Mark Kendall - Part 1 (From Rock Stages to Pool Halls – The Early Years)
In this first installment of a captivating four-part series, Legends of the Cue welcomes Mark Kendall — the soulful guitarist and founding member of the multi-platinum rock band Great White, and one of the most accomplished celebrity pool players in the world. Known for his passionate guitar riffs and humble nature, Kendall opens up to hosts Mark Wilson, Mike Gonzalez and Allison Fisher about the fascinating intersections of music, family, and the game of pool that shaped his life.
Born into a musical household in Southern California, Mark’s journey began with jazz records spinning in the background and a deep appreciation for rhythm and melody passed down from his trumpet-playing father and singer mother. By age nine, a neighbor’s garage band sparked a lifelong love affair with the guitar — one that would eventually propel him to international rock stardom. But just as powerful was his discovery of the pool table in the family garage, igniting another lifelong passion.
Kendall recounts his early years juggling baseball, music, and pool, his formative experiences at California’s famed Westminster Family Billiards, and his first brushes with the competitive world of straight pool and nine-ball. With his trademark humility and humor, he reflects on lessons learned from early defeats, the thrill of live performance, and the shared intensity between the stage and the pool hall.
From neighborhood jam sessions to his first electric guitar on Christmas morning, from teenage tournaments to facing future pros, this episode paints a vivid portrait of a natural talent driven by curiosity, competition, and pure love of craft.
Tune in as Mark Kendall begins his journey — where cue balls meet power chords, and the rhythm of the game mirrors the heartbeat of rock ’n’ roll.
Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.
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Music by Lyrium.
About
"Legends of the Cue" is a pool history podcast featuring interviews with Pool Hall of Fame members, winners of major championships and other people of influence in and around pocket billiards. We also plan to highlight memorable pool brands, events and venues. Focusing on the positive aspects of the sport, we aim to create and provide an engaging and timeless repository of content that listeners can enjoy now and forever. Co-hosted by WPBA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher, Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, our podcast focuses on telling the life stories of pool's greatest, in their voices. Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”
Founder and Lead Guitarist - Great White Band
Mark Kendall is one of those rare guests whose life story makes perfect sense only after you hear him tell it: a Southern California kid raised on jazz and melody, who grew into the soulful, blues-rooted lead guitarist of Great White, and, at the same time, became a serious, “put-the-time-in” pool player whose love for the game runs far deeper than a celebrity hobby. On Legends of the Cue, Kendall doesn’t arrive as a rock star dropping in for a few quick pool stories. He shows up as a student of two crafts, music and cue sports, still chasing feel, still chasing precision, still chasing that elusive flow state where everything clicks.
Born April 29, 1957, in Loma Linda, California, Kendall’s early environment was steeped in sound. He describes a musically gifted household, his father a jazz trumpet player, his mother a jazz singer, and his grandfather a pianist, the kind of home where rhythm isn’t an abstract idea; it’s the wallpaper. Kendall has often cited Jimi Hendrix, Cream, and The Doors as formative influences, not merely for their technical brilliance, but for their emotion, the sense that every note is a confession. That focus on feel would later become a signature in both his guitar playing and his approach to the pool table: when it’s right, you know it; when it isn’t, no amount of explanation can fake it.
His guitar journey began young, he was hooked early, and the instrument became his voice. But what makes Kendall so compelling for Legends of the Cue listeners is that his pool origin story is just as authentic: the family garage table, the p…Read More