HILLBILLY CHARLIE BRYANT.........ANYONE HAVE ANY CURRENT NEWS ON HIM
- Thread starter bbb
- Start date
thanks
Back in the day (perhaps 2000-12), Charlie was a solid, but not quite top, pro. He was among the top few players in the southern United States. He was known for his very big break and was one of few that could reach 30 mph on the radar gun. He was also known for his "hillbilly" appearance, which sometimes meant competing in overalls. He was always a friendly guy and was generally well liked by his fellow pros and by the fans.
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Charlie is still in Texas and I saw him in Vegas for the APA Nationals. He was getting his name out there again and promoting his classes. He also did a few action matches as well. I have known Hillbilly for a while now. Nice guy. But yes, he is still around and doing his thing.
My main memory of Charlie is from the Riviera around 2010.
He was playing SVB in a race to 7 on the bar boxes.
He lost the flip for the first break. Alternate break afterwards.
Every game, they would break. Study the table for ~3 minutes and then run it out in about 60 seconds.
Shane won 7-6. Neither of them broke dry or missed a shot in the match! 13 consecutive runouts.
He was playing SVB in a race to 7 on the bar boxes.
He lost the flip for the first break. Alternate break afterwards.
Every game, they would break. Study the table for ~3 minutes and then run it out in about 60 seconds.
Shane won 7-6. Neither of them broke dry or missed a shot in the match! 13 consecutive runouts.
Eight ball?
Probably 9 ball
9 ball on a 7 foot Diamond is easy,8 ball not so much.
These guys break and run 8-ball on a bar box very easily. The SVB/Josh Roberts match is on YouTube where neither missed a ball, same as what’s being described.
Yes, 8 ball
I know, I'm just saying 8 ball is a little harder due to 15 balls instead of 9 on a small table.
8 ball is just too many easy shots to choose from. I ran a 12 pack on a 7 footer.
I'm a woodchuck....For pros it's beyond easy.
I knew Charlie (Hillbilly) over 30 years ago in the early/mid 1990s, way before he played at a high level, when his name was Shannon Bryant, I’m not sure when he changed it to Charlie. At that time he was living in the western NC / Hickory area, where I assume he grew up, along with Tony Watson.
He would come up to Savannah Joe’s Billiards in Boone along with a very young Tony Watson or with Jeff Abernathy, to sometimes play in their weekly tournament. I remember him as extremely cocky young player who didn’t take to losing well, but in this area with no strong players around (other than his sometimes road partner Little Tony), he could get away with it.
I saw him at the Super Billiards Expo again 20 years later and talked with him for a bit, to see if he remembered me and our times playing in Boone. He came across as very genuine, and obviously had matured and changed quite a bit from my earlier memories of him. I heard that he’d become quite a notorious barbox player and gambler, but was also trying to make a legit living - playing in tournaments, making instructional pool videos and giving pool instruction, living in Houston, which I assume he still does.
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I was at the Riviera in 2010(Aug.)... of course I missed this, though... Great story, thanks for sharing!
