Oscar Aleman, along with blues picker Lonnie Johnson! We’ll also hear some new music from the Lucky Nows, and former Jayhawks frontman Gary Louris! -
This week’s Homespun features new music from Nefesh Mountain, Mindy Smith, and the Trio of Mary Chapin Carpenter, Julie Fowlis, and Karine Polwart! We’ll also give a nod to John Hartford, and hear an unreleased track from JD Crowe and The New South CA. 1975!
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Homespun this week ventures into new music from Woody Platt, Rebecca Frazier, and Appalachian Smoke! We get Old Timey with Dirk Powell and The Onlies, and we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Guy Clark’s debut album “Old No. 1.” -
The early 60’s were an important time for Bluegrass in folk music, and on this week’s Homespun we’ll hear some of that music performed by The Lilly Brothers, Keith & Rooney, and Don Stover! We’ll also get an early start on St. Patrick’s Day with The Green Fields of America, and John Doyle! -
As we finish out this first full month of 2025, Homespun takes us on a journey with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Reno & Smiley, and Claire Lynch! We also celebrate the life of Garth Hudson, the last remaining member of “The Band,” and say “Happy Birthday” to legendary folk singer Joan Baez. -
The temperatures are going down, so get close to the radio for some warmth and great music this week on Homespun! We’ll celebrate the life of Buck White, the mandolin and piano playing patriarch for the country/bluegrass family group The Whites. We’ll play tracks from his time with The Whites and also selections from his son-in-law Ricky Skaggs. -
We roll out 2025 this week on Homespun celebrating the life of folk singer/songwriter Peter Yarrow by spinning some tracks from his time with Peter, Paul, & Mary, and honor the 50 year mark of Bob Dylan’s “Blood on the Tracks” with selections from it, and covers from Emma Swift, and Shawn Colvin. -
On this first Homespun of 2025, we’ll look back on 2024 and spin some of Tom Ball's favorite artist’s music from the last year! Alison Brown, Ruth Moody, Tony Trischka, John Leventhal, Sarah Jarosz, and David Olney-just to name a few!
