Picture of Johnny Cannonball Chapman
- Thread starter dmgwalsh
- Start date
dmgwalsh said:
Yep, that's JC circa late 60's or early 70's. Man could he bank them balls. Like Houdini. And at warp speed too. He was just under Taylor and Bugs. Maybe a hair is all. Actually he banked just as good as either one, but he refused to play safe and fired at anything he could see. So his game was not as strong as someone who would duck once in a while.
Johhny loved to show off and make those impossible banks. He played all games too, even 14.1. In the 50's I heard he had an open challenge to anyone. I played him in Dayton in the 9-Ball tourney one year and won 11-9. He was genuinely happy for me, because I played good on him. He was past his peak by then.
Johnny was kind of a lost soul, who never seemed to settle anywhere. Just kind of wandered alone from place to place. I think he was originally from the Riverside, California area. He spent a lot of time around there and in Glendale, Ca. He moved around a lot, and might show up anywhere..
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Walt Frazier
Banned
Great Picture .I've heard many great stories about him.I wonder who here has seen cannonball play.I would like some old timer to chime in and tell me first hand how good he was.
mosconiac said:
Jim Parker from the Illinois Billiard Club just sent me the picture. He sent it to me to give to Denny, the little guy in the picture. He then started talking to me about how good Cannonball was.
The pictures are from one of the old locations of the Illinois Billiard Club ( http://www.illinoisbilliardclub.com/) . We still have the seating, and we recently converted that 6 legged ten foot table back to a billiards table. Here is the place now.
I'm sure Jim has many stories but he is too busy to do much online. We are starting our 34th Anniversary straight pool league next week with 24 contenders so far, and we may get a 3 cushion league going if we get enough interest.
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dmgwalsh said:
What a room!!!
Where is this located?
frankncali said:
For those that are unfamiliar with the Illinois Billiard Club, I strongly encourage you to check the link posted above by DMGWALSH and read about its history. I was fortunate enough to drop by one day while Jim Parker was there doing some maintenance work. He was more than happy to take time to visit with myself and a few buddies, as well as show us around the club. It's been several years since I've been there (just the one time), but if it were closer to my home, I'd definitely be a member. They have a great collection of antique tables (that are still in-use) as well as tons of memorabilia. They have a display case on the wall with a considerable amount of Burton Spain memorabilia including cues in all various stages of construction. Really neat, unique pieces of billiard/pool history.
dmgwalsh said:
Hey
If my shoulder ever heals so I can play I HAVE to get together w/you and have you show me The IBC as well as Red Shoes and Pro Tyme.
I have no idea what happended to the shoulder but it got to the point that when I stretched out my front arm it hurt so bad that I couldn't play and then it hurt so bad all the time that I couldn't even write.... and it just pisses me off!
I suppose I could go the the doc and get referred to a specialist who then would recommend some sort of surgery that insureance won't cover and and and and
I've been to the IBC several times. I've done lessons in there, and did an exhibition for the 35th Anniversary party of the Oliva Women's League, which is the longest continuous running ladies pool league in the U.S. (since 1967). It's an amazing place, with tons of atmosphere, and great equipment. Jim Parker does a bangup job of keeping the tables in great order.
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
jay helfert said:
Jay...Cannonball was ALWAYS in Chicago when the U.S. Open was being held there, at the Sheraton Hotel. I saw him numerous times, just hanging around sweating the tournament (usually with a bottle of something...
). This was in the early 70's, so I don't know if that's the same time frame as when you played him in Dayton or not.Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee said:Jay...Cannonball was ALWAYS in Chicago when the U.S. Open was being held there, at the Sheraton Hotel. I saw him numerous times, just hanging around sweating the tournament (usually with a bottle of something...
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
The Dayton tournaments were in the early 70's also.
"Lefty"
In Chicago, we claim "West Side Lefty" (Johnny Cannonball Chapman) as our own. He spent the majority of his pool life here. The first time I ever seen him, he was banking 8 and out on Danny Jones up in Bensinger's. It was 1961 and I had just gotten out of the Army.
Excerpt from that fabulous tome of hustler history, The GosPool:
Javenly "Youngblood" Washington was from Chicago's South Side. He was the original
Youngblood. Washington was one of the all-time great bank-pool players.
Besides his fabulous pool skills, Youngblood had some mental problems.
Javenly was periodically institutionalized at the Manteno mental center in Chicago. However, Youngblood's backers would help him to escape over the wall and take him to the West Side to play John "Cannonball Lefty" Chapman bank pool. 'Blood would be still wearing the hospital bracelet on his wrist. The battles between Youngblood and Chapman brought sweators in from everywhere. It was like the World Series of bank pool. The poolroom would be packed wall-to-wall. When the session was over, the backers would return Youngblood to the asylum and hoist him back over the wall to resume the dreary life of a mental patient.
(Unfortunately, Lefty spent time in various sanitariums also)
the Beard
How would you like to sweat that match on the Action Report?
In Chicago, we claim "West Side Lefty" (Johnny Cannonball Chapman) as our own. He spent the majority of his pool life here. The first time I ever seen him, he was banking 8 and out on Danny Jones up in Bensinger's. It was 1961 and I had just gotten out of the Army.
Excerpt from that fabulous tome of hustler history, The GosPool:
Javenly "Youngblood" Washington was from Chicago's South Side. He was the original
Youngblood. Washington was one of the all-time great bank-pool players.
Besides his fabulous pool skills, Youngblood had some mental problems.
Javenly was periodically institutionalized at the Manteno mental center in Chicago. However, Youngblood's backers would help him to escape over the wall and take him to the West Side to play John "Cannonball Lefty" Chapman bank pool. 'Blood would be still wearing the hospital bracelet on his wrist. The battles between Youngblood and Chapman brought sweators in from everywhere. It was like the World Series of bank pool. The poolroom would be packed wall-to-wall. When the session was over, the backers would return Youngblood to the asylum and hoist him back over the wall to resume the dreary life of a mental patient.
(Unfortunately, Lefty spent time in various sanitariums also)
the Beard
How would you like to sweat that match on the Action Report?
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One more about the 'Ball
You're asking about one of my original heroes. The affable, looney, deadly, Johnny Chapman. Here is another insight into just who he was (from The GosPool of course):
....Minnesota Fats (Rudolf Wanderone) was also hanging out in the Le Cue in Houston, playing regularly with John "Lefty" Chapman, one of the great black players of all time. John was spotting Fatty 8 to 7 and battering him.
While at the Le Cue, Chapman earned the additional nickname, "Cannonball." The name came from the monster Nine-Ball break Chapman had. Lefty was using a 26-oz break-cue, and his prodigious break sounded like a cannonball barreling through the rack.
An old road player named Ray Booth, who was in Houston at the time, described Chapman's break best. Booth said when his time was up, and he was ready to go (die), he wanted to put his head on the foot spot and let "Cannonball" break the balls.
the Beard
Sample shots from my upcoming DVD is now available for viewing on my Blog. Access it from my website.
You're asking about one of my original heroes. The affable, looney, deadly, Johnny Chapman. Here is another insight into just who he was (from The GosPool of course):
....Minnesota Fats (Rudolf Wanderone) was also hanging out in the Le Cue in Houston, playing regularly with John "Lefty" Chapman, one of the great black players of all time. John was spotting Fatty 8 to 7 and battering him.
While at the Le Cue, Chapman earned the additional nickname, "Cannonball." The name came from the monster Nine-Ball break Chapman had. Lefty was using a 26-oz break-cue, and his prodigious break sounded like a cannonball barreling through the rack.
An old road player named Ray Booth, who was in Houston at the time, described Chapman's break best. Booth said when his time was up, and he was ready to go (die), he wanted to put his head on the foot spot and let "Cannonball" break the balls.
the Beard
Sample shots from my upcoming DVD is now available for viewing on my Blog. Access it from my website.
OK, I'll be your old-timer: he was one of the two best black players ever produced in Chicago, and I would give him the nod over Bugs. Johnny was better than ANYBODY at creating banks where there were no natural angles; he had six or eight different strokes and no one else could "bend" the balls that way. As for just playing the game and winning it, most thought that "Youngblood" Washington, who at one time actually went to Knoxville and beat Eddie Taylor in his home room, was generally regarded as holding a slight edge over Chapman. GF
George Fels said:
Is he really from Chicago? He always told me he grew up in Riverside, CA. At the end of his string, he was still hustling bar pool in the Riverside area in the 80's and maybe into the early 90's.
JC was a funny character though.
He was our guy, Jay
Jay, when he was not on the road, he was a West Side Chicagoan for the majority of his years. His last few years were spent in Texas with his mother. I heard she was still alive. Has to be near 100. Not to apprear regional, but I never heard him claim any CA heritage when he was here. He may have been using that as a bite mechanism knowing how soft you were. Even in the bite area he favored Chicago. His favorite bite spots when he was on the way out in Texas was Artie Bodendorfer, Jerry Hubbard and me. He was the houseman in my joint, North Shore Billiards in the early 80s. And as far as he and Youngblood playing Eddie Taylor in Tenn., they both got a spot. Blood got 9 to 8 and won and the Ball got 8 to 7 and lost. Taylor told me he favored Cannonballs game even tho the spot and the results would seem to tell you different.
The Beard
sample shots off my uncoming DVD will go up today on my blog
jay helfert said:
Jay, when he was not on the road, he was a West Side Chicagoan for the majority of his years. His last few years were spent in Texas with his mother. I heard she was still alive. Has to be near 100. Not to apprear regional, but I never heard him claim any CA heritage when he was here. He may have been using that as a bite mechanism knowing how soft you were. Even in the bite area he favored Chicago. His favorite bite spots when he was on the way out in Texas was Artie Bodendorfer, Jerry Hubbard and me. He was the houseman in my joint, North Shore Billiards in the early 80s. And as far as he and Youngblood playing Eddie Taylor in Tenn., they both got a spot. Blood got 9 to 8 and won and the Ball got 8 to 7 and lost. Taylor told me he favored Cannonballs game even tho the spot and the results would seem to tell you different.
The Beard
sample shots off my uncoming DVD will go up today on my blog