It was composed by photographer Don Dudenbostel. No bootlegger, however, would become as enigmatic as Popcorn. "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. 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? It received a 2009 Southeast Emmy Award. Sutton was sentenced to 18 months in prison in January 2009 for tax evasion. 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. What finally brought him down, however, was a fire at his own home in April 2007 when a still exploded. 1929 wheat penny. 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. Neal used footages from 'Mountain Talk' in his next documentary, 'The Last One.' The most notable thing about the grave? Moonshine is romanticized in folklore and in the movies, Cavanaugh declared. People in the community didnt know how close we was, and I wouldnt tell em, Moore admits. Popcorn Sutton Wife Death He was a moonshiner and bootlegger from the United States Appalachian region. Fans Want to Know Why 'Moonshiners' Star Tickle Was in Jail Again! Months before his conviction, Sutton reportedly had a mental breakdown after being diagnosed with cancer. 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. Popcorn Sutton did this in his capacity as the leader of Popcorn Sutton Inc. Both his father and grandfather were police officers and his career has . She has no doubt Sutton died on his own terms. If the strangers seemed trustworthy, Popcorn would take their cash, about $40 per gallon at his peak, and tell them to pick up their moonshine from one of his secret drop boxes hidden in the woods: a baby casket or an old toilet. Knoxville marveled at the wood-burned sign over the bedroom doorway inside that read this is a watch yourself fuck and eat pussy bedroom. Popcorns homemade cunnilingus contraption hangs in the doorway to this day, as I see when his widow, Pam Sutton, a heavyset, short-haired woman in a sleeveless brown shirt and jean shorts, gives me a tour of the cabin her husband built by hand. 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. Popcorn Sutton, a moonshiner and bootlegger from 1946 to 2009, is regarded as an American legend. He was 62 years old. Whiskey consumption has grown over the last few years as people seek out new flavors and styles of moonshine. Inspired by the story, Grosser suggested they partner on a distillery and sell Popcorns moonshine legally. Released in 2008 and broadcast on 'CBS,' the documentary received a 'Southeast Emmy Award' in 2009. The life and persona of Marvin Popcorn Sutton, a world-famous moonshiner and North Carolina native, are known to all. But with thousands of people, including then-Gov. Lawlessness around here still persists, with poverty, crystal meth, and alcoholism rampant. Either way, months later, his wife Pam held a large public memorial service, which Hank Williams Jr. famously attended. One Christmas at the Cocke County police department, deputy Armando Fontes got a gift from a mysterious man with a long white beard. Pam was diagnosed with Stage 3 Bowel Cancer in January 2014. However, Popcorn's estranged daughter Sky Sutton believed her father died by his terms. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. 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. 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. The wife of Hall of Fame coach Eddie Sutton died Tuesday at a Tulsa hospital after suffering a stroke in December, according to officials at Ninde Brookside Chapel. In 2009, he committed suicide to avoid going to jail, and because of his cancer diagnosis, he died. Its easy to spot Popcorn Sutton, also known as Marvin, if youre looking for legendary moonshiners. Popcorn Sutton was a moonshiner who was born in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. Urban drinks are featured. When she was just sixteen, Pam married Popcorn Sutton, a man eighteen years her senior. He had pleaded guilty last April. Sutton's last arrest followed a raid in which authorities found nearly 1,700 gallons of moonshine in Parrottsville and a storage unit in Maggie Valley, N.C., three stills, supplies, firearms and ammunition. I sounded like absinthe. Popcorn Suttons story is both tragic and a testament to the ravages of cancer that cancer can cause. In a final twist, she can now make her papas booze in Tennessee legally if she wantsthe state passed a law shortly after his death authorizing moonshine production. Did Popcorn ever have a wife? Later that day his wife came home from work to find him dead. Suttons money has been used to fund the production of moonshine and to support the people who make it. Sutton learned to make moonshine at an early age. [7] This led to a raid of his property by the ATF, led by Jim Cavanaugh of Waco siege infamy. The boy's mother's boyfriend has admitted to beating the child and is expected to face additional charges Stills are known to do that, despite Popcorns expert craftsmanship in making them. He always lived a death-before-dishonor kind of life." In addition to organizing the Mountain Music Festival and the Moonshiners Reunion, Bill plays the guitar and organizes gig events. Popcorn Sutton married Pam Sutton in 2007 just two years prior to his death. Over the course of his infamous career, Sutton faced a number of criminal complaints and convictions for moonshine-related crimes. Popcorn Suttons real name is Marvin Sutton. Authorities suspect carbon monoxide poisoning. Thus, it took him forever to clear his debts. Pamela Sutton's passing has been publicly announced by Good Sipler Funeral & Cremation Centre, Inc. in Reamstown, PA.Legacy invites you to offer condolences and share memories of Pamela in the Gue They aint no damn body that can beat me making likker. And, in the end, he chose to die rather than get beat. And Popcorn, who refused to pay taxes and considered moonshine part of his dont tread on me heritage, wore his rebel badge with pride. 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. Filmed in one week in June, 2002, less than seven years before infamous moonshiner Marvin, People have been making moonshine almost since the day water started running downhill,, Attendees of this years Hillbilly Winter Jam kicked off the annual fest with a special, On a frosty Appalachian mountain morning in 1962, 22-year-old Waynesville man Charles. 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. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. [3][4][5] He wrote a self-published autobiographical guide to moonshining production, self-produced a home video depicting his moonshining activities, was the subject of several documentaries, including one that received a Regional Emmy Award, and is the subject of the award-winning biography and photobook The Moonshiner Popcorn Sutton.[6]. He said a Vending machine in a bar took his money and didnt give him his popcorn! His estranged daughter Sky Sutton, 35, of Northampton, Mass., had just completed a book about him, titled "Daddy Moonshine," the day he died. But while the cops may not have pursued his bootlegging aggressively, Popcorn got himself in hot water nonetheless. Maggie Valley lost a friend and an ambassador, said James Carver, a long-time friend of Popcorns and a Maggie Valley native. Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton. As industrious about marketing his booze as he was about making it, Popcorn spent decades traveling the South, stealthily pawning jars from the back of his vintage rides. All Rights Reserved. Haywood mans presidential pardon reveals systemic inequities, Town of Waynesville will pursue staggered terms for aldermen, SCC grad inspires latest New Century Scholars. 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. It was Popcorns daddy, Vader, who taught him how to make and run the moonshine as deftly as the Suttons before him. Following this, he featured in another of Neal's documentaries, titled 'This Is the Last Dam Run of Likker I'll Ever Make,' which was a cult classic of the time and eventually caught the attention of many TV producers in Boston and New York. From that moment on, the locals called him Popcorna reminder that this was one moonshiner you didnt want to cross. 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. Hutchesons coffee table book style biography, The Moonshiner Popcorn Sutton is a glimpse into Popcorns wit, jokes and hillbilly way of life. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. When the federal government tried to tax the stuff in the late 1700s, the mountainside distillers violently fought back in what became known as the Whiskey Rebellion. At several points in my interviews, people would slip away and return with dusty jugs of Popcorns concoctions. Fermented corn mash is used to make moonshine. This left Pam to raise their children largely on her own. "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. Angel Sutton is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Glen Sutton. [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. 'It was beyond surreal'When he pleaded guilty, it was his fifth conviction. He later paid him back with liquor. She was taken to upstate where she remained there for a a week and worked so hard to come home. Soon after Sutton's demise, there were rumors that suggested his grave had been vandalized. [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. 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. In 2009, Sutton's estranged daughter Sky published a book titled 'Daddy Moonshine: The Story of Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton,' which gave a lot of details about her father's life. 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. He was also known for being convicted of crimes related to moonshining and illegal firearm possession. Bill, who played guitar and harmonica on the show, died in early 2019 after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was eating a piece of Blueberry pie. But even for this seasoned veteran of the force, Popcorn stood out. Sutton Popcorn Company retains their original use of this name. Sutton, an infamous moonshiner, had been trying to outrun revenuers for more than three decades now. Editors Note: Many thanks to Sucker Punch Pictures for allowing us to use their incredible photos of Popcorn Sutton and his still for this article. Popcorn Sutton poses with one of his moonshine stills (photo shared with permission from Sucker Punch Pictures). Monday, April 25, 2022 New Haven, CT (April 25, 2022) - After an extensive search, Yale New Haven Health (YNHHS) today announced that Pamela M. Sutton-Wallace, MPH, has been selected as its chief operating officer (COO), effective July 11, 2022. This time, the local cops would be of no help. 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. 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. She hadn't seen him since she was 2, though they had talked on the phone. He was methodical about his brand and making a living, Grosser recalls. 1. She added that the prison sentence and a cancer diagnosis might have had influenced his decision. My deputies wouldnt bother him, Moore, a clean-cut retiree in a pink polo shirt, tells me. In 1999, he launched his self-published autobiography, 'Me and My Likker,' which also chronicled the incredible journey of moonshine production. 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. 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. , Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, The Dangers Of Popcorn Lung: E-Cigarette Use Linked To Fatal Respiratory Illness, How To Prepare Your Airless Sprayer For Spraying Popcorn Ceilings, Adding Subtitles To A Movie On Popcorn Time, Popcorners: A Healthier Alternative To Traditional Snacks, Hoyts Offers Delicious Gluten-Free Popcorn For Movie-Goers With Dietary Restrictions, Sorghum Popcorn: A Delicious And Healthy Snack, The Shulmans Skinny Popcorn Is A Healthier Alternative To Traditional Popcorn, How Much Salt In Orville Redenbacker Popcorn. ", 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. Pam creates handmade art glass and jewelry. "She's stiff as a board. Aside from his white lightening, Popcorn was known for his crass language and feisty manner. I said, Im sorry, Im not going to turn a blind eye like the others. He arrested Popcorn, who got two years probation for possession of untaxed liquor. Beside his grave is a marker that reads, Popcorn said [f] you.. "The way she's breathing is just freaking me the f-k out, man" Josh said during the scary experience. Popcorn lives on but now in a rural mountain in northern Tennessee. 33 Years old foodie & cookie lover. After her death, Suttons business continued to operate, and he continued to produce moonshine until his own death in 2009. To distinguish himself from the competition, he took pride in quality. Previously, Pam was Chief Executive Officer at the University of Virginia Medical Center. TULSA, Okla. (AP) Patsy Sutton, the matriarch of a family of college basketball coaches, has died in Oklahoma at age 74. In 2009, an accidental carbon monoxide overdose claimed the life of the actor. She told the Associated Press (per NBC): "He couldn't go to prison. Sutton was convicted of tax evasion after his property was damaged by fire in 2007. After meeting at a New Year's Eve party in 1994 . Sky Sutton, Suttons daughter, is the daughter of Sky and Betty. 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. 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.
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