[20] Mrs. Sutton said, "He called it his three-jar car because he gave three jugs of liquor for it. 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? 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. Yes, I do, Grosser replied.Then come on in. Pam St. Clement was born on May 21, 1942 and is 80 years old now. Beside his grave is a marker that reads, Popcorn said [f] you.. Lawlessness around here still persists, with poverty, crystal meth, and alcoholism rampant. 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.'. 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. 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. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her. Pass the Mountain Dew! Read Also: Legend or lawbreaker: The real story of Popcorn Sutton. The four-word epitaph sums up how he felt about his life, his death, and his legacy:Popcorn said fuck you.Show me more booze.Head over to the girl galleries. Sutton was found at the age of 62 in his parked green Ford Fairmont with the engine running. His white lightning wasnt just potent and sweetit was illegal. 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. "All the rest of them that I know are dead," Sutton said in the profane, not-for-primetime clip. Moonshining was legal in the United States for the first time a year after his death. Pretty dam sad if you ask me. by Loyola Martinez | Feb 25, 2023 | Popcorn. This is likely the event that spurred the internets 1983 search. "He was a true moonshiner," his widow added. The two made a deal to open Popcorn Sutton Distilling and sell his whiskey on the open market, taxes and all. [38], In 2014, Popcorn Sutton Distilling opened a new distillery in Newport, Tennessee, the county seat of Cocke County. Joe and Pam were not present for Kobe's final NBA game, nor were they in attendance for his jersey retirement ceremony in 2017. moonshine is still a popular drink in the region, and visitors can still taste it. Sutton was convicted multiple times for selling moonshine without a license. In addition to serving probation after being caught with over 650 gallons of moonshine, he was also convicted of selling alcohol without a license. We have a lot of people come to Maggie Valley that want to meet Popcorn.. He came from a long line of moonshiners, so bootlegging and moonshining have been his calling since he arrived on Earth. In 1985, he was convicted again for a felony assault with a weapon with intent, for which he received another three-year sentence. The epitaph on his footstone reads "Popcorn Said Fuck You".[14][25]. Popcorn Sutton was married to Pam Sutton. Pam Sutton married Popcorn Sutton just two years before his death in 2007. So he Wooped the hell out of it with a pool stick. Pam Sutton was born in 1951 in the small town of Maggie Valley, North Carolina. [35] According to press reports, Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey would be initially distributed in Tennessee and throughout the southeast. Moreover, she is also not on social media which makes it further difficult to track down her life at present. While Popcorn was under house arrest, motocross star Jamey Grosser showed up unannounced at the cabin one day. I can relate to that, as I am the same way. Many moonshiners associate Popcorn Sutton with moonshine. 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. Facebook gives people the power to share. But this shit right here goes right back to the crooked shit that's been going on before I was born. He was handed down light charges at the time, netting nothing more than probation. On March 16, 2009, Sutton committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. Popcorn Suttons legal fight to legalize moonshine resulted in his suicide and subsequent criminal prosecution, but it was his legal fight to legalize the spirit that led to his death. 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. At several points in my interviews, people would slip away and return with dusty jugs of Popcorns concoctions. Haywood mans presidential pardon reveals systemic inequities, Town of Waynesville will pursue staggered terms for aldermen, SCC grad inspires latest New Century Scholars. Popcorn Suttons real name is Marvin Sutton. Popcorn had just one question for the stranger. Join Facebook to connect with Pamela Sutton and others you may know. In 2012, Hillbilly Hero and Tom Wilson Jester teamed up to release a photographic book about Sutton, 'The Making and Marketing.' Inspired by the story, Grosser suggested they partner on a distillery and sell Popcorns moonshine legally. If you are going to produce moonshine, you must carefully follow his recipe and instructions. Box 629, Waynesville, NC 28786 828.452.4251. As part of his undercover investigation, an undercover federal officer discovered that Sutton had 500 gallons of moonshine in his possession. As one legislator put it, The law is not making legal someone who wants to open a distillery in their barn. My favorite place of hanging out, how not the kitchen! 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. 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. We were deeply saddened to learn of JB Raders and Bill Owens deaths. My mother-in-law Pam Sutton suffered a massive stroke on 9/15/22. My deputies wouldnt bother him, Moore, a clean-cut retiree in a pink polo shirt, tells me. Sutton could have gotten as much as 15 years in prison, but got off with a surprisingly light relatively speaking with just 18 months. Though distilling moonshine is illegal, that doesn't stop the Discovery Channel from glorifying the concept in its docudrama series Moonshiners. Her husbands whiskey was produced and sold by Hank Williams Jr. and she began selling it as a stand-alone product in 2010. The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. He was 62 years old. Sutton also had a daughter by the name of Sky Sutton. Some view him as a folk hero. It is critical to follow his instructions and recipe in order to produce a moonshine that has the same flavor and characteristics as him. Pam was a loving wife and mother who was always there for her family. Pam Sutton, the wife of the late moonshiner Popcorn Sutton, has been left with a large sum of money following her husbands death. Popcorn Suttons wife, Maybelle, died in 2012 after a long illness. He became well-known as a liquor king well into his 60s. They dated for a month before getting married. Then he cut on the engine and leaned back in his seat. With all his knowledge about shine and his love for animals, especially cats, that makes him number one in my book. Both his father and grandfather were police officers and his career has . Sutton was sentenced to 18 months in prison in January 2009 for tax evasion. Authorities suspected carbon monoxide poisoning. From back rooms to barrooms, locals tell me sordid tales of Popcorns violent temper. An incident report filed by the Cocke County Sheriffs Department says that Sutton was discovered dead in his 1982 Ford Fairmont when his wife, Pam Sutton, returned from running errands. Several seasons ago, Cutie Pie almost died after getting bit by a snake while exploring a possible still site with Josh, who had to rush her to the nearest veterinarian office. His estranged daughter Sky Sutton, 35, of Northampton, Mass., had just completed a book about him, titled "Daddy Moonshine," the day he died. 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. It was said he did this to avoid the federal prison term that was supposed to start a few days later. The new law wasnt enacted to honor Popcorns legend, though. An incident report filed by the Cocke County Sheriff's Department says that Sutton was discovered dead in his 1982 Ford Fairmont when his wife, Pam Sutton, returned from running errands. In 1974, he was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and charged with multiple violations. is pam sutton still alive. Newport Plain Talk, Cocke Countys local newspaper, originally reported the following arrests and convictions. A few hours earlier she had buried Sutton, 62, in a private ceremony in the mountains around Haywood County, N.C., where he grew up. He gained fame as a moonshiner and bootlegger in the United States at a time when illicit businesses were the norm. On Monday, she came home from running errands and found him dead in his old Ford. Suttons money has been used to fund the production of moonshine and to support the people who make it. He committed suicide in 2009 as a result of cancer treatment. Although he passed away a few years before the show premiered, the series used previous documentary footage shot by director Neal Hutcheson for his own films, allowing fans to see the legendary moonshiner in his natural habitat. Sutton Popcorn Company retains their original use of this name. "I just hope and pray they don't send me off (to prison).". Stanley was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 as a member of . Whether people associate his name with criminal or star, no one can deny he's one of the only Cocke County, Tenn., residents to rise to fame. 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. This led the firefighters to discover 650 gallons of untaxed alcohol. after being convicted of offenses related to moonshining and illegal firearm possession. View the web story version of this article here. People had to make a living somehow back then I guess. 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. And Fontes, despite angering some locals for busting Popcorn, eventually became sheriff, a post he maintains today. Someone of means is going to have to step up. It was an absolute honor to meet him. People in the community didnt know how close we was, and I wouldnt tell em, Moore admits. The couple had been married for 25 years and had three children together. On November 9, 2010, Hank Williams Jr. announced his partnership with J&M Concepts LLC and widow Pam Sutton to distill and distribute a brand of whiskey named after Sutton that was asserted to follow his legacy. Pam Sutton. The life and persona of Marvin Popcorn Sutton, a world-famous moonshiner and North Carolina native, are known to all. Jim Tom, his moonshine, was estimated to be worth more than $20 million. The total weight of the ingredients is 143 pounds (65.2 kilograms), with cracked corn accounting for 65.1 kilograms and granulated sugar accounting for 76 kilograms. Click here to find personal data about Pamela Sutton including phone numbers, addresses, directorships, electoral roll information, related property prices and other useful information. However, prior to his death, she had not seen him in years. This Diner had postcards of him for sale next to the cash register . Shit that kills a whole other generation. [40] The CEO of Popcorn Sutton Distilling is Megan Kvamme. In 2007, 'The History Channel' featured Sutton's next documentary, 'Hillbilly: The Real Story.' Back then, he lived on Snowbird Mountain. 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. This is one of the internets most popular searches about Sutton. However, she and her father were not very close. What To Know About the Shows Creatures, Is the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Worth It? Sutton also produced a home video of the same name, which he released on VHS tape. One night I sit outside the Cocke County fire station, near Popcorns home in Parrotsville, Tennessee, swigging apricot moonshine with the fire chiefs stout, gray-haired wife. His self-published autobiography, Me and My Likker, described the amazing journey of moonshine production. His most recent conviction for selling over 650 gallons of moonshine resulted in him being placed on probation. 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