Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton killed himself in 2009 after being sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for selling nearly a thousand gallons of moonshine to an undercover agent. But how well do you really know the legend of Popcorn Sutton? There were so many doctors just jotting shit down on a piece of paper making herion legal in a pill form and they already new this. Sutton was arrested by an undercover police officer in 2008 after he admitted to storing large amounts of illegal alcohol in another location. And his bib overalls he always wore bib overalls. moonshine was made from a recipe passed down through the generations and was sold in the back of his Ford Model A truck. That's a big problem because now look where we're at. We have found 168 people in the UK with the name Pamela Sutton. Crime, whiskey & homemade sex machines: The life, death and legacy of Popcorn Sutton, Americas greatest moonshiner. A small memorial was also held for close friends and family. The story of the life of Popcorn Sutton shows that Americans are still not really free! I dont care if he come in drunk or anything. But Moore kept their friendship on the DL so as not to anger the more conservative locals. DK. As Hank Williams Jr. says of Popcorn, This guy was real Appalachian Americana. Popcorn was one of a kind, a man who told it like it was! says Williams. However, he always received only probation sentences. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months of federal imprisonment. His wife reported that he had once told her that he would do this, rather than go to jail. Someone of means like Hank Williams Jr., an equity partner with Grosser and Pam Sutton in the Popcorn Sutton Tennessee White Whiskey distillery, which recently celebrated an opening with stars including Kid Rock, Zac Brown, and Travis Tritt. He said a Vending machine in a bar took his money and didnt give him his popcorn! Read Also: Legend or lawbreaker: The real story of Popcorn Sutton. On October 25, 2013, Tennessee whiskey brand Jack Daniel's Properties sued Popcorn Sutton's whiskey brand for copying their newly redesigned bottle. Is Pam Sutton Still Alive Photo by - wp On December 1, 2021, a long illness claimed the life of a dear friend. and including a lot of other shit came in this country illegal. However, since he was diagnosed with cancer, Sutton requested US District Judge Ronnie Greer to grant him house arrest instead of sending him to prison. They had two daughters. The book also offers a better understanding of how the people of the region survived. [36] The lawsuit said that the design "is likely to cause purchasers and prospective purchasers of the product to believe mistakenly that it is a new Tennessee white whiskey product in the Jack Daniel's line." [3][4] Before his rise to fame at around 60 years of age, he had been in trouble with the law several times, but had avoided prison sentences. Bill, who played guitar and harmonica on the show, died in early 2019 after a lengthy battle with cancer. On March 16, 2009, the 48-year-old Sutton committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. My deputies wouldnt bother him, Moore, a clean-cut retiree in a pink polo shirt, tells me. As part of his undercover investigation, an undercover federal officer discovered that Sutton had 500 gallons of moonshine in his possession. But with thousands of people, including then-Gov. To start the business, Sutton borrowed money from Nick Price. As a popcorn treat, a pound of moonshine is served. Additionally, Sutton had had a mental breakdown after being diagnosed with cancer. Whiskey consumption has grown over the last few years as people seek out new flavors and styles of moonshine. Then there was the alleged attack on Willie Ferguson, a local musician who reportedly made the mistake of crossing Popcorn. Pam Sutton had that steadfast determination and through her incredible penmanship, we can still see just how fast and who won and who . Famed Appalachian moonshiner Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton, whose incorrigible bootlegging ways were out of step with modern times, took his own life rather than go to prison, his widow says. Paul Stanley (born Stanley Bert Eisen; January 20, 1952) is an American musician who is the co-founder, frontman, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss.He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's most popular songs. "Nobody was going to tell him what to do," Sky told Knox News in 2009. [23], A conventional grave marker was used at the head of Sutton's grave, reading "Marvin Popcorn Sutton / Ex-Moonshiner / October 5, 1946 / March 16, 2009". Autopsy results may be weeks away. He was methodical about his brand and making a living, Grosser recalls. Now 62 and fighting kidney failure, Popcorn faced 15 yearslikely his last onesbehind bars. Though he looked like Snuffy Smith, he had the mind of a mountain Edison and evolved his family still into an ingenious underground moonshine machine. However, in what has become a Sutton civil war, Regina and her supporters, including Popcorns former girlfriend Ernestine Upchurch, are fighting to get his remains back to his empty grave at the Bend of the River and reclaim his brand name. "He tried every way in the world to get them (federal authorities) to leave him on house arrest," she said. Pamela and Tommy had a whirlwind romance. From that moment on, the locals called him Popcorna reminder that this was one moonshiner you didnt want to cross. Popcorn Sutton was married to Pam Sutton. This led to yet another conviction on a number of charges. Moonshining was legal in the United States for the first time a year after his death. This time, the local cops would be of no help. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. Personally I think they should have left him alone and focus on what there real job is he didn't hurt nobody. As I discover over several sweltering days and clandestine jugs of moonshine, Popcorn left a twisted trail: scorned women, abandoned kids, complicit cops, even homemade sex machines, exploding stills, and the tale of a throat-slit fiddler on the side of the road. After meeting at a New Year's Eve party in 1994 . In 2010, she began distilling and distributing Hank Williams Jr.s whiskey with him. Pam Sutton. According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, the states with the most illegal stills are Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama. Her family includes her husband Dean Sutton of 39 years, son Ian Sutton, daughter Bess Wimer, brother LaRue Breasette, Sister Brenda Oswald, and son Rick Oswald. Suttons will stated that the money was to be used to support the continuance of my lifes work. This work includes the production of moonshine, which is illegal in the United States. In 2007, Sutton was caught with over 650 gallons of moonshine by local Cocke County authorities. She even went so far as to testify on his behalf at his sentencing hearing. Inspired by the story, Grosser suggested they partner on a distillery and sell Popcorns moonshine legally. [38], In 2014, Popcorn Sutton Distilling opened a new distillery in Newport, Tennessee, the county seat of Cocke County. He was convicted in 1974 of selling untaxed liquor[3][7] and in 1981 and 1985 on charges of possessing controlled substances and assault with a deadly weapon, but received only probation sentences until the 1985 arrest, after which he served time in the Craggy Correctional Center in Asheville. The outlaw spirit soared during Prohibition, when demand for moonshine exploded and bootlegging familieslike NASCAR racer Junior Johnsons and the brothers in this falls Lawlessbecame revered. Sutton was first interred at a family graveyard in Mount Sterling, North Carolina. Helps Continue Popcorn Sutton's Moonshine Legacy", "Popcorn Sutton's whiskey goes legit with Hank Williams Jr.'s stamp of approval", "Hank Williams, Jr. Gets into the Moonshine Business", "Jack Daniel's in legal fight with small distiller", Dickel master distiller leaving to head Popcorn Sutton, "Sazerac Expanding into Tennessee Whiskey with Distillery Purchase", "Hank Tips a Hat and a Glass To Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey", "Another Dickel Distiller, Alisa Henley, Leaves for Popcorn Sutton", Obituary Of Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton, A Tennessee Moonshiner, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Popcorn_Sutton&oldid=1131948838, People from Maggie Valley, North Carolina, Articles with dead external links from October 2010, Articles with dead external links from May 2013, Short description is different from Wikidata, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from September 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Sutton's long-estranged daughter Sky Sutton wrote a self-published book in 2009 entitled, Some of the prior Hutcheson documentary footage of Sutton was used in the 201112 season of the, A brief photographic book about Sutton was released in 2012 , Another Hutcheson documentary about Sutton was released in 2014 called, This page was last edited on 6 January 2023, at 15:01. "You might say he embodied a kind of Appalachian archetype, a character trait of fearlessness and fierce loyalty to regional identity even in the face of personal persecution and stereotyping," said Ted Olson, a regional writer and faculty member in East Tennessee State University's Department of Appalachian Studies. In the 90s he authored a ribald autobiography, Me and My Likker, which he sold on the Internet. RIP. Making likker. Born In: Maggie Valley, North Carolina, United States, place of death: Parrottsville, Tennessee, United States, See the events in life of Popcorn Sutton in Chronological Order, (American Appalachian Moonshiner and Bootlegger), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tyS_HvhtyU&list=PLHk8dXrmYkn-hhIVi9dwmgJzD4v1sr35c&index=2, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13PsE_rQ74k, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohiSPSoG8tY, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glQjCKAI4gA, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfUDVqWMhWs&list=FL8CkDIqZ9eTNus6-gghDO_w&index=24. In March 2008, Sutton informed an undercover federal officer about the moonshine gallons in Tennessee and Maggie Valley, which he wanted to trade. Pam Suttons moonshine is still highly sought-after, and she has won multiple awards for her products. According to filmmaker Neal Hutcheson, Sutton remains an intriguing figure. [39] Copper stills for the facility were made by Vendome Copper and Brass in Louisville, Kentucky. No bootlegger, however, would become as enigmatic as Popcorn. Popcorns stuff wasnt just cleanit was so tasty that locals treasure their last mason jars of it to this day. Filmed and released in 2002, the film quickly became a cult classic and over time drew the attention of television producers in Boston and New York. 'Moonshiner' Josh Owens Is Seemingly Prone to Injury, Here's Exactly How the 'Moonshiners' Avoid Getting Arrested. An hour after Grosser left the cabin with his paperwork, Popcorn built his final contraption. [7] He said he had considered a harsher sentence of 24 months, but had decided on 18 months after considering Sutton's age and medical condition. He was convicted of moonshining and illegal firearms possession as a result of his moonshining conviction. The lawsuit was settled in 2014. Popcorn was unique. However, there is no doubt that Pam is a hard-working woman who has been through a lot in her life. Regina Sutton, his eldest daughter, recalls a time in her youth when her mom opened the cabin door to find a man with a butcher knife sticking out of his neck. I couldnt understand what he said. See top. TULSA, Okla. (AP) Patsy Sutton, the matriarch of a family of college basketball coaches, has died in Oklahoma at age 74. Even when he came to federal court, he was wearing bib overalls. My mother-in-law Pam Sutton suffered a massive stroke on 9/15/22. Pam Sutton was born in 1951 in the small town of Maggie Valley, North Carolina. Popcorns attire rarely varied: overalls, a flannel shirt and gray brimmed hat, occasionally adorned with a squirrel tail. When he was sentenced to federal prison for possession of illegal firearms and moonshining, he chose to commit suicide rather than report to prison, at the age of 62. DE, Popcorn Suttons XXX Tennessee White Whiskey can also be purchased in a mason jar. He often bragged that he ran more whiskey than Jack Daniel. He detailed his brew-making exploits in the book Me and My Likker, and in a self-produced video The Last Run of Likker Ill Ever Make. Hes even been known to autograph Mason jars of moonshine. . Sutton then wrote a self-published autobiography and guide to moonshine production called Me and My Likker, and began selling copies of it in 1999 out of his junk shop in Maggie Valley. At a time when moonshining and bootlegging were considered illicit in the United States, Sutton established his empire with just one barrel. After he attacked a popcorn vending machine with a pool cue in the 1960s or 1970s, he was dubbed Popcorn by the media. While some revile the folkloric status Popcorn has achieved, denouncing him as a common criminal, few can argue that Popcorn was a bridge to the past, a window on a vanishing part of Appalachian culture. He considered moonshining his birth rite. Authorities suspect carbon monoxide poisoning. Interestingly, just a year after Sutton died, moonshining was legalized in the US. When Popcorn Sutton died in 2009, he left behind a large sum of money. In 2009, he chose suicide in order to avoid going to prison, and he was diagnosed with cancer the following year. And Popcorn, who refused to pay taxes and considered moonshine part of his dont tread on me heritage, wore his rebel badge with pride. Facebook gives people the power to. While his standard moonshine tasted like sweet, buttery corn, his infusionspears, peaches, figs, black cherriescemented his greatness. Assuming you have all of the necessary items and your climate is favorable for moonshine making, this is how much corn it will take to produce 5 gallons of liquor: 201 ounces of cracked corn 7 pounds of granulated sugar. She uses several glassmaking techniques to create decorative, as well as functional . If Suttons prison sentence seems light considering his many crimes, it was in part due to his age. Sutton began his moonshining and bootlegging empire with just one barrel, that too, at a time when they were considered illicit businesses in the US. Sutton conceded he was part of a dying breed in an interview last year with actor Johnny Knoxville for a video posted on Knoxville's "Jackass" Web site. While we do our best to bring you the most up-to-date information, TheSmokies.com LLC makes no warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of any content contained within. [12][13]) At around the same time, Sutton produced a home video of the same title and released it on VHS tape. She has a Netflix doc, 'Pamela, A Love Story,' and book out now. The fire tipped authorities off that Popcorn was still at it, and wasnt merely producing the occasionall jar here and there but cranking out hundreds of gallons. Sky Sutton, Suttons daughter, is the daughter of Sky and Betty. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us. I enjoyed watching his video it was entertaining to watch this man a Legend from the past a way of life how he fed and took care of his family. Drinks for urban drinkers If you want a mason jar to store Popcorn Suttons XXX Tennessee White Whiskey, you can also get it. Fontes arrived to find Popcorn Sutton fanning the flames of a still, which had exploded from a gas leak. In March 2008, they raided his home and seized 800 gallons of the illegal liquor, three stills with 1,000-gallon capacities, hundreds of gallons of moonshine-making ingredients such as mash and many guns. Hutchesons coffee table book style biography, The Moonshiner Popcorn Sutton is a glimpse into Popcorns wit, jokes and hillbilly way of life. Through it all, there was just one thing that guided him: his likker (as he liked to spell it). moonshine was legal in the United States for the first time in a year shortly before Popcorn Sutton died of cancer. He seemed interesting and came out with some funny one liners. His health was failing. he still left her $10 million in his will . Some Popcorn Sutton branded products can still be purchased directly from the original company. She was one of six children born to a sharecropper and a housewife. With all his knowledge about shine and his love for animals, especially cats, that makes him number one in my book. Despite being on probation, Popcorn defiantly refused to give up his trade. Long hailed for her beauty and gutsy film roles, Grier is a Hollywood icon. Clearly, the actress is still alive and well today, and she's been in remission for the . "I think most people have a warm feeling for him, but he bragged so much about it (moonshining)," Irwin said. R.I.P Popcorn . Sutton had a long career making moonshine and bootlegging. Since his death, he has been honored with a new company and whiskey brand named after him. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. I met Popcorn in a restaurant in Maggie Valley around 1997. Moreover, there were several petitions made to reduce his sentence. The sale included only the distillery, not the brands, which are owned by Popcorn Sutton Distilling LLC, which is based in Ohio. One Christmas at the Cocke County police department, deputy Armando Fontes got a gift from a mysterious man with a long white beard. The couple had been married for 25 years and had three children together. He was 62 years old. It is also critical to use the proper amount of sugar in each batch of moonshine to make it safe to drink. after being convicted of offenses related to moonshining and illegal firearm possession. He was just a skinny little farmer-looking guy who would come around and talk and cut up, he explains. is pam sutton still alive. My favorite place of hanging out, how not the kitchen! View the web story version of this article here. But he was also the sweetest, kindest, most loving man I ever met in my life.". I can brag about one thing, Popcorn once said in his thick Southern drawl. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. He also appeared in the Western 'Ghost Town: The Movie.' Moreover, she is also not on social media which makes it further difficult to track down her life at present. Willie Nelson had him onstage at a local show, and Johnny Knoxville taped a visit to Popcorns cabin. Popcorn Suttons story is both tragic and a testament to the ravages of cancer that cancer can cause. Pam Sutton, who became Sutton's fourth wife in 2007, said carbon monoxide may be the method but that's not what killed him. But even for this seasoned veteran of the force, Popcorn stood out. These recipes were made with popcorn Sutton left behind, and they included a lot of instructions and instructions on how to make them. Local authorities allegedly looked the other way, chalking it up to Popcorn being a community fixture. How Old Is Pam St. Clement? P.O. He wore a long gray beard, faded overalls, checkered shirt and feathered fedora. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Neal Hutcheson, another filmmaker who worked with Sutton, is worth $30 million. [18] The judge noted that Sutton was still under probation in Tennessee at the time of the federal raid, and said that putting a man on probation again after being convicted five times of various crimes would not serve the community interest. Popcorn Suttons wife, Maybelle, died in 2012 after a long illness. There is no doubt that JB and Bill will be fondly remembered as two exceptional individuals. Making moonshine is relatively simple and inexpensive if you have a pot that can hold at least 5 gallons of liquid and enough space to store the finished product. She was taken to upstate where she remained there for a a week and worked so hard to come home. During a fire in one of Suttons properties in 2007, firefighters discovered a large cache of untaxed liquor hidden in the attic. Famed Appalachian moonshiner Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton, whose incorrigible bootlegging ways were as out of step with modern times as his hillbilly beard and overalls, took his own life rather than go to prison for making white lightning, his widow says. Pam was a loving wife and mother who was always there for her family. Although he passed away a few years before the show premiered, the series used previous documentary footage shot by director Neal Hutcheson for his own films, allowing fans to see the legendary moonshiner in his natural habitat. Others view him as a criminal. Over the course of his infamous career, Sutton faced a number of criminal complaints and convictions for moonshine-related crimes. I met him once at his little shack in Cherokee. Popcorn Sutton was a moonshiner who was born in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. Spouse. Aside from being gluten-free, the whiskey is also popular among those who have dietary restrictions. On November 9, 2010, Hank Williams Jr. announced his partnership with J&M Concepts LLC and widow Pam Sutton to distill and distribute a brand of whiskey named after Sutton that was asserted to follow his legacy. Why not just leave it up in a shrine like ritual for all to see?? He went to his grave in a pine casket he bought years ago and kept in a bedroom. In 2009, he committed suicide to avoid going to jail, and because of his cancer diagnosis, he died. I remember the blood gushing everywhere, she says. The money has also been used to support the families of those who have been killed or incarcerated because of their involvement in the moonshine business. This is the Last Dam Run of Likker Ill Ever Make, The Greenbrier Gatlinburg: The best and most haunted restaurant in town, Dign Zone construction theme park coming soon to Sevierville TN, Is Mountain Monsters Real? "I just hope and pray they don't send me off (to prison).". On the day of his death, a fan wrote on Twitter, "Toasting the passing of the famous moonshiner Popcorn Sutton. JB, who was best known for his role as Shin Shinshiners in the reality show, died late last year from a long illness. In 2017, Sutton's Parrottsville estate caught fire. Pam brings more than 25 years of healthcare industry experience and currently serves as Senior Vice President and Regional Chief Operating Officer of New York Presbyterian.
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