Some view him as a folk hero. American moonshiner and bootlegger (19462009), "New Movie Focuses on WNC Moonshiner Popcorn Sutton", "Yesterday's Moonshiner, Today's Microdistiller", "Legendary Tennessee Moonshiner Plied His Trade to the End", "Widow: Moonshiner took his life to avoid prison", "Family of legendary moonshiner hoped his sentence would be reduced", "The Moonshiner Popcorn Sutton | IndieBound.org", "Golden Moment: Bulletin: NC State University", "Cane In Hand, 'Popcorn' Sutton Is Sentenced To 18 Months", United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, "Waco 20 Years Later: The ATF Raid - Dallas News | myFOXdfw.com", "Daughter says independence likely led to moonshiner's suicide", "Estranged daughter remembers 'Popcorn' Sutton", "Hundreds honor memory of legendary moonshiner", "6 surprising facts about Popcorn Sutton and his moonshine", "16th Annual Winners | National Indie Excellence Awards | California", "Hank Williams, Jr. Moreover, there were several petitions made to reduce his sentence. [37] In July 2016, it was announced Allisa Henley, long time employee and Master Distiller at George Dickel, would join John Lunn at Popcorn Sutton Distilling. Sutton appeared in several documentaries including This is the Last Dam Run of Likker Ill Ever Make (featured below). 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. His thick shaggy beard and slight frame completed the prototypical image of a backwoods mountaineer. We have found 168 people in the UK with the name Pamela Sutton. Marvin Popcorn Sutton, 62, was found dead of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning in a car near his Parrotsville, Tenn., residence, days before he was to begin serving an 18-month prison sentence for large-scale moonshine operation. 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. In 2007, a fire on Sutton's property in Parrottsville led to firefighters discovering 650 gallons of untaxed alcohol there, for which he was convicted and put on probation again by Cocke County authorities. They should have been focused on crimes that out weighed hi. This is one of the internets most popular searches about Sutton. Authorities began to investigate him without his consent. He received the nickname of Popcorn after he attacked a faulty popcorn vending machine with a pool cue out of frustration. 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. What did his Mom put in the moonshine to make medicine, that Popcorn got addicted to? So credit the federal government for my husband being dead, I really do," she said. [39] Copper stills for the facility were made by Vendome Copper and Brass in Louisville, Kentucky. 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. In 1982, Memphis Popcorn Sutton helped to found the industrys first terminal. and including a lot of other shit came in this country illegal. [8][16][17], In March 2008, Sutton told an undercover federal officer that he had 500 gallons of moonshine in Tennessee and another 400 gallons in Maggie Valley that he was ready to sell. 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. Facebook gives people the power to share. But how well do you really know the legend of Popcorn Sutton? Since his passing, his fame has only become more widespread with a new whiskey company that bears his name and numerous mentions on Discovery Channels popular show Moonshiners. He committed suicide in 2009 as a result of cancer treatment. He had a wood burning stove inside. Both his father and grandfather were police officers and his career has . moonshine is still a popular drink in the region, and visitors can still taste it. Would loved to have known Popcorn. Previously, Pam was Chief Executive Officer at the University of Virginia Medical Center. Among his many documentaries was one that won an Emmy for its portrayal of his unique personality. Pam Sutton. Since his death, a new company, as well as an associated whiskey brand, has been launched in his memory. Suttons money has been used to fund the production of moonshine and to support the people who make it. Popcorn Sutton was a moonshiner who was born in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. Every time Sutton finished filling a barrel, he would give Nick a gallon and sell the rest to him. 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. He was handed down light charges at the time, netting nothing more than probation. moonshine must be made from cracked corn, and the kernels must be large enough to break down into sugar during fermentation. He considered moonshining his birth rite. 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). But as Popcorn discovered, the buyers were federal agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Americas most notorious moonshiner was under arrest. "Nobody was going to tell him what to do," Sky told Knox News in 2009. Soon after Sutton's demise, there were rumors that suggested his grave had been vandalized. And Fontes, despite angering some locals for busting Popcorn, eventually became sheriff, a post he maintains today. 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. Popcorn Sutton grew up in the South-Eastern Appalachian region of the United States, and he was born in Scotland. However, prior to his death, she had not seen him in years.
At a time when moonshining and bootlegging were considered illicit in the United States, Sutton established his empire with just one barrel. And the skirmishes continue: After his daughter Regina fulfilled his lifelong wish by burying him next to his parents at the Bend of the River, Pam Sutton exhumed his remains and buried him back in her own front yard at an elaborate ceremony attended by many, including Hank Williams Jr. Over a jar of moonshine at Popcorns cabin, Pam tells me with tearful eyes that his grave site had been getting desecrated, and she wanted him close to home. Pam creates handmade art glass and jewelry.
is pam sutton still alive - Nftcollectionlab.com In March 2008, Sutton informed an undercover federal officer about the moonshine gallons in Tennessee and Maggie Valley, which he wanted to trade. The couple had been married for 25 years and had three children together. 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. The company that sold Popcorn Sutton branded products, on the other hand, continues to sell them directly to consumers. Im here to follow the path of Suttons exhumed bones and unravel the mystery behind this modern-day legend.
How Did Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton From 'Moonshiners' Die - Distractify [2][10][11] The New York Times later called it "a rambling, obscene, and often hilarious account of his life in the trade". [12][13]) At around the same time, Sutton produced a home video of the same title and released it on VHS tape. Later he and Sutton even built stills together, and during my visit Moore shows me one of many he recently made. Aside from being gluten-free, the whiskey is also popular among those who have dietary restrictions. An incident report filed by the Cocke County Sheriff's Department says that Sutton was discovered dead in his 1982 Ford Fairmont when his wife, Pam Sutton, returned from running errands. It was composed by photographer Don Dudenbostel. (February 10, 1944 - December 22, 2010) We were fortunate to have a woman at Lions Dragstrip who was so dedicated that she wanted to preserve the performance of every car that raced down the strip.
Pamela Sutton - People Directory - 192.com Pamela Anderson is alive and well. . Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton. On October 25, 2013, Jack Daniel's Properties, Inc. filed suit against the distiller of Popcorn Sutton's whiskey, claiming that the newly redesigned bottle, with its square shape, beveled shoulders, and white-on-black label, too closely resembled their own. The Feds killed him. Autopsy results may be weeks away. When I heard how Popcorn was treated and that he wanted me to be involved in carrying on his legacy, I was immediately in. My favorite place of hanging out, how not the kitchen! A third-generation moonshiner, born in 1946, Popcorn spent his life distilling the secret recipe for corn whiskey that his Scotch-Irish forefathers brought over centuries ago. The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. These states are all part of the southern United States. According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, the states with the most illegal stills are Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama. His recipe, on the other hand, still lives on and is produced at Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery in Kentucky. His mind would just not accept it. Popcorn has never been secretive about his tendency for making moonshine. A small memorial was also held for close friends and family. However, she and her father were not very close. When she was just sixteen, Pam married Popcorn Sutton, a man eighteen years her senior. [8][9] In 1998 his roadside store in Maggie Valley, NC was searched by state agents, who seized a moonshine still and sixty gallons of moonshine, and Sutton was again placed on probation with a suspended sentence. As a result, the judge had reason to show him leniency. I wander up a grassy hill and read it there where hes now buried, the same spot where his still had gone up in flames. Sutton Popcorn Company retains their original use of this name. 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. If Suttons prison sentence seems light considering his many crimes, it was in part due to his age. Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate and a partner of other affiliate programs including Booking.com, CJ and Tripster, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases via links found in this article. 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. See top.
Patsy Sutton, wife of Eddie Sutton, dies at 74 | RSN In 2009, an accidental carbon monoxide overdose claimed the life of the actor. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title.
Popcorn Sutton and his moonshine: 6 surprising facts (with pictures) 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. 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. [39] At the time of the announcement, it had not been decided whether the Popcorn Sutton brands would continue to be produced under contract by the distillery or not.[39]. [40] The CEO of Popcorn Sutton Distilling is Megan Kvamme. 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.
Pamela Sutton Obituary (1956 - 2021) - Legacy Remembers People had to make a living somehow back then I guess. [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.