June 21, 2001

Tom Ball's Favorite (Harmonica) Things

Tom Ball began playing guitar at the age of eleven and took up harmonica three years later. As a teenager he was a founding member of the Yerba Buena Blues Band. In 1979 he teamed up with guitarist Kenny Sultan, a partnership that to date has resulted in seven CDs (Flying Fish/Rounder) and performances in concerts, festivals and tours all over the world. The Ball & Sultan duo has appeared on television internationally, played for audiences of 300 million via Voice Of America, been featured on the "Levi's 501 Blues" commercials, and appeared as frequent guests of National Public Radio. Their music from the film "Over The Edge" won them the prestigeous Telly Award in 1994, and they were the only musical act in America to play all four venues of the 1984 Olympic Games.

In addition to working with Kenny, Tom has also performed as vocalist and harmonica player on dozens of TV shows, films and commercials, has appeared as a sideman on over 100 CD releases, recorded a solo guitar CD for Fantasy Records, and written three instructional books for Centerstream/Hal Leonard Publications. Blues Revue has called his playing "stupendous," and Sound Choice wrote, "The best acoustic blues act going, bar none!"

Tom's focus on extending the tradition of acoustic harmonica blues, the most traditional of all harmonica art forms, makes him a standout among our Pros. We asked Tom the same questions we ask every pro whose profile we publish here:

  • What are your 5 favorite harmonica records?
  • What instruments (harmonicas) do you use?
  • What amplification and other gear do you use, on stage and in the studio?
  • What's your discography?

    Tom's resume speaks for itself; he's got the sound and the feel, and he knows what it takes to do the job. We thank Tom for this gift to harmonica players everywhere.

    Tom's Top 5 Harmonica Records

    Favorite Instruments

    Favorite Gear

    Tom's discography

    Tom's Top 5 Harmonica Records

    1. Sonny Terry "Harmonica and Vocal Solos" Folkways FA2035 (much of which has been reissued on CD.) To me, this is the essence of it all: solo blues harp, unfettered by effects, amplification or other instruments. A revelation when I first discovered it, and a never-ending source of inspiration...

    2. Muddy Waters "The Chess Box" Chess/MCA CHD3-80002. Features both Little Walter Jacobs and Big Walter Horton, and has some of the most amazing Chicago-style amplified harp ever waxed. In fact these recordings feature MORE harp than the recordings either Walter issued under their own names, because harp was a side instrument here and was therefore played throughout the songs rather than stopping when the harpist would sing....

    3. Little Walter "The Essential Little Walter" Chess/MCA CHD2-9342. What can I say? Little Walter in his prime! Mind boggling.

    4. Sonny Boy Williamson II "Goin' In Your Direction" Trumpet AA-801. The fabled Trumpet Records recordings of the early '50s before Sonny Boy signed with Chess. Remarkably soulful, sparse playing.

    5. Various Artists "Harmonica Masters" Yazoo 2019. Reissues of great harp performances from the '20s and '30s featuring blues artists, country artists, jazz, ragtime and even vaudeville style stuff. Endlessly fascinating!

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    Favorite Instruments

    Diatonic: Hohner Special 20's. Exclusively. Right out of the box, no alterations.

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    Favorite Gear

    90% of the time when playing live, I'm playing "acoustically" in the Tom & Kenny duo. (Of course there still is amplification through the PA.) Since I'm both singing and playing harp through the same mic, I prefer to use a good, solid vocal mic. For the past 20 years I've used a Shure PE54D Unidyne III high-impedence blunt-end mic. In this situation, one wants to roll off a bit of the highs, add a bit of lows and use reverb. The other 10% of the time I'm playing in an "amplified" manner, using a mid-60's Astatic JT-30C ceramic bullet mic, to a 1956 Fender (tweed) Deluxe, with a '62 Fender outboard (spring) reverb unit.

    When in the studio (recording "acoustically") any good tube mic will do. My favorites include the Neumann U-47, U-67, and U-87, and the AKG C-12.

    For "amplified" studio work, I use the same (amplified) rig described above. If it's somebody else's session I'll usually bring an array of other mics along (Shure 520-D, Astatic "biscuit," etc.) in case they want a different sound. I find it's often helpful to record onto 2 tracks simultaneously (one dry acoustic and one micing the amp's output) so that the producer can mix in as much 'grunge' as he/she likes.

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    Tom's Discography

    Tom Ball Guitar Music Fantasy KMCD-3906-2
    Tom Ball & Kenny Sultan Bloodshot Eyes Flying Fish/Rounder FF-386
    Tom Ball & Kenny Sultan Confusion Sonyatone ST-1006
    Tom Ball & Kenny Sultan Double Vision Flying Fish/Rounder FF-656
    Order Double Vision from Amazon.com
    Tom Ball & Kenny Sultan Filthy Rich Flying Fish/Rounder FF-619
    Tom Ball & Kenny Sultan Too Much Fun Flying Fish/Rounder FF-532
    Tom Ball & Kenny Sultan 20th Anniversary - Live! No Guru NG 2000-2
    Tom Ball & Kenny Sultan Who Drank My Beer? Kicking Mule/Fantasy KM-176
    Jeff Bridges(w M. McDonald & D. Crosby) Be Here Soon Ramp Records
    Jimmy C. & Jumpin’ Blue Slippery Places Valiant Productions 001
    Jimmy C. & Jumpin’ Blue The World Rolls On Valiant Records (no #)
    Cache Valley Drifters Tools Of The Trade Flying Fish/Rounder FF-290
    Cyrus Clarke Band California Stories Ranch Records RR-11256
    Tom Corbett Upstairs at Charlie’s Roundhole Records 51261
    Country's Hottest Pickers Hats Off! (Hank Williams Trib.) CMH Records CD-8016
    Doodoo Wah Doodoo Wah 5.0 Ballum Rancum BRR 0007-CD
    Leo Downey Band Heaven And Hell LHD-1077
    Earl I Am Next To You EarlMusic.Com
    James Edwards Home, James JE 1/2
    Peter Feldmann The Barnyard Dance Hen Cackle Records HC-50
    Stefan George Point And Pray Blue Bhikku BB0015
    The Gospel Guitars Gospel Guitars CMH Records CD-6280
    Granite Tapestry Granite Tapestry Granite Tapestry
    Lorin Grean Embrace Knockinclash Productions
    Lorin Grean Hand Woven Silver Wave SD-912
    Specs Hildebrand& the Livingroom Band Spike Heels RCA 74321-10231-2
    Claude Hopper Four In The Morning Cowbrain 01
    Sean Hutchinson Start Right Here Tuza Records
    Sean Hutchinson (in preparation) Tuza Records
    Roger Jaep Brave New Heart (in preparation)
    Paul Keim Cuesta Grade Taxim TX 1046-2
    Clayton Lee Ooh Baby Ooh Records CL-1492
    David Lee Lindsey Wild Child DLL 1
    Little Jonny & the Giants No Mercy Corn Bread CB 20096
    Little Jonny & the Giants Telecaster Music Telecaster 1001
    Don MacMannis Meet Dr. Mac Dr. Mac Productions
    Meisel Brothers: Alex, Ben and Co. Singin’ At The Swing Set Kid’n Together 1
    Michael Mendelson A Fiddler’s Notebook Slippery Slope
    Midnight Rodeo For All The Right Reasons Brentwood Music BCCD 271
    Mary Murphy Always A Flame Taxim TX-2056-2 TA
    Mary Murphy Thirty Waves Out Melting Pot 990
    Ivan Nadler & Andrew Cavanaugh This Little Piggy Second Sons SSPDM-9197-2
    Lee Negin Balance Passing Phase A2Z-333
    Donna O’Connor Into My World Galvanized Gingham DLO34
    Rick Robles Unintentional Circus Stalemate 2 81283-7
    Sandy Ross Portraits Of Innocence SLR 01
    Paul Sanchez Hired Hand Jericho 001
    Paul Edward Sanchez Home By Morning Jericho JCD 003
    Paul Edward Sanchez Yesterday’s Clothes Wynema WCD 004
    Ed Snodderly Sweet Light Cloudlands 005
    Rebecca Wave Music Children Figgy Pudding 1
    David West Broken Down Believers Taxim (in preparation)
    David West and the Dead Strings     Cast Your Eyes to the Mountain Taxim TX 3019-2
    David West and the Dead Strings     The Fiddle & the Damage Done Taxim TX 3012-2
    David West and the Dead Strings Ignore Alien Orders Taxim TX 3010-2
    David Wolfersberger I Got This Highway Old Highway
    Jon Wilcox Still Life Sage Arts SA 2012
    Various Artists Angel From Montgomery - Bonnie Raitt Tribute CMH Records CD-8546
    Various Artists Bluegrass Forever CMH Records CD-8052
    Various Artists Bluegrass Then And Now CMH Records CD-1790
    Various Artists Blues At Kerrville Silverwolf 1016
    Various Artists Blues Crossroads EasyDisc CD-7066
    Various Artists Capt. Fantastic - Bluegrass Tribute to Elton John CMH Records (in preparation)
    Various Artists Country Comfort CMH Records CD-6291
    Various Artists Country Instrumental Gold CMH Records CD-6293
    Various Artists Disaster City Blues Taxim LC-6456
    Various Artists Eight Mile High - Byrds Tribute CMH Records CD-8554
    Various Artists Fire On The Banjo CMH Records CD-8050
    Various Artists Gettin’ High On Neil Young - Tribute CMH Records CD-8559
    Various Artists Harmonica Player - Nr. 2 Mundharmonikaspieler
    Various Artists The Heart of Bluegrass CMH Records CD-5906
    Various Artists Hits of Western Swing CMH Records CD-8043
    Various Artists Into The Mystic - Van Morrison Tribute CMH Records CD-8539
    Various Artists Jamming: Bluegrass Celebrates Bob Marley CMH Records CD-8572
    Various Artists Kerrville Folk Festival Silverwolf 1019
    Various Artists Kerrville Folk Festival - 10 Great Years Silverwolf 1002-5
    Various Artists Light And Breezy Taxim TX-0101
    Various Artists Long Strange Trip CMH Records CD-1971
    Various Artists Moonshadow - Bluegrass Tribute to Cat Stevens CMH Records CD-8570
    Various Artists Napa Valley Folk Festival Napa Valley Folk Festival
    Various Artists Pickin’ On Creedence Clearwater CMH Records CD-8502
    Various Artists Pickin’ On Creedence Clearwater (w xtra trks) CMH Records (in preparation)
    Various Artists Pickin’ On Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young CMH Records CD-8511 Various Artists Pickin’ On the Doobie Brothers CMH Records CD-8555
    Various Artists Pickin’ On the Eagles CMH Records CD-8505
    Various Artists Pickin’ On the Grateful Dead CMH Records CD-8022
    Various Artists Pickin’ On the Grateful Dead volume 1 CMH Records CD-8577
    Various Artists Pickin’ On the Grateful Dead volume 2 CMH Records CD-8525
    Various Artists Pickin’ On Hendrix CMH Records CD-8031
    Various Artists Pickin’ On Jerry Garcia CMH Records CD-8603
    Various Artists Pickin’ On Neil Young CMH Records CD-8025
    Various Artists Pickin’ On Pink Floyd CMH Records (in preparation)
    Various Artists Pickin’ On Southern Rock CMH Records CD-8054
    Various Artists Pickin’ On Springsteen CMH Records CD-8510
    Various Artists Pickin’ On Tom Petty CMH Records CD-8516
    Various Artists Radio 501 Foote, Cone & Belding
    Various Artists The Rockin’ Banjos Of Bluegrass CMH Records CD-8040
    Various Artists The Sensational Sounds Of Country CMH Records CD-1781:2
    Various Artists Silverwolf Blues Silverwolf 1024
    Various Artists Smokin’ - Bluegrass Tribute to Boston CMH Records CD-8543
    Various Artists A Steel Guitar Tribute to Eric Clapton CMH Records (in preparation)
    Various Artists A Strawberry Jam Strawberry Music Festival

    BOOKS AUTHORED: (* = with accompanying CD/cassette)
    “Blues Harmonica - A Comprehensive Crash Course and Overview” (Centerstream/Hal Leonard) *
    “A Sourcebook of Little Walter/Big Walter Licks for Blues Harmonica” (Centerstream/Hal Leonard) *
    “A Sourcebook of Sonny Terry Licks for Blues Harmonica” (Centerstream/Hal Leonard) *
    “The Nasty Blues” (Centerstream/Hal Leonard)

    FILMS and/or TV SOUNDTRACK WORK:
    “The Distinguished Gentleman”
    “Labor Of Love”
    “Over The Edge”
    “Walkabout”
    “Beverly Hills Family Robinson”
    “King Of The Hill”
    “Rupert's Land”
    “12 Bucks”
    “Kicking And Screaming”
    “Free Your Mind”
    “Do You Wanna Dance?”
    “Johnny Bago”
    “P.O.V.: Tobacco Blues”

    COMMERCIALS:
    Levi's 501 Blues
    Levi's 501 Jeans
    Disneyland
    Warner Brothers
    Meta-Creations
    Hudson's Grill
    Radisson Hotels
    The Beachrail
    Honda USA

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