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. It took his money, but didnt produce popcorn, eliciting a few swift blows from Sutton to crack open the machine. Popcorn Sutton did this in his capacity as the leader of Popcorn Sutton Inc. 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. In 2017, Sutton's Parrottsville estate caught fire. The pulley consists of two ropes attached to a pair of Timberland boots, so that Pams legs could be more easily hoisted in the air. Pam St. Clement Birthday. According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, the states with the most illegal stills are Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama. "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. He would sell a gallon of alcohol for just 6 dollars. Despite being on probation, Popcorn defiantly refused to give up his trade. While Popcorn was under house arrest, motocross star Jamey Grosser showed up unannounced at the cabin one day. Since his death, a new company, as well as an associated whiskey brand, has been launched in his memory. i too would have enjoyed meeting old popcorn,he was and will always be the man the myth the legend that is popcorn marvin sutton, Our site produces editorial content for the purpose of entertainment. Among his many documentaries was one that won an Emmy for its portrayal of his unique personality. 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.". Sutton was in a live-in relationship with Ernestine Upchurch, who later helped him write his autobiography. Pam St. Clement was born on May 21, 1942 and is 80 years old now. His self-published autobiography, Me and My Likker, described the amazing journey of moonshine production. [3] [4] [5] He wrote a self-published . 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. Read Also: Is Moonshiners real? He always lived a death-before-dishonor kind of life." In addition to serving probation after being caught with over 650 gallons of moonshine, he was also convicted of selling alcohol without a license. However, on October 24, 2009, it was relocated to his property in Parrottsville, and a private memorial service was held. 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. Popcorns stuff wasnt just cleanit was so tasty that locals treasure their last mason jars of it to this day. Patsy Sutton, wife of Eddie Sutton, dies at 74 | RSN 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. At several points in my interviews, people would slip away and return with dusty jugs of Popcorns concoctions. 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. Pamela Sutton Profiles | Facebook Since his death, he has been honored with a new company and whiskey brand named after him. View the profiles of people named Pamela Sutton. Both his father and grandfather were police officers and his career has . Still, his name is synonymous with one of the countys greatest claims to fame: Real mountain moonshine. 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. Additionally, Sutton had had a mental breakdown after being diagnosed with cancer. He received the nickname of Popcorn after he attacked a faulty popcorn vending machine with a pool cue out of frustration. In 2007, a fire on Sutton's property in Parrottsville led to firefighters discovering 650 gallons of untaxed alcohol there, for which he was convicted and put on probation again by Cocke County authorities. Glass and Silversmithing Arts. Popcorn Sutton grew up in the South-Eastern Appalachian region of the United States, and he was born in Scotland. [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 some revile the folkloric status Popcorn has achieved, denouncing him as a common criminal, few can argue that Popcorn was a bridge to the past, a window on a vanishing part of Appalachian culture. Many moonshiners associate Popcorn Sutton with moonshine. So credit the federal government for my husband being dead, I really do," she said. Popcorns attire rarely varied: overalls, a flannel shirt and gray brimmed hat, occasionally adorned with a squirrel tail. The couple had been married for over 50 years and had three children together. She added that the prison sentence and a cancer diagnosis might have had influenced his decision. Don Sundquist, visiting for an annual homecoming event, Sutton decided to cook up some real sour mash and dispense it to the crowd in little paper cups. Irwin told Sutton to run nothing but water through it. Its a phrase he cut into his headstone when he was still alive. Sutton was convicted of tax evasion after his property was damaged by fire in 2007. They dated for a month before getting married. 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. He wasn't just a poor old moonshiner trying to make a few dollars.". Pamela Sutton We found 100+ records for Pamela Sutton in NY, MI and 41 other states. Pam Sutton, the wife of the late moonshiner Popcorn Sutton, has been left with a large sum of money following her husbands death. But he was also the sweetest, kindest, most loving man I ever met in my life.". She believes in elegance through simplicity, with designs that reflect harmony with nature and the occasional sly sense of humor. Newport Plain Talk, Cocke Countys local newspaper, originally reported the following arrests and convictions. 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. 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. IE 11 is not supported. But Popcorn had fallen on hard times and ended up drinking and talking with Grosser for days. 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 Kobe Bryant's Parents: Where Are They Now? | Heavy.com 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. DE, Popcorn Suttons XXX Tennessee White Whiskey can also be purchased in a mason jar. Popcorn Sutton poses with one of his moonshine stills (photo shared with permission from Sucker Punch Pictures). Told to report to prisonSutton's widow said he'd just gotten a letter to report Friday to a medium-security federal prison in south Georgia to begin an 18-month sentence for illegally producing distilled spirits and being a felon in possession of a gun. Sutton learned to make moonshine at an early age. In 2010, Hank Williams, Jr. announced a partnership with J.M. Crime, whiskey & homemade sex machines: The life, death and legacy of Popcorn Sutton, Americas greatest moonshiner. 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. She told the Associated Press (per NBC): "He couldn't go to prison. Sutton could have gotten as much as 15 years in prison, but got off with a surprisingly light relatively speaking with just 18 months. Sutton was born Marvin Sutton, on October 5, 1946, in the tiny town of Maggie Valley, North Carolina, to Bonnie and Vader. The life and persona of Marvin Popcorn Sutton, a world-famous moonshiner and North Carolina native, are known to all. Popcorn Sutton and his moonshine: 6 surprising facts (with pictures) The two made a deal to open Popcorn Sutton Distilling and sell his whiskey on the open market, taxes and all. . Read Also: Legend or lawbreaker: The real story of Popcorn Sutton. The fire tipped authorities off that Popcorn was still at it, and wasnt merely producing the occasionall jar here and there but cranking out hundreds of gallons. This led the firefighters to discover 650 gallons of untaxed alcohol. Jack Daniels claimed they copied the label and design of their product in violation of its intellectual property. Yale New Haven Health names Pamela Sutton-Wallace as COO - YNHHS 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. Where Is Tommy Lee Now? His Life After Pamela Anderson, Spouse So there my personal opinion. Whatever he earned from trading the barrels to Nick would go back into the next batch of products, and he would leave with little to spend on his household. 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.