Seussian contraptions of barrels and metal tubing, Popcorns stills could be set up and dismantled quickly at the riverside, just in case the cops screeched up. If you want to find legendary moonshiners, you should look for Popcorn Sutton, also known as Marvin. [2][7] Sutton, 62 and suffering from a long illness that his doctors had failed to diagnose, asked the U.S. District Judge Ronnie Greer to allow him to serve his sentence under house arrest, and several petitions were made by others requesting that his sentence be reduced or commuted, but this time to no avail. 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. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Sutton's widow said he'd just gotten a letter to report Friday to a medium-security federal prison in south Georgia to begin an 18-month sentence for illegally producing distilled spirits and. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Don Sundquist, visiting for an annual homecoming event, Sutton decided to cook up some real sour mash and dispense it to the crowd in little paper cups. 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. ", Maggie Valley, NC Mark, Digger and JB are close to completing the first run of liquor anyones made here since Popcorn Sutton did his last run 20 years ago #Moonshiners on @Discovery and @discoveryplus https://t.co/mJGWJuEHZO pic.twitter.com/RohfOaMOKq. Though distilling moonshine is illegal, that doesn't stop the Discovery Channel from glorifying the concept in its docudrama series Moonshiners. He also had a coffin ready in his living room. Pretty dam sad if you ask me. "He couldn't go to prison. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. Then he cut on the engine and leaned back in his seat. By deadorkicking.com Editorial Team. Later, in 1981, Sutton was convicted and sentenced in the Haywood County Superior Court in North Carolina for felony possession of a controlled substance. 33 Years old foodie & cookie lover. For now, let's learn about Popcorn Sutton and his cause of death. Every time Sutton finished filling a barrel, he would give Nick a gallon and sell the rest to him. He made his home in Cocke County, where cockfighting and moonshining are legend. He wasn't just a poor old moonshiner trying to make a few dollars.". Here are six interesting facts about his life that might just surprise you. Because of its high alcohol content, moonshine is not typically sold in stores, but instead is consumed at home or by bar patrons who want to imbibe in a spirit with a distinct flavor profile. But this shit right here goes right back to the crooked shit that's been going on before I was born. Months before his conviction, Sutton reportedly had a mental breakdown after being diagnosed with cancer. 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? [3] [4] [5] He wrote a self-published . He hated the persona, says his widow, Pam Sutton. It is critical to follow his instructions and recipe in order to produce a moonshine that has the same flavor and characteristics as him. Small batches of this alcohol are typically made and can contain 40 to 80 percent alcohol by volume. His recipe, on the other hand, still lives on and is produced at Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery in Kentucky. [12][13]) At around the same time, Sutton produced a home video of the same title and released it on VHS tape. 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. I walked over and asked if he was the man on the Postcard. It was done so the state could finally cash in (in addition to tax payments, starting a moonshine operation requires a half-million-dollar tax bond). Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton (October 5, 1946 March 16, 2009) was an American Appalachian moonshiner and bootlegger. I dont want moonshine to die with me, he told Grosser as they stood near the casket that Popcorn kept in his house for his final day. Two of Suttons other documentaries, 'Popcorn Sutton: A Hell of a Life' and 'Squzz Corn N' Ole Scratch' (short), were released in 2014 and 2012, respectively, after his death. In addition to organizing the Mountain Music Festival and the Moonshiners Reunion, Bill plays the guitar and organizes gig events. However, Sutton continued producing liquor barrels, and the business eventually grew more prominent. moonshine was legal in the United States for the first time in a year shortly before Popcorn Sutton died of cancer. 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. This Diner had postcards of him for sale next to the cash register . Some view him as a folk hero. Neal Hutcheson, another filmmaker who worked with Sutton, is worth $30 million. As he once said, I dont bother nobody and nobody better damn sure not mess with me. Yale New Haven Health names Pamela Sutton-Wallace as COO - YNHHS They were not invited. Sutton appeared in several documentaries including This is the Last Dam Run of Likker Ill Ever Make (featured below). "Popcorn is getting everybody drunk," the governor's Highway Patrol escorts complained and when Irwin told him to stop, Sutton packed up and left, Irwin recalled. He was handed down light charges at the time, netting nothing more than probation. Its empty. He had got the footstone made in advance and had kept for years by his front porch. If you are going to produce moonshine, you must carefully follow his recipe and instructions. The two made a deal to open Popcorn Sutton Distilling and sell his whiskey on the open market, taxes and all. 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. Sky Sutton, Suttons daughter, is the daughter of Sky and Betty. He was convicted of moonshining and illegal firearm possession offenses and was scheduled to report to federal prison in March 2009, but he committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. He committed suicide in 2009 as a result of cancer treatment. [7], Sutton was featured in the 2007 documentary Hillbilly: The Real Story on The History Channel. The suit asked that all current existing bottles be taken off the market and that all profits from the sales of those bottles be handed over to Jack Daniel's. [20] Mrs. Sutton said, "He called it his three-jar car because he gave three jugs of liquor for it. The couple had been married for over 50 years and had three children together. He was a folk hero. Even in death his battles wage on: Popcorns whiskey recently became available legally for the first time, but a family feud over his legacy shows no signs of resolution. When he took it back home what happen to it?? People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Still, Popcorn has retained close ties to Maggie Valley, and the town is often viewed as the main stomping ground of the mountains most infamous shiner. "[3] His daughter said he had told her in advance that he would die by suicide rather than go to jail, adding that he had "the strength to die the way he lived: according to his own wishes and no one else's. "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. A scrawny teen with big ears and droopy eyes, he had just watched the machine eat his quarters without dispensing his popcorn, so he whacked it repeatedly with his pool stick and broke the dang thing. Pam Sutton, who became Sutton's fourth wife in 2007, said carbon monoxide may be the method but that's not what killed him. Image Credit Birthday: October 5, 1946 ( Libra) Born In: Maggie Valley, North Carolina, United States 56 22 Writers #2968 Criminals #316 Quick Facts Also Known As: Marvin Sutton Died At Age: 62 Family: To make a 5 gallon batch of moonshine, 201 pounds of corn must be used. How do you explain Bill and JB from Moonshiners? . Fontes hadnt anticipated adding to Popcorns criminal record until April 24, 2007, when he spotted smoke billowing up from the woods. Aside from being gluten-free, the whiskey is also popular among those who have dietary restrictions. [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." [7] This led to a raid of his property by the ATF, led by Jim Cavanaugh of Waco siege infamy. Sutton earned massive fame as a liquor king by the time he turned 60. While Popcorn was under house arrest, motocross star Jamey Grosser showed up unannounced at the cabin one day. But Popcorn had fallen on hard times and ended up drinking and talking with Grosser for days. We are not endorsed by, authorized by, or affiliated with any mentioned attractions. Pam Sutton Portfolio | northtahoearts 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. 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. His wife reported that he had once told her that he would do this, rather than go to jail. What finally brought him down, however, was a fire at his own home in April 2007 when a still exploded. gotta love popcorns sarcastic wit. The states with the most moonshiners, on the other hand, are not among the top five for per capita moonshine production. "I just hope and pray they don't send me off (to prison).". Additionally, Sutton had had a mental breakdown after being diagnosed with cancer. I couldnt understand what he said. 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. However, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) raided the spots. Sutton was arrested by an undercover police officer in 2008 after he admitted to storing large amounts of illegal alcohol in another location. Popcorn Suttons legal fight to legalize moonshine resulted in his suicide and subsequent criminal prosecution, but it was his legal fight to legalize the spirit that led to his death. Sutton had a long career making moonshine and bootlegging. To the fans and celebs who came from around the world to buy his booze, Popcorn was the banjo-picking cracker with the long beard, grimy overalls, and bawdy stories. Read on for all the details about her life now. Why not just leave it up in a shrine like ritual for all to see?? Back then, he lived on Snowbird Mountain. In a cabin Popcorn built in the woods, I swill from an old jar of his cinnamon and cider apple pie moonshine with Ernestine Upchurch, a bawdy older woman in white pants and a polka-dot shirt, who dated Popcorn prior to his marriage and describes herself as the love of his life. Sutton, an infamous moonshiner, had been trying to outrun revenuers for more than three decades now. Popcorn Sutton Whiskey, Once Moonshine, Is Now Legal - The New York Times Sutton was first interred at a family graveyard in Mount Sterling, North Carolina. The couple had been married for 25 years and had three children together. Both his father and grandfather were police officers and his career has . One of Popcorns closest and oldest friends was the countys most legendary sheriff, Tooney Moore, who shared his conviction that moonshine was an important part of the local heritage. 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. Pam Sutton had that steadfast determination and through her incredible penmanship, we can still see just how fast and who won and who . If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. A popcorn net worth of between one and seven million dollars is estimated for Sutton Popcorn. Stanley was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 as a member of . His wife Pam, whom he had married about two years before his death,[11][14] returned home from running errands and discovered her husband in his green Ford Fairmont (which was still running) at the rear of their property in Parrottsville, Tennessee. Thus, it took him forever to clear his debts. To collect Popcorns original bottles, you can purchase them from eBay. She believes in elegance through simplicity, with designs that reflect harmony with nature and the occasional sly sense of humor. "Those factors gave Marvin the strength to die the way he lived: according to his own wishes and no one else's," she stated. In 2007, Sutton was caught with over 650 gallons of moonshine by local Cocke County authorities. Popcorn was unique. "Of course he did. Moonshiner dead in apparent suicide - Smoky Mountain News Drinks for urban drinkers If you want a mason jar to store Popcorn Suttons XXX Tennessee White Whiskey, you can also get it. She was one of six children born to a sharecropper and a housewife. hates you. Still, his name is synonymous with one of the countys greatest claims to fame: Real mountain moonshine. His white lightning wasnt just potent and sweetit was illegal. [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. My mother-in-law Pam Sutton suffered a massive stroke on 9/15/22. 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. [4] The source footage from the 2002 documentary was also re-worked into another Hutcheson documentary, The Last One, which was released in 2008 and was broadcast on PBS. Its a phrase he cut into his headstone when he was still alive. Cutie Pie survived a snake bite in 2017. They should of left him alone he was part of our great history, 2021 The Smoky Mountain News. [35] According to press reports, Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey would be initially distributed in Tennessee and throughout the southeast. Since his death, a new company and associated whiskey brand have been named after him. So credit the federal government for my husband being dead, I really do," Pam Sutton told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday from the couple's home in the Parrottsville community, about 50 miles east of Knoxville. However, she and her father were not very close. Pamela Anderson is alive and well. Is Pam Sutton Still Alive Originally, he was buried in an isolated plot in western North Carolina near the graves of his parents. 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. Jim Tom, his moonshine, was estimated to be worth more than $20 million. Now known as one of Britain's finest detectives and police officers, Sutton actually comes from a long line of coppers. Shit while they were focused on him how much herion coke pills ? Whether people associate his name with criminal or star, no one can deny he's one of the only Cocke County, Tenn., residents to rise to fame. In 2009, an accidental carbon monoxide overdose claimed the life of the actor. Long hailed for her beauty and gutsy film roles, Grier is a Hollywood icon. This left Pam to raise their children largely on her own. Pam was a loving wife and mother who was always there for her family. Urban drinks are featured. So its no surprise that the law eventually caught up with him. His mind would just not accept it. ", Popcorn's death remains a topic of discussion this year, as another supporter said, "Remember the Feds killed Popcorn Sutton just because he made his own whiskey on his own land. One night I sit outside the Cocke County fire station, near Popcorns home in Parrotsville, Tennessee, swigging apricot moonshine with the fire chiefs stout, gray-haired wife. What did his Mom put in the moonshine to make medicine, that Popcorn got addicted to? As Popcorn once bragged, Im the only man I know of around here thats got a two-inch dick and a six-inch tongue and knows how to use both of em.[pagebreak] Pam creates handmade art glass and jewelry. Pass the Mountain Dew! Popcorn Sutton and his moonshine: 6 surprising facts (with pictures) As a popcorn treat, a pound of moonshine is served. These recipes were made with popcorn Sutton left behind, and they included a lot of instructions and instructions on how to make them. But the young cop, whod seen the ravaging effects of drugs and alcohol on the locals, didnt comply. His body was carried to its new resting spot by horse and carriage. As the story goes, Fergusons body was found on the side of the road, left for dead after having his throat slit. Could it still be set up, as a shrine monument?? That's a big problem because now look where we're at. NFTs Simplified > Uncategorized > is pam sutton still alive. When Popcorn Sutton died in 2009, he left behind a large sum of money. His first appearance in a feature film (that was not self-published) was in Neal Hutcheson's 2002 documentary, Mountain Talk, as one of various people of southern Appalachia featured in this film focused on the "mountain dialect" of the area. Spring 2023 enrollment at Western Carolina Univers Waynesville is Haywood Countys only municipal g Jake Tallent vividly remembers the impact that the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority received a v Book reading, film screening to commemorate Popcorn Sutton, As long as water runs downhill: The story of Popcorn Sutton, Hillbilly Jammers get high on the mountain, Pardon me? His estranged daughter Sky Sutton, 35, of Northampton, Mass., had just completed a book about him, titled "Daddy Moonshine," the day he died. He'd gotten probation before, but U.S. District Judge Ronnie Greer said he couldn't do that again, despite Sutton's age and physical infirmities. After separating from his second wife Heather Locklear, Tommy met Pam and the two fell hard and fast. In addition to serving probation after being caught with over 650 gallons of moonshine, he was also convicted of selling alcohol without a license. At a time when moonshining and bootlegging were considered illicit in the United States, Sutton established his empire with just one barrel. Marvin " Popcorn " Sutton (October 5, 1946 - March 16, 2009) was an American Appalachian moonshiner and bootlegger. An hour after Grosser left the cabin with his paperwork, Popcorn built his final contraption. Popcorn Suttons wife, Maybelle, died in 2012 after a long illness. On the day of his death, a fan wrote on Twitter, "Toasting the passing of the famous moonshiner Popcorn Sutton. The man behind the raid was one of the countrys most infamous ATF agents, James Cavanaugh (a fellow Tennessean, who became known for leading the Waco and Unabomber raids), and he vowed to take Popcorn down. The History Channel featured him in a 2007 documentary called "Hillbilly: The Real Story.". He was convicted of moonshining and illegal firearms possession as a result of his moonshining conviction. According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, she and her father spoke on the phone occasionally. He had pleaded guilty last April. 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. 'Moonshiner' Josh Owens Is Seemingly Prone to Injury, Here's Exactly How the 'Moonshiners' Avoid Getting Arrested. Several seasons ago, Cutie Pie almost died after getting bit by a snake while exploring a possible still site with Josh, who had to rush her to the nearest veterinarian office. Many moonshiners associate Popcorn Sutton with moonshine. Sutton learned to make moonshine at an early age. Inspired by the story, Grosser suggested they partner on a distillery and sell Popcorns moonshine legally. The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States has released a report ranking the top moonshine states. After meeting at a New Year's Eve party in 1994 . As a result, the judge had reason to show him leniency. He seemed interesting and came out with some funny one liners. Pam St. Clement was born on May 21, 1942 and is 80 years old now. I dont believe it or not, but the vast majority of it happened in the last few decades. Beside his grave is a marker that reads, Popcorn said [f] you.. The lawsuit was settled in 2014. He was selling some stuff. We have found 168 people in the UK with the name Pamela Sutton. Maggie Valley lost a friend and an ambassador, said James Carver, a long-time friend of Popcorns and a Maggie Valley native. I sounded like absinthe. Crime, whiskey & homemade sex machines: The life, death and legacy of Popcorn Sutton, Americas greatest moonshiner. On October 24, 2009, his body was moved to his Parrottsville estate. [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. In a move to perhaps cement his legendary status for all of eternity, Popcorn Sutton committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning just days before his federal prison term was scheduled to begin in 2009. When I heard how Popcorn was treated and that he wanted me to be involved in carrying on his legacy, I was immediately in. I can relate to that, as I am the same way. Unfortunately, Sutton was not making enough money back then.