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. He was a moonshiner and bootlegger from the United States Appalachian region. Urban drinks are featured. This charge would eventually cause him to fall. 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. Popcorn was unique. I was wondering if it was the last time the still was going to ever be use, why did they take the time, and hard work to break it down? With all his knowledge about shine and his love for animals, especially cats, that makes him number one in my book. The couple had three children together, but Popcorn Suttons moonshining operation often took him away from home for long periods of time. 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. Singer-songwriter Hank Williams III attended Sutton's funeral and later sang 'Moonshiner's Life,' a song about Sutton, which is part of the singers 2010 album 'Rebel Within.'. Did Popcorn ever have a wife? Whiskey is a great beverage to try if youre looking for something different. Popcorn had just one question for the stranger. Glass and Silversmithing Arts. Spouse. In 2009, an accidental carbon monoxide overdose claimed the life of the actor. His mind would just not accept it. The most notable thing about the grave? Sutton appeared in several documentaries including This is the Last Dam Run of Likker Ill Ever Make (featured below). So he Wooped the hell out of it with a pool stick. Even when he came to federal court, he was wearing bib overalls. by Loyola Martinez | Feb 25, 2023 | Popcorn. 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. 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. [18][19] In January 2009, Sutton, who had used a public defender as his attorney in the case and had pleaded guilty, was sentenced to 18 months in a federal prison for illegally distilling spirits and possession of a firearm (a .38-caliber handgun) as a felon. While unscrupulous moonshiners distilled their booze through antifreeze-caked radiator pipes (capable of killing a drinker), Popcorn used only new copper tubing. Would loved to have known Popcorn. In this article, we take a closer look at some of the most interesting monsters mentioned on Travel Channel's Mountain Monsters (media photo from Travel Channel, werewolf rendering from Adobe stock), The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad is one of the main attractions in Bryson City, North Carolina (photo by Alaina O'Neal/TheSmokies.com), I would love to have drank some of his moonshine ll0, I wud love to have met Popcorn. Popcorn Sutton married Pam Sutton in 2007 just two years prior to his death. But with thousands of people, including then-Gov. 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. Popcorn lives on but now in a rural mountain in northern Tennessee. All Rights Reserved. The lawsuit was settled in 2014. He was convicted of moonshining and illegal firearms possession as a result of his moonshining conviction. Where Is Jungle Pam Hardy Now? Later that day his wife came home from work to find him dead. ", 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. 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. He gained fame as a moonshiner and bootlegger in the United States at a time when illicit businesses were the norm. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her. Joe and Pam were not present for Kobe's final NBA game, nor were they in attendance for his jersey retirement ceremony in 2017. 'Moonshiner' Josh Owens Is Seemingly Prone to Injury, Here's Exactly How the 'Moonshiners' Avoid Getting Arrested. So credit the federal government for my husband being dead, I really do," she said. The states with the most moonshiners, on the other hand, are not among the top five for per capita moonshine production. Moonshining was legal in the United States for the first time a year after his death. 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. Buyers came from miles around to sample his goods, and Popcorns celebrity grew. Word soon spread that Popcorn and another man cut him after a fight and took his fiddle. 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. Copyright 2023 Distractify. 'It was beyond surreal'When he pleaded guilty, it was his fifth conviction. It is also critical to use the proper amount of sugar in each batch of moonshine to make it safe to drink. No bootlegger, however, would become as enigmatic as Popcorn. 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. Suttons exhumed body was transported via horse-drawn carriage to his property in Parrotsville, Tenn., where he remains today. I can relate to that, as I am the same way. gotta love popcorns sarcastic wit. [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. Each piece is handmade in Pam's studio in Reno, Nevada. But Popcorn had fallen on hard times and ended up drinking and talking with Grosser for days. 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. This time, the local cops would be of no help. In addition to being a wife and mother, Pam also worked as a waitress and a cook to help make ends meet. If Suttons prison sentence seems light considering his many crimes, it was in part due to his age. Though Popcorn left no suicide note, his dramatic exit has transformed him into a martyr for his cause and solidified his legacy as the little guy whod rather die than let the Feds beat him. Join Facebook to connect with Pam Sutton and others you may know. 4 mos. 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. Pam Suttons moonshine is still highly sought-after, and she has won multiple awards for her products. Hutchesons coffee table book style biography, The Moonshiner Popcorn Sutton is a glimpse into Popcorns wit, jokes and hillbilly way of life. Popcorn may no longer be around to weigh in, but his final words appear by his new resting place near his cabin in the woods. Did you know anything about Popcorn Sutton that we missed? I met him once at his little shack in Cherokee. Heres What You Should Know, 29 Best Restaurants in Pigeon Forge, Ranked [2023], Great Smoky Mountains National Park Entrance Fees, What You Should Know, Smoky Mountains in March: Events in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge [2023], A Simple Guide to Smoky Mountain Parking Passes, Park it Forward. He always stayed true to his craft, Upchurch tells me, which was making liquor. He was selling some stuff. Yes, I do, Grosser replied.Then come on in. Popcorns stuff wasnt just cleanit was so tasty that locals treasure their last mason jars of it to this day. 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, there is no doubt that Pam is a hard-working woman who has been through a lot in her life. So there my personal opinion. Pam Sutton had that steadfast determination and through her incredible penmanship, we can still see just how fast and who won and who . Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton (October 5, 1946 March 16, 2009) was an American Appalachian moonshiner and bootlegger. He was a whole lot smarter than people gave him credit for. Grosser returned on March 16, 2009 to finalize the deal with Popcorn, who was scheduled to go to prison four days later. My deputies wouldnt bother him, Moore, a clean-cut retiree in a pink polo shirt, tells me. Her husbands whiskey was produced and sold by Hank Williams Jr. and she began selling it as a stand-alone product in 2010. Sutton could have gotten as much as 15 years in prison, but got off with a surprisingly light relatively speaking with just 18 months. Marvin was a kind of cultural icon and an embodiment of moonshine yore when it comes to producing the liquor. [2023], Is the Laurel Falls Hike Easy? Over the next few weeks, Sutton sold more than 100 additional gallons of moonshine each to two different men and showed another guy the barn where three working stills and 500 gallons of moonshine sat, ready to roll. Facebook gives people the power to share. Is Pam Sutton Still Alive P.O. What does this report reveal about the states with the most moonshiners? However, she and her father were not very close. [40] The CEO of Popcorn Sutton Distilling is Megan Kvamme. Is Pam Sutton Still Alive Photo by - wp On December 1, 2021, a long illness claimed the life of a dear friend. Over the course of his infamous career, Sutton faced a number of criminal complaints and convictions for moonshine-related crimes. View the web story version of this article here. Support from our readers will help us maintain and strengthen the editorial independence that is crucial to our mission to help make Western North Carolina a better place to call home. As he once said, I dont bother nobody and nobody better damn sure not mess with me. [3] In the 1960s or 1970s, Sutton was given the nickname of "Popcorn" after his frustrated attack on a bar's faulty popcorn vending machine with a pool cue. He used the freshest white corn for his mash and the coldest, cleanest stream water. "And then he got into it in such a big way. "He would tell you exactly what he thought, whether you wanted to hear it or not. His wife, Pam Sutton, whom he married just two years prior, had returned from running errands when she found him.
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