Eddie Taylor FYI

Black-Balled

Black-Balled

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was in the pool room talking with an old timer that I really like and he told me a couple cool things about the Knoxville bear:

The 2 of them were sitting around a pool room in Alexandria and were well into their 2nd bottle of bourbon. In walked a well dressed man with nice cue case who immediately asked if anyone wanted to play some banks. Eddie said he might, what did he want to play for?

$50 a rack 9b banks was the offer. Eddie sat down and said, "shit, I thought you wanted to play for something, bet a hundred of 2". Game kicked of at 100/ rack and 1200 later, the visitor told Eddie ,"I thought I was the best bank pool player in the world and I was on my way from new york to Knoxville to try Eddie Taylor out. Now I am not so sure'.

Eddie replied, "we'll, I don't know about the best in the world, but maybe you'd do better in Knoxville. Tell you what...you got the Knoxville bear right here and if you think you might do better in Knoxville, I will ride down with you right now and we can play some more in Knoxville."

Also, he said that Eddie's hi run was 37 banks in a row.
 
Black-Balled said:
I was in the pool room talking with an old timer that I really like and he told me a couple cool things about the Knoxville bear:

The 2 of them were sitting around a pool room in Alexandria and were well into their 2nd bottle of bourbon. In walked a well dressed man with nice cue case who immediately asked if anyone wanted to play some banks. Eddie said he might, what did he want to play for?

$50 a rack 9b banks was the offer. Eddie sat down and said, "shit, I thought you wanted to play for something, bet a hundred of 2". Game kicked of at 100/ rack and 1200 later, the visitor told Eddie ,"I thought I was the best bank pool player in the world and I was on my way from new york to Knoxville to try Eddie Taylor out. Now I am not so sure'.

Eddie replied, "we'll, I don't know about the best in the world, but maybe you'd do better in Knoxville. Tell you what...you got the Knoxville bear right here and if you think you might do better in Knoxville, I will ride down with you right now and we can play some more in Knoxville."

Also, he said that Eddie's hi run was 37 banks in a row.
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Great story. Enjoyed the read. :)
 
Black-Balled said:
I was in the pool room talking with an old timer that I really like and he told me a couple cool things about the Knoxville bear:

The 2 of them were sitting around a pool room in Alexandria and were well into their 2nd bottle of bourbon. In walked a well dressed man with nice cue case who immediately asked if anyone wanted to play some banks. Eddie said he might, what did he want to play for?

$50 a rack 9b banks was the offer. Eddie sat down and said, "shit, I thought you wanted to play for something, bet a hundred of 2". Game kicked of at 100/ rack and 1200 later, the visitor told Eddie ,"I thought I was the best bank pool player in the world and I was on my way from new york to Knoxville to try Eddie Taylor out. Now I am not so sure'.

Eddie replied, "we'll, I don't know about the best in the world, but maybe you'd do better in Knoxville. Tell you what...you got the Knoxville bear right here and if you think you might do better in Knoxville, I will ride down with you right now and we can play some more in Knoxville."

Also, he said that Eddie's hi run was 37 banks in a row.
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Great story. Thanks!

JoeyA
 
fathomblue said:
Who was the visitor?

Good story, btw. Does ANYONE have any film of Eddie Taylor playing?
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My guy said he did not remember what ny's name was, sorry. I'd needle him about it, but he also told a few tales of how his pistol had taken care of him more than once:embarrassed2:.
 
I did see him play at his peak. Only man I ever saw throw all fifteen balls on the table, take ball in hand and bank them all! There were many very good Bank Pool players in the 60's but only one Eddie Taylor. NO ONE back then wanted any part of him, except maybe Bob Boles or Cannonball. That was until Bugs came along to challenge Eddie. They had a few great matches, too bad none were caught on tape.

Truman and Tony Fargo were the upcoming kids, along with Youngblood. Jimmy Fusco was the best banker among the top pool players. Billy Johnson (Wade Crane) and Gary Spaeth (he came later) were right there with these guys as well. But none of them ever played Taylor's speed imo. He was like Brumback times four, every ball fired straight at the pocket. If he missed it jarred the pocket. Taylor was a Bank Pool machine.
 
Kobachi said:
He made it look easy even in his golden years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtEp0xVP7w0

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.Great story BB thanks for sharing.
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Just a small snippet of what he could do, and so easily at that. He was nearly blind when that video was made! Best of all, he was a soft spoken gentleman at all times, never a braggart or loud and boastful. He probably had far more influence on Walter Tevis when he wrote The Hustler than Fats ever did. Walter used to hang around the poolrooms in Louisville and Lexington and sweat the action.
 
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Banks

Greg Sullivan an Glen Kobel was out on road with Veron Elliot. Glen is a friend of mine told me night they were leaving or something around that time he watch Veron take a cue off the wall an bank 32 or 36 in a row can't remember so which one he said. He also said the house cue was one that the tip an ferrule would side off. I wish I would have got to see Eddie bank, both were great bank players.
 
Moet.1977 said:
Greg Sullivan an Glen Kobel was out on road with Veron Elliot. Glen is a friend of mine told me night they were leaving or something around that time he watch Veron take a cue off the wall an bank 32 or 36 in a row can't remember so which one he said. He also said the house cue was one that the tip an ferrule would side off. I wish I would have got to see Eddie bank, both were great bank players.
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I think you meant Vernon Elliot. Also, a legend in his time.:)
 
37 banks in a row.....:eek:

Can you imagine what his high run must of been..? Incredible.


Thanks for the story.:thumbup:
 
jay helfert said:
I did see him play at his peak. Only man I ever saw throw all fifteen balls on the table, take ball in hand and bank them all! There were many very good Bank Pool players in the 60's but only one Eddie Taylor. NO ONE back then wanted any part of him, except maybe Bob Boles or Cannonball. That was until Bugs came along to challenge Eddie. They had a few great matches, too bad none were caught on tape.

Truman and Tony Fargo were the upcoming kids, along with Youngblood. Jimmy Fusco was the best banker among the top pool players. Billy Johnson (Wade Crane) and Gary Spaeth (he came later) were right there with these guys as well. But none of them ever played Taylor's speed imo. He was like Brumback times four, every ball fired straight at the pocket. If he missed it jarred the pocket. Taylor was a Bank Pool machine.
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You mentioned Wade Crane. He told me Vernon Elliot was one of the five best bank players in the country. Did you ever see Vernon play?
 
cueman said:
You mentioned Wade Crane. He told me Vernon Elliot was one of the five best bank players in the country. Did you ever see Vernon play?
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Yes once when he was very young (I'm old too). He was hustling someone at Johnston City and was stalling playing 9-Ball. I did see him shoot a proposition bank game, also at J.C. He was gambling with Danny Jones and Boston Shorty. No stalling there and Vernon won the money.

They were playing a game where you started with the cue ball on the first diamond and the object ball on the second diamond. The object was to see who could make the object ball in all six pockets in the fewest number of shots. After you made it in one pocket, the two balls were replaced in the same starting position. So you had exactly one straight in shot down the long rail. The other five shots were all banks, some much harder than others. I think Vernon could do it in under fifteen shots. Try that sometime.
 
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