Best players in Nashville area in the 60's

banged up

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Anyone from that era got any thoughts? Names that come to mind might be Bingo, Sam Cableton Gentry etc but i dont go back that far.
 
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banged up

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Sam Cableton is at JOBs most every week and has been around this area forever as far as i know. I mentioned Bingo in my first post.
Have talked to local people a couple times but never got a definitive answer as to who might be the better. Gentry was supposed to be really good as well but was of the era when Black players couldn't play just anywhere.

How would you have rated Sam's game in the 70's?
 

Hambone

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I remember seeing Bingo playing in a few ring games back in the late 90's.
He was probably in his late 70's at the time. He would play with 2 or 3 other men who all appeared at least 10 years younger and hold his own. I remember one of them telling me "30 or 40 years ago Bingo would have been runnig racks back to back and busted this game up".

I've seen Sam down there many times but never spoken to him much. I was told he was quite the player in his younger days.

Not Nashville but right next door you had J. O'Neals grandfather Country who was supposedly one of the top players in the area.

Shot me a pm I may be at JOB's Sun. night if you would like to hit some balls.
 

backplaying

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Sam could play, but there was a few in Al in the 70's and 80's he couldn't beat. Kenneth James from Athens,Al would give him weight, but you also have to remember Kenneth beat many champions during the 60's, 70's and 80's, inculding the mizz. A young Archer lost to Kenneth the first time even though kenneth was past his prime. I first met Sam in the 70's at a tournament in Columbia, at i think was Johnny and Tommy Counts place. I would rate Sam's speed around Jimmy Kings speed in their prime. Just my opinion and it has been many years ago.
 

Matt_24

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Yeah, I always heard about Bingo. Also, what about UGLY DAVE. He ran around with Marshall Carpenter and Eddie Taylor..and was stationed in Nashville and a top Nashvillle player.
 

axle

Registered
bingo bugs and sam

sam and bugs are still around bugs plays cards mostly now sam still plays pretty sporty on the bar table would think he could beat anyone in there 70s good guy ,bingo is gone now he left us a few years back i will give you one story about him ,it was a packed friday night the seats around the main table were all full when big mike yelled across the room at bingo isnt it about time for you to get a job.Bingo never hesitated he yelled back if i get one you can bet it will be a blow job everybody erupted with laughter he had a great since of humor and loaned money to several people to help them i think he had lung cancer he went in the hospital and didnt come out was sorry to see him go he also was a great card and dice player and always had pockets full of cash.
 

banged up

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
"Ugly" Dave has ran Snookers for years but i never saw him hit a ball in the last 20 years.

I knew Bingo pretty well and he was a really cool guy. He robbed me once when i had first started playing ( i was thinking how can an old dude play this good?). He probably made as much or more at cards than he did pool.
Not sure if its true but he told me he played jersey red once after an exhibition he did for 20 a game (decent bet back then I'd guess) and beat him. He musta been something in his prime.
 

SoniDJ

what's in your wallet
Silver Member
Jimmy King is still playing and that mouth never shuts up, everyone in a tournament wants to kill him. Watched him get snatched outside the other week, didn't go see what happened and really didn't care.
Sam could play, but there was a few in Al in the 70's and 80's he couldn't beat. Kenneth James from Athens,Al would give him weight, but you also have to remember Kenneth beat many champions during the 60's, 70's and 80's, inculding the mizz. A young Archer lost to Kenneth the first time even though kenneth was past his prime. I first met Sam in the 70's at a tournament in Columbia, at i think was Johnny and Tommy Counts place. I would rate Sam's speed around Jimmy Kings speed in their prime. Just my opinion and it has been many years ago.
 

cuesmith

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT!
Silver Member
Massey is from Chattanooga area (Soddy-Daisy). I don't think he lives in Tn anymore. His son and Daughter both play in town at Double Hill Biliards(Hixson).

Thanks for clearing that up for me . I always remembered him being called "Tennessee Tarzan" and figured he probably spent some time in Nashville. Personally, I always like the Chattanoga area. Nice area and friendly people.
 

poolandpokerman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was going to college in Bowling Green, KY in the 60s, I got to see Johnny Edwards play a lot of road men. He would go to Nashville a lot to play, Buddy mentions Johnny in his book. I went to Johnson City with Johnny in 65-66 when Horold Worst won the all around. Johnny was a monster on a 4x8, only played 9 ball, was hard to beat on our table in town.
Tom
 

streak

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Squirrel

Don't know if he lived there or was just hangin' out, but I was in Nashville in the late 60's with a player from Chicago named Chi Chi ( some oldtimers will remember him ). We matched up with Squirrel ( Marshall Carpenter ) and he beat Chi Chi, I think for 800.00 on a 4/8 in a pool room. Might have been a different result on a bar table...don't know...
 

bobbycotton

PoolHall Junkie
Silver Member
Richard Austin beat Bingo in Nashville. I played Kenneth James in his poolroom in Athens, he had a gaff yellow dot cue ball that you could'nt follow with cause it was so light. That is how he trapped everyone. I gave him the call 8 wuth a blue circle and beat him. I couldnt win with the yellow dot, it was a trap !
 

spoonie

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Nashville Pool Players

Remember back in 1970 there was a beer joint in carthage,tennessee
called the Hollywood.They had 4 and 5 or 6 men ring games for $20 to
$50 a man till midnight,then we loaded up and went to Madison BQB
and played till somebody went broke. Ugly Dave was a real monster,
there was a guy from Westmoreland named Jerry Trout ,and his partner
Robert Byrd,Jerry could cut balls in that defines gravity,got the money
most of the time.Arlis Gibbs owned the Hollywood,was a great player,
but his down fall was if you ask for 7 and last 3,he would just smile and
tell you to rack'em.There was a younger player named Jimmy Enoch,the
last time I seen him playing at the starlight he had a cast on his arm.
Long story short he won the pool game,then whipped the guy's ass with
one hand.Them was the good old days..........
 

Matt_24

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Back in the 90's I'd talk Ugly Dave into hitting a few balls once he shut down Snookers for the night. If we were there, he might do all of his close-up procedures and then he'd have his plastic cup filled with ice and crown royal, his lit cigar...and then he'd show us a few things on those 4 x 8 Gold Crowns with that super slow cloth.

He ran out 9 ball on those buckets like it was a joke...and showed us a few one pocket things. He had a really "pokey" but accurate stroke.

I can remember him telling us that every good one pocket player had their own invented shot...and he showed me his. It was a good one too.

I always liked Dave, but I thought his name should have been "Mumbling Dave"...because he spoke so low it took me weeks of being around him before I could really understand him, haha.
 
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