It was said he did this to avoid the federal prison term that was supposed to start a few days later. 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. RIP. Pam Sutton: The Wife Of A Moonshining Legend | Popcorn Carnival by Loyola Martinez | Dec 28, 2022 | Popcorn. That man went out in a blaze of glory, and flipping his finger as we went," she said. His zodiac sign was Libra, which is distinguished by assertiveness and submissiveness on both sides. The man behind the raid was one of the countrys most infamous ATF agents, James Cavanaugh (a fellow Tennessean, who became known for leading the Waco and Unabomber raids), and he vowed to take Popcorn down. He later paid him back with liquor. He seemed kind and good, not perfect but who is? Manhunt: What happened to Colin Sutton? Where is he now? She has no doubt Sutton died on his own terms. Back then, he lived on Snowbird Mountain. Copyright 2023 Distractify. USA Distributor of MCM Equipment is pam sutton still alive Almost everyone who grew up in and around Cocke County, Tennessee is familiar with the legend of Popcorn Sutton. This left Pam to raise their children largely on her own. 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. 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. Pam Grier is the undisputed queen of the 1970s Blaxploitation films. 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. His white lightning wasnt just potent and sweetit was illegal. Moonshining was legal in the United States for the first time a year after his death. The History Channel featured him in a 2007 documentary called "Hillbilly: The Real Story.". Where Is Jungle Pam Hardy Now? 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. Children. 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. She added that the prison sentence and a cancer diagnosis might have had influenced his decision. He considered moonshining his birth rite. by Loyola Martinez | Feb 25, 2023 | Popcorn. It received a 2009 Southeast Emmy Award. Both his father and grandfather were police officers and his career has . gotta love popcorns sarcastic wit. [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. Pam Sutton sits down with Rick to discuss Popcorn Sutton The Rick Dollar Show 836 subscribers Subscribe 913 Share 124K views 7 years ago Pam Sutton discusses Popcorn Sutton and her. 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. These recipes were made with popcorn Sutton left behind, and they included a lot of instructions and instructions on how to make them. Popcorn Suttons story is both tragic and a testament to the ravages of cancer that cancer can cause. 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. Buyers came from miles around to sample his goods, and Popcorns celebrity grew. Popcorns remains are still buried in his side yard in Parrotsville, Tennessee, where his widow will ensure no one else tries to harm him in the future. They should of left him alone he was part of our great history, 2021 The Smoky Mountain News. DE, Popcorn Suttons XXX Tennessee White Whiskey can also be purchased in a mason jar. 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.'. 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. Patsy Sutton, wife of Eddie Sutton, dies at 74 | RSN A long illness claimed the life of a beloved son on December 1, 2021. 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. Throughout his life, Sutton proudly held on to his Scotch-Irish American ethnicity and boasted about the fact that he had moonshining in his blood. Popcorn was one of a kind, a man who told it like it was! says Williams. On the day of his death, a fan wrote on Twitter, "Toasting the passing of the famous moonshiner Popcorn Sutton. It took his money, but didnt produce popcorn, eliciting a few swift blows from Sutton to crack open the machine. According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, she and her father spoke on the phone occasionally. There were so many doctors just jotting shit down on a piece of paper making herion legal in a pill form and they already new this. 4 mos. On November 9, 2010, Hank Williams Jr. partnered with 'J&M Concepts LLC' and Pam Sutton to distill and distribute a whiskey brand titled 'Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey.'. As part of his undercover investigation, an undercover federal officer discovered that Sutton had 500 gallons of moonshine in his possession. Released in 2008 and broadcast on 'CBS,' the documentary received a 'Southeast Emmy Award' in 2009. [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. 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. There arent any more not in his form or fashion, thats for sure., Julia Merchant contributed to this article. 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. [41], In December 2016, the Popcorn Sutton Distillery was sold to the Sazerac Company. and including a lot of other shit came in this country illegal. 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. Unfortunately, Sutton was not making enough money back then. Joe and Pam were not present for Kobe's final NBA game, nor were they in attendance for his jersey retirement ceremony in 2017. 'It was beyond surreal'When he pleaded guilty, it was his fifth conviction. He wore a long gray beard, faded overalls, checkered shirt and feathered fedora. Suttons money has been used to fund the production of moonshine and to support the people who make it. They aint no damn body that can beat me making likker. And, in the end, he chose to die rather than get beat. Where Is Pamela Anderson Now? Latest News On The 'Baywatch' Star According to filmmaker Neal Hutcheson, Sutton remains an intriguing figure. I remember the blood gushing everywhere, she says. Offers may be subject to change without notice. During a fire in one of Suttons properties in 2007, firefighters discovered a large cache of untaxed liquor hidden in the attic. Crime, whiskey & homemade sex machines: The life, death and legacy of Popcorn Sutton, Americas greatest moonshiner. 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. But this shit right here goes right back to the crooked shit that's been going on before I was born. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. In 2017, Sutton's Parrottsville estate caught fire. But with thousands of people, including then-Gov. While Sutton made his career out of this illegal trade, his rise to massive fame didnt happen until he was about 60 years old. 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. Popcorn Suttons real name is Marvin Sutton. This Diner had postcards of him for sale next to the cash register . 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. Popcorn Sutton did this in his capacity as the leader of Popcorn Sutton Inc. While unscrupulous moonshiners distilled their booze through antifreeze-caked radiator pipes (capable of killing a drinker), Popcorn used only new copper tubing. She underwent surgery and began her first round of chemotherapy. The boy's mother's boyfriend has admitted to beating the child and is expected to face additional charges Join Facebook to connect with Pam Sutton and others you may know. Pamela Sutton - Address & Phone Number | Whitepages 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. 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. He made his first film appearance in 2002, with Neal Hutcheson's documentary 'Mountain Talk.' [24] He had also prepared a footstone in advance for his gravesite, and for years he had kept it by his front porch and had kept his casket ready in his living room. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. 33 Years old foodie & cookie lover. Did you know anything about Popcorn Sutton that we missed? Damian Sutton, 2-year-old Mich. boy, dies after alleged beating from Additionally, Sutton had had a mental breakdown after being diagnosed with cancer. This is the Last Dam Run of Likker Ill Ever Make, The Greenbrier Gatlinburg: The best and most haunted restaurant in town, Dign Zone construction theme park coming soon to Sevierville TN, Is Mountain Monsters Real? For now, let's learn about Popcorn Sutton and his cause of death. "He tried every way in the world to get them (federal authorities) to leave him on house arrest," she said. Through it all, there was just one thing that guided him: his likker (as he liked to spell it). I can relate to that, as I am the same way. 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. "I just hope and pray they don't send me off (to prison).". While the series typically follows current moonshiners, part of the show features the late Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton. Pam Sutton is a much loved and valued member with the Inner West Police Area Command. The couple had been married for 25 years and had three children together. Pam Sutton had that steadfast determination and through her incredible penmanship, we can still see just how fast and who won and who . The states with the most moonshiners, on the other hand, are not among the top five for per capita moonshine production. Pam Sutton married Popcorn Sutton just two years before his death in 2007. The lawsuit was settled in 2014. 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. The charges also included tax evasion and transportation of an illegal substance. Pamela and Tommy had a whirlwind romance. Jack Daniels claimed they copied the label and design of their product in violation of its intellectual property. Popcorn Suttons wife, Maybelle, died in 2012 after a long illness. 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. Fans Want to Know Why 'Moonshiners' Star Tickle Was in Jail Again! Bill, who played guitar and harmonica on the show, died in early 2019 after a lengthy battle with cancer. His money was running out, and many of his friends, he lamented, had stopped coming around. Sutton could have gotten as much as 15 years in prison, but got off with a surprisingly light relatively speaking with just 18 months. He used the freshest white corn for his mash and the coldest, cleanest stream water. It will cost you between $30 and $40 in supplies, as well as time spent cooking and fermenting the corn. "[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. How Old - Age: 80. His wife reported that he had once told her that he would do this, rather than go to jail. Yale New Haven Health names Pamela Sutton-Wallace as COO - YNHHS They dated for a month before getting married. The lawsuit was settled in 2014 with undisclosed terms,[37] and as of May 2016, the Sutton brand's bottle design has been substantially changed. This led the firefighters to discover 650 gallons of untaxed alcohol. In 2009, he committed suicide to avoid going to jail, and because of his cancer diagnosis, he died. It was an absolute honor to meet him. He went to his grave in a pine casket he bought years ago and kept in a bedroom. In 1974, he was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and charged with multiple violations. Damian Sutton, 2, has died at a Detroit hospital after being taken off life support. Sutton committed suicide 2 years after their marriage. Popcorn lives on but now in a rural mountain in northern Tennessee. In March 2008, Sutton informed an undercover federal officer about the moonshine gallons in Tennessee and Maggie Valley, which he wanted to trade. Popcorn Sutton was a moonshiner who was born in Maggie Valley, North Carolina.