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? Why not just leave it up in a shrine like ritual for all to see?? He would sell a gallon of alcohol for just 6 dollars. [20] Mrs. Sutton said, "He called it his three-jar car because he gave three jugs of liquor for it. Popcorn has never been secretive about his tendency for making moonshine. Its empty. Popcorns stuff wasnt just cleanit was so tasty that locals treasure their last mason jars of it to this day. I walked over and asked if he was the man on the Postcard. Sutton earned massive fame as a liquor king by the time he turned 60. Some Popcorn Sutton branded products can still be purchased directly from the original company. 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. Fans Want to Know Why 'Moonshiners' Star Tickle Was in Jail Again! According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, she and her father spoke on the phone occasionally. Facebook gives people the power to. Making likker. The sale included only the distillery, not the brands, which are owned by Popcorn Sutton Distilling LLC, which is based in Ohio. Sutton was arrested by an undercover police officer in 2008 after he admitted to storing large amounts of illegal alcohol in another location. Pam was a loving wife and mother who was always there for her family. [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. He had pleaded guilty last April. Since his death, a new company and associated whiskey brand have been named after him. Soon after Sutton's demise, there were rumors that suggested his grave had been vandalized. View Pam Sutton results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. She underwent surgery and began her first round of chemotherapy. Grosser was just like any other fanboy whod come to meet the living legend and buy some hooch. [3] [4] [5] He wrote a self-published . Ever since the death of her former partner Jim, Pam gradually avoided appearance in the media. After he attacked a popcorn vending machine with a pool cue in the 1960s or 1970s, he was dubbed Popcorn by the media. But while the cops may not have pursued his bootlegging aggressively, Popcorn got himself in hot water nonetheless. Kobe Bryant's Parents: Where Are They Now? | Heavy.com However, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) raided the spots. 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. moonshine was legal in the United States for the first time in a year shortly before Popcorn Sutton died of cancer. He wasn't just a poor old moonshiner trying to make a few dollars.". Is Pam Sutton Still Alive Photo by - wp On December 1, 2021, a long illness claimed the life of a dear friend. He always lived a death-before-dishonor kind of life." Sutton Popcorn Company retains the right to use the name in some capacity. Buyers came from miles around to sample his goods, and Popcorns celebrity grew. My favorite place of hanging out, how not the kitchen! 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. Here are six interesting facts about his life that might just surprise you. Pamela M. Sutton-Wallace serves as Director of the Company. Stills are known to do that, despite Popcorns expert craftsmanship in making them. Aside from his white lightening, Popcorn was known for his crass language and feisty manner. Pam was diagnosed with Stage 3 Bowel Cancer in January 2014. It was composed by photographer Don Dudenbostel. "I just hope and pray they don't send me off (to prison).". Im here to follow the path of Suttons exhumed bones and unravel the mystery behind this modern-day legend. "He tried every way in the world to get them (federal authorities) to leave him on house arrest," she said. However, Popcorn's estranged daughter Sky Sutton believed her father died by his terms. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her. Pam Sutton: A Hard-Working Woman Who Deserves The Money Left Behind By There arent any more not in his form or fashion, thats for sure., Julia Merchant contributed to this article. On October 24, 2009, his body was moved to his Parrottsville estate. gotta love popcorns sarcastic wit. is pam sutton still alive - Hansmoeskraal.com 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. Hi my Name is Angel. 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. He was convicted of moonshining and illegal firearms possession as a result of his moonshining conviction. But how well do you really know the legend of Popcorn Sutton? It was an absolute honor to meet him. 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. These states are all part of the southern United States. He made his home in Cocke County, where cockfighting and moonshining are legend. JB, who was best known for his role as Shin Shinshiners in the reality show, died late last year from a long illness. Popcorn Suttons wife, Pam, died in 2009 after a long battle with cancer. moonshine is still a popular drink in the region, and visitors can still taste it. 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. 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. Dean Sutton of 39 years and his wife, Christine Sutton; their son, Ian; mother, Bessie Wimer; and sister,Brenda Oswald, all of whom preceded her in death, are among those who have passed away. Thus, it took him forever to clear his debts. 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. RIP. On March 16, 2009, Sutton committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. R.I.P Popcorn . [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." When the sugar content of the spirit is too high, the sugar content of the spirit will be too sweet, while too little sugar will cause the spirit to ferment poorly. 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. 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. The federal govt. The couple had been married for 25 years and had three children together. If you want to find legendary moonshiners, you should look for Popcorn Sutton, also known as Marvin. "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. While his standard moonshine tasted like sweet, buttery corn, his infusionspears, peaches, figs, black cherriescemented his greatness. 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. Pamela Sutton - Address & Phone Number | Whitepages She even went so far as to testify on his behalf at his sentencing hearing. "Those factors gave Marvin the strength to die the way he lived: according to his own wishes and no one else's," she stated. Some people have questioned whether or not Pam Sutton is worthy of the money she has been left. 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. Sutton committed suicide 2 years after their marriage. 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. His archive footages were featured in the 2016 docuseries 'Moonshiners.'. In 2010, Hank Williams, Jr. announced a partnership with J.M. It is impossible to overstate the importance of the life and persona of Marvin Popcorn Sutton, a legendary moonshiner and North Carolina native who died in an automobile accident. IE 11 is not supported. I met Popcorn in a restaurant in Maggie Valley around 1997. Its easy to spot Popcorn Sutton, also known as Marvin, if youre looking for legendary moonshiners. 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. TULSA, Okla. (AP) Patsy Sutton, the matriarch of a family of college basketball coaches, has died in Oklahoma at age 74. Popcorn Sutton did this in his capacity as the leader of Popcorn Sutton Inc. He was methodical about his brand and making a living, Grosser recalls. [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". In 2009, he committed suicide to avoid going to jail, and because of his cancer diagnosis, he died. People had to make a living somehow back then I guess. Morgan is the founder Morgan Media LLC, a graphic design agency and the co-founder of TheSmokies.com LLC a media company that specializes in regional travel sites. According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, the states with the most illegal stills are Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama. If Suttons prison sentence seems light considering his many crimes, it was in part due to his age. Even though he is no longer alive, his legacy of moonshine production lives on. Sutton was found at the age of 62 in his parked green Ford Fairmont with the engine running. As one legislator put it, The law is not making legal someone who wants to open a distillery in their barn. Pam Sutton is the wife of the late Marvin Popcorn Sutton, who was a legendary moonshiner from the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee. The Last Hillbilly Hero - Maxim My deputies wouldnt bother him, Moore, a clean-cut retiree in a pink polo shirt, tells me. The company that sold Popcorn Sutton branded products, on the other hand, continues to sell them directly to consumers. According to the report, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama have the most moonshiners, with a combined total of 1,634 stills seized by law enforcement. Drinks for urban drinkers If you want a mason jar to store Popcorn Suttons XXX Tennessee White Whiskey, you can also get it. According to the Internal Revenue Service, the estate of Kate Sutton is valued at around $500 thousand. Fundraiser for Glen Sutton by Angel Sutton : Pam Sutton Popcorn Sutton was married to Pam Sutton. Crime, whiskey & homemade sex machines: The life, death and legacy of Popcorn Sutton, Americas greatest moonshiner. [2023], Is the Laurel Falls Hike Easy? We can conclude from this that moonshine culture is still thriving in the southern United States. Pamela Sutton We found 100+ records for Pamela Sutton in NY, MI and 41 other states. The most notable thing about the grave? Through it all, there was just one thing that guided him: his likker (as he liked to spell it). During a fire in one of Suttons properties in 2007, firefighters discovered a large cache of untaxed liquor hidden in the attic. To collect Popcorns original bottles, you can purchase them from eBay. On March 16, 2009, the 48-year-old Sutton committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. Let us know in the comments. [33] Dubbed "Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey", it was marketed as having been produced on stills designed by Sutton using his secret family recipe and techniques Sutton entrusted to former Supercross professional Jamey Grosser of J&M Concepts. In 2007, Sutton was caught with over 650 gallons of moonshine by local Cocke County authorities. His most recent conviction for selling over 650 gallons of moonshine resulted in him being placed on probation. Sutton nicknamed "Popcorn" for smashing up a 10-cent popcorn machine in a bar with a pool cue in his 20s looked like a living caricature of a mountain moonshiner. Authorities suspected carbon monoxide poisoning. He considered moonshining his birth rite. Jack Daniels claimed they copied the label and design of their product in violation of its intellectual property. Sutton was sentenced to 18 months in prison in January 2009 for tax evasion. Where Is Jungle Pam Hardy Now? Untold Facts About Jim - CelebSuburb He was quite a Character. 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. After her death, Suttons business continued to operate, and he continued to produce moonshine until his own death in 2009. 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. Popcorn began making whiskey in his youth near what he called the Bend of the River, a leafy spot where, decades later, his empty grave would sit. Read on for all the details about her life now. He honed the perfection of the craft, much like his father and grandfather had before him. Marvin was a kind of cultural icon and an embodiment of moonshine yore when it comes to producing the liquor. [41], In December 2016, the Popcorn Sutton Distillery was sold to the Sazerac Company. 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 The couple had been married for 25 years and had three children together. In 2017, Sutton's Parrottsville estate caught fire. His zodiac sign was Libra, which is distinguished by assertiveness and submissiveness on both sides. He appeared in the Western film Ghost Town: The Movie, in addition to his roles in the films Ghost Town: The Movie and Ghost Town: The Movie. His archive footage was featured in a 2016 documentary series, Moonshiners. and including a lot of other shit came in this country illegal. Popcorn Sutton Wife Death Sutton died by suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning in March 2009, aged 62, rather than report to federal prison[according to whom?] My mother-in-law Pam Sutton suffered a massive stroke on 9/15/22. Sutton was born Marvin Sutton, on October 5, 1946, in the tiny town of Maggie Valley, North Carolina, to Bonnie and Vader. "He did it his way. He said a Vending machine in a bar took his money and didnt give him his popcorn! From that moment on, the locals called him Popcorna reminder that this was one moonshiner you didnt want to cross. Moreover, she is also not on social media which makes it further difficult to track down her life at present. Moonshine is romanticized in folklore and in the movies, Cavanaugh declared. He was a friendly fellow, and of course every time you would talk to him, he would say, "Ray, I've run my last run of moonshine, I'm not gonna do it anymore, I'm just getting too old to be doing this stuff.". His wife, Pam Sutton, whom he married just two years prior, had returned from running errands when she found him. The couple had three children together, but Popcorn Suttons moonshining operation often took him away from home for long periods of time. Following this, he was put on probation by Cocke County authorities. 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. [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. Since his death, Popcorn's persona and work have only garnered more attention due to a whiskey company named after him, Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey, and as we said before, his posthumous appearances on Moonshiners. 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. That's a big problem because now look where we're at. Popcorns wife used both original bottles and they are currently available for eBay purchase. Pam Sutton - Address & Phone Number | Whitepages Born in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, [1] [2] he grew up, lived and died in the rural areas around Maggie Valley and nearby Cocke County, Tennessee. He had a wood burning stove inside. He is buried in the. DE, Popcorn Suttons XXX Tennessee White Whiskey can also be purchased in a mason jar. The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. P.O. He wore a long gray beard, faded overalls, checkered shirt and feathered fedora. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us. Each piece is handmade in Pam's studio in Reno, Nevada. His mind would just not accept it. Click here to find personal data about Pamela Sutton including phone numbers, addresses, directorships, electoral roll information, related property prices and other useful information. But the young cop, whod seen the ravaging effects of drugs and alcohol on the locals, didnt comply. 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. 'It was beyond surreal'When he pleaded guilty, it was his fifth conviction. 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. "[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. Sky Sutton, Suttons daughter, is the daughter of Sky and Betty. Sutton Popcorn Company retains their original use of this name. In Maggie Valley, he opened an antique shop as a front, soon a destination for eager buyers from across the region. However, prior to his death, she had not seen him in years. Popcorn was one of a kind, a man who told it like it was! says Williams. After Popcorn Suttons death in 2009, Pam Sutton took over the family business and has continued to produce moonshine using her husbands recipes and methods. Popcorn Sutton poses with one of his moonshine stills (photo shared with permission from Sucker Punch Pictures). 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. View the profiles of people named Pamela Sutton. She believes in elegance through simplicity, with designs that reflect harmony with nature and the occasional sly sense of humor. As Fontes learned, Popcorn had a long history of cozying up to the police and avoiding prosecution for making untaxed whiskey. So its no surprise that the law eventually caught up with him. But with thousands of people, including then-Gov. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Clearly, the actress is still alive and well today, and she's been in remission for the . I met him once at his little shack in Cherokee. Popcorns attire rarely varied: overalls, a flannel shirt and gray brimmed hat, occasionally adorned with a squirrel tail. It is critical to follow his instructions and recipe in order to produce a moonshine that has the same flavor and characteristics as him. [8][15] Sutton next appeared in another Hutcheson film that would become the cornerstone of his notoriety, called This is the Last Dam Run of Likker I'll Ever Make. Pam St. Clement Birthday and Age. Pam Sutton sits down with Rick to discuss Popcorn Sutton This charge would eventually cause him to fall. 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. One year later, while still on probation from the previous charge, an undercover agent working for the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission discovered 500 gallons of moonshine being housed and produced by Sutton. He was a moonshine maker as well as Popcorn Sutton Moonshines creator, collaborating with his father. Since 2011, the show has followed the lives of individuals who produce moonshine in the Appalachian Mountains. In 2010, she began distilling and distributing Hank Williams Jr.s whiskey with him. Sutton had a long career making moonshine and bootlegging. Stanley established The Starchild character for his Kiss persona. Neal Hutcheson, another filmmaker who worked with Sutton, is worth $30 million. On March 16, 2009, Sutton, a resident of Northbridge, England, died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. After meeting at a New Year's Eve party in 1994 . He seemed kind and good, not perfect but who is? 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. Is Pam Sutton Still Alive While unscrupulous moonshiners distilled their booze through antifreeze-caked radiator pipes (capable of killing a drinker), Popcorn used only new copper tubing. Moreover, there were several petitions made to reduce his sentence. moonshine must be made from cracked corn, and the kernels must be large enough to break down into sugar during fermentation. 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. Popcorn Sutton, an American moonshiner and bootlegger, lived in the United States from 1946 to 2009. [12][13]) At around the same time, Sutton produced a home video of the same title and released it on VHS tape. . Lunn and Henley and the other employees of the distillery became employees of the Sazerac Company. Sutton conceded he was part of a dying breed in an interview last year with actor Johnny Knoxville for a video posted on Knoxville's "Jackass" Web site. moonshine was made from a recipe passed down through the generations and was sold in the back of his Ford Model A truck. "I think most people have a warm feeling for him, but he bragged so much about it (moonshining)," Irwin said. Inspired by the story, Grosser suggested they partner on a distillery and sell Popcorns moonshine legally. He received the nickname of Popcorn after he attacked a faulty popcorn vending machine with a pool cue out of frustration. "It was beyond surreal," she said Wednesday. 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. he seemed to be a kind old soul. [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]. I couldnt understand what he said. His daughter claimed that he had told her in advance that he would kill himself rather than go to jail.