Obit: moonshiner 'Popcorn' Sutton (March, 2009)

Subject: RE: Obit: moonshiner 'Popcorn' Sutton (March, 2009)
From: olddude
Date: 05 Sep 09 - 11:21 AM

Some of popcorn's buddies that like my song sent me some unpublished original photos of Popcorn. Joe if mudcat want to archive them just let me know and I will email them to you. He was pretty famous. The history channel had him featured one time .

Dan

popcorn1

popcorn2

popcorn3

popcorn4

popcorn5

Subject: RE: Obit: moonshiner 'Popcorn' Sutton (March, 2009)
From: olddude
Date: 09 Jul 09 - 03:05 PM

Here it is Joe, just a simple song but fun to play

             Lightning Road - Dan O'Connell

A moonlit highway, a dusty road, past the hollow at miners hill
The smell of whiskey, a heavy load , straight from Popcorn Sutton's still

Chorus:
You can say that the law will find me here one day, thats a story I been told
   Till that day, I'll drive the load and collect my pay. Running shine down' lighting road

Sheriff Barkley, and Deputy Joe, try and catch me if you can
I know the highway, every turn,   500 horsepower in my hand

Chorus:
You can say that the law will find me here one day, thats a story I been told
   Till that day, I'll drive the load and collect my pay. Running shine down' lighting road

In the hollow, the whiskey flows, he makes the finest in the land
In the forest, when darkness falls, so far away from the revenue man

Chorus:
You can say that the law will find me here one day, thats a story I been told
   Till that day, I'll drive the load and collect my pay. Running shine down' lighting road

Subject: RE: Obit:moonshiner Popcorn Sutton (March, 2009)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Jul 09 - 01:12 PM

Looks like Sutton died in March, 2009. There are video clips of Popcorn Sutton on YouTube, and I found an obituary at knoxnews.com:

Moonshiner 'Popcorn' Sutton may have committed suicide
By J.J. Stambaugh
Posted March 16, 2009 at 5:28 p.m.
NEWPORT, Tenn. — Nationally renowned moonshiner Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton died today in Cocke County and authorities are investigating his death as a possible suicide, a Cocke County official confirmed tonight.

Coroner Terry Jarnagin said that an autopsy will be performed Tuesday at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. He said a determination as to the manner of Sutton's death hasn't been made yet and authorities aren't planning on releasing further details tonight.

Sutton, 61, of Parrottsville, was soon expected to report to federal prison to serve an 18-month sentence for illegally brewing spirits and possessing a firearm as a felon, the U.S. Attorney's Office confirmed.

Sutton spent the last three decades building a reputation as one of the South's top makers of white lightning. He starred in various documentaries about the tradition and penned an autobiography, "Me and My Likker."

A raid last year on Sutton's property turned up guns, three 1,000-gallon stills, more than 800 gallons of moonshine and hundreds of gallons of sour mash and other ingredients, records show. He kept some of the illegal brew in a shed and some in a junk school bus.

Because of a July 2007 conviction on state charges triggered by a still explosion, Sutton was on probation in Cocke County when federal authorities raided his property. He also had prior convictions for moonshining and felony assault with a deadly weapon, court records show.

Sutton recently was sentenced to two concurrent 18-month terms by U.S. District Judge Ronnie Greer. He was also to spend three years on supervised release once he finished up the term.

Sutton's attorney, Tim Moore, couldn't immediately be reached for comment. Moore filed notice last month that he planned to appeal Sutton's case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

The Cocke County Sheriff's Office is investigating, officials said.

Dan, might you be willing to post the lyrics to your song?
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Obit: Popcorn Sutton
From: olddude
Date: 09 Jul 09 - 10:52 AM

No problem my brother, I know you have been crazy busy. I will catch up with ya for sure. Love the songs by the way.. will have your web done for ya sometime this weekend. yea popcorn had quite the following for sure. Wish I would have met it. great documentary on the history channel about the guy. He was certainly a throwback

Subject: RE: Obit: Popcorn Sutton
From: Jayto
Date: 09 Jul 09 - 10:37 AM

Ah man I hate hearing about that. He was a legend and a half without a doubt. I didn't know him but I knew all about him from stories folks would tell. Thanks for posting this. Oh yeah olddude I have been slammed and I am way behind on my emails. I am going to get caught up real soon man.
thanks brother
JT

Subject: RE: Obit: Popcorn Sutton
From: olddude
Date: 09 Jul 09 - 09:49 AM

Maeve
no not that I am aware of, I think JT (Jayto) knew him if I recall or one of his family met him. I was just fascinated with his documentary. A character to say the least and sometimes could be violent from what I read. The kind of stuff we do folk songs and stories about for sure. One of the throwbacks in a modern age

Subject: RE: Obit: Popcorn Sutton
From: maeve
Date: 09 Jul 09 - 09:43 AM

Did he ever get to hear you sing Lightning Road, Dan?

maeve

Subject: Obit: Popcorn Sutton
From: olddude
Date: 09 Jul 09 - 09:27 AM

Dang, just read that Popcorn Sutton passed away. He is the guy I wrote Lightning Road for .. greatest moonshiner who ever lived and a folk legend ...

Lightning Road

Dang, I said I was not going to ever do another Obit, but this guy was a true folk legend