Bills organizing of the Moonshiners Reunion and Mountain Music Festival will continue, and he will perform at R.J. Rockers Brewery in honor of his music and life. He was just a skinny little farmer-looking guy who would come around and talk and cut up, he explains. Willie Nelson had him onstage at a local show, and Johnny Knoxville taped a visit to Popcorns cabin. On February 7, 2008, a biker arrived at Popcorns house saying he wanted to buy more than 50 gallons of moonshine. Sutton was convicted multiple times for selling moonshine without a license. 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. Moonshiner dead in apparent suicide - Smoky Mountain News She has no doubt Sutton died on his own terms. In addition to organizing the Mountain Music Festival and the Moonshiners Reunion, Bill plays the guitar and organizes gig events. My mother-in-law Pam Sutton suffered a massive stroke on 9/15/22. 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. His self-published autobiography, Me and My Likker, described the amazing journey of moonshine production. 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. Pam Sutton sits down with Rick to discuss Popcorn Sutton 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. They should have been focused on crimes that out weighed hi. Bill, who played guitar and harmonica on the show, died in early 2019 after a lengthy battle with cancer. 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. In 1974, he was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and charged with multiple violations. But while the cops may not have pursued his bootlegging aggressively, Popcorn got himself in hot water nonetheless. 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. Released in 2008 and broadcast on 'CBS,' the documentary received a 'Southeast Emmy Award' in 2009. We can conclude from this that moonshine culture is still thriving in the southern United States. He said Nobody else could be that handsome We both laughed and he proceeded to tell me how he got his Name. 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 apparently got right back to work. That year, his conviction led to a sentence by federal authorities of 18 months in federal prison which leads us to our next Sutton factoid . Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. However, prior to his death, she had not seen him in years. He went to his grave in a pine casket he bought years ago and kept in a bedroom. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. My deputies wouldnt bother him, Moore, a clean-cut retiree in a pink polo shirt, tells me. [34] Country music stars attending the launch event included Martina McBride, Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Travis Tritt, Tanya Tucker, Zac Brown, Josh Thompson, Kentucky Headhunters, Little Big Town, Colt Ford, Montgomery Gentry, Jaron and the Long Road to Love, and Lee Brice. He always stayed true to his craft, Upchurch tells me, which was making liquor. Shit that kills a whole other generation. Later he and Sutton even built stills together, and during my visit Moore shows me one of many he recently made. While some may question whether or not she is worthy of such a windfall, there is no doubt that Pam Sutton is a hard-working woman who has been through a lot in her life. 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. His widow, Pam, told the outlet that he'd just received a letter to report to prison for an 18-month sentence for illegally distilling spirits, as well as felony possession of a firearm. Join Facebook to connect with Pam Sutton and others you may know. 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. [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". Sutton Popcorn Company retains the right to use the name in some capacity. Stanley was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 as a member of . Manhunt: What happened to Colin Sutton? Where is he now? He wore a long gray beard, faded overalls, checkered shirt and feathered fedora. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. ", 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. The grave of the last American outlaw sits off a dirt road in the backwoods of Maggie Valley, North Carolina, the hillbilly haven where Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton, the most notorious moonshiner. Pam St. Clement Birthday. Popcorn Sutton was a well-known moonshiner in the Appalachian region of the United States, and his wife was often involved in his business. Its easy to spot Popcorn Sutton, also known as Marvin, if youre looking for legendary moonshiners. he seemed to be a kind old soul. Probably because its still illegal to make shine. Distractify is a registered trademark. 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. Moonshining was legal in the United States for the first time a year after his death. The operating hours, policies and procedures of other businesses may change at any time without notice. He was quite a Character. Sutton also had a daughter by the name of Sky Sutton. But the truth is, moonshine is a dangerous health issue and breeds other crime. His recipe, on the other hand, still lives on and is produced at Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery in Kentucky. Popcorn Suttons moonshine was renowned for its high quality, and he was known for his careful and traditional methods of production. 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. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. Making likker. 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] The brand now uses a clear, round bottle with a smaller label. 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. 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. Either way, months later, his wife Pam held a large public memorial service, which Hank Williams Jr. famously attended. Inspired by the story, Grosser suggested they partner on a distillery and sell Popcorns moonshine legally. Pam Sutton, who became Sutton's fourth wife in 2007, said carbon monoxide may be the method but that's not what killed him. Sutton said he considered moonshine production a legitimate part of his heritage, as he was a Scots-Irish American and descended from a long line of moonshiners. As one legislator put it, The law is not making legal someone who wants to open a distillery in their barn. Still, his name is synonymous with one of the countys greatest claims to fame: Real mountain moonshine. As a result, the judge had reason to show him leniency. Regina has plans to release her own moonshine based on her dads secret recipe with a local microdistillery near her home in Anchorage, where she now works as a trauma surgeon (a job that was inspired by the day she saw the guy at her daddys house with a knife in his neck). View the profiles of people named Pam 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. [7], Sutton died by suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning on March 16, 2009, apparently to avoid a federal prison term due to begin a few days later.
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