Moonshiner 'Popcorn' Sutton laid to rest; widow blames government

The Knoxville News Sentinel ^ | 3/18, 2009 | DUNCAN MANSFIELD

[girlangler]

Moonshiner 'Popcorn' Sutton laid to rest; widow blames government

DUNCAN MANSFIELD, Associated Press Originally published 06:42 p.m., March 18, 2009 Updated 06:42 p.m., March 18, 2009 U.S. Marshals Service Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton Popcorn died as he lived, daughter says Johnny Knoxville interviews Popcorn Sutton Moonshiner's death being probed as likely suicide

KNOXVILLE - 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.

[girlangler]

I don't agree with the way he died (or blaming the govt. for that matter) if it was suicide. However, as the grandaughter of a moonshiner here in Tennessee (grandpa made it during Prohibition), and the daughter of a Daddy who ran shine in the 1950s (when this area was dry) I tip my hat to old Popcorn.

So, as a tribute, I am listening to Steve Earl sing "Copperhead Road."

The old independent mountaineer in this area is pretty much extinct, but there are still a few holdouts. Popcorn was a legend here.

[mylife]

Damned Rev’nooers

[girlangler]

Ping

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I will make a batch of Dandelion Wine this Spring in remembrance of Popcorn. :)

[girlangler]

Mama said her first words as a child, spoken while running through the woods, was “revennoor(sp) Daddy, Revenoor.”

That was when one of them rare and new fangled automobiles came up the road, which was a rare occassion in those days (LOL).

[girlangler]

Mama said her first words as a child, spoken while running through the woods, was “revennoor(sp) Daddy, Revenoor.”

That was when one of them rare and new fangled automobiles came up the road, which was a rare occassion in those days (LOL).

[girlangler]

Knew I was forgettin’ some folks ping!!!

[mylife]

I watched a show on the moonshiners a few months back that was very interesting

[kalee]

My Daddy’s cousin used to make dandelion wine.

[vetvetdoug]

McNairy County, Tennessee, still has moonshiners. Thunder Road is to me the quintessential moonshiner song. My Grandfather went to Cockrill Bend for moon shining in the 50's and 60's and was a close friend of Pusser.

[knews_hound]

R.I.P. Popcorn.

In case you are interested, there is a documentary about him and how he made 'Shine.




Cheers,

knewshound

Homebrewing 1A (Homebrewing for beginners)

Homebrewing 101 (for experienced Homebrewers)

[girlangler]

Yes, a LOT of old mountain men made moonshine up in these hills and hollows back in THOSE DAYS.

In the 1970s I was ginseng hunting in some woods on my first husband’s property, which had been in that family’s possession since a few years after the American Revolution.

There were these big craters in the ground, and I asked what they were. I was told they were used for stills.

My Grandpa made it in the 1930s, and he had the local sheriff as a good customer. He made good shine. If you aren’t (I mean weren’t) careful, you could get poisoned.

The sherif showed up at Grandpa’s once, and told him “Cecil, I’m going to have to take you to jail for about 24 hours. Those feds are snooping around, and I have to at least ACT like I’m helping to stop this unlawful activity.”

Grandpa went to jail for a few hours. And I am sure he made sure the sheriff had lots of shine after that (LOL).

My grandpa justified his shine making on the Great Depression. He only had a second grade education, but wrote the president a letter in longhand to complain about how “A man can’t get seeds to feed his family, so I’ll do what it takes.”

He did too.

[Grammy]

When we moved here in 1986 we found the remains of a still. Several years later, when the kids made it to the bottom of the hollow on the other side of our property, they found the remains of another one. Apparently this area was known for having moonshiners, even that recently.

I am sure my son will raise a glass in his honor.

[PGalt]

Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton...here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPuWX7d7yEw

and...here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nes5AXdwUWw&feature=related

Thanks to FReeper Tainan for the above links in this thread...here...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2208376/posts

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Bump for morning. :)

[jazusamo]

Very sad, really sorry to hear this. Popcorn seemed like a good man and a character from what I’ve read about him. I’ll raise a toast to salute him.

Thanks for the ping, Girl.

[microgood]

Well I guess the ATF can put another notch in their gunstock.

From The Fury: "What a culture cannot assimilate, it destroys."

RIP Popcorn Sutton.

[2harddrive]

Another victim of relentless Fed.gov prosecution of victimless crime.

[slumber1]

Geez - the guy was only looking at 18 months in medium security. Trading 18 months for eternity seems a bit extreme to me.

[girlangler]

I got a chuckle out of this (below) quote. I used to work for John Rice Irwin, WAY back in the 1970s when I was very young. He started out with a few original cabins and a (not working) still — a mini museum to show how hillbillies lived. This was in the days when the “Foxfire Series” came out, and EVERYBODY was interested in these legendary hillbillies. It is a renowned museum now.

There were movies, country music songs, etc., and all the hippies were into this. So, thought this was funny. I remember watching (in the 1970s) a bunch of hippies clogging, teaching classes on how to clog (heck, you drink a little shine and dance around, my family and folks here did it before it was cool)!!!!

Here’s the quote from current news reports:

John Rice Irwin, founder of the Museum of Appalachia in Norris, Tenn., recalled that Sutton made a still for the museum in the 1990s.

Irwin told Sutton to run nothing but water through it. But with thousands of people, including then-Gov. 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.

“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.

“I think most people have a warm feeling for him, but he bragged so much about (moonshining),” Irwin said. “And then he got into it in such a big way. He wasn’t just a poor old moonshiner trying to make a few dollars.”