THE MAN BEHIND THE ‘SHINE
DISTILLING TRADITION
black market materials, the number of stills confiscated is nearly nonexistent in Western North Carolina. “I’ve been here over eight years and have yet to see one still,” said Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran. But Bradford assures there is no shortage of bootleggers still operating in Southern Appalachia. He estimates hundreds of ‘shiners are cooking up their trademarks brews to this day, high up in the deep forests, far away from Main Street America. “There are more moonshiners out there
For every batch of moonshine he makes, Cody Bradford is distilling his lineage. The tradition of making ‘shine has been in his family for more than 150 years. The recipe remains the same, and it’s as strong and real as each generation of crafters. “It’s in my blood; it’s the whole reason I wanted to do this, to keep the tradition alive,” he said. “By learning about moonshine, you’re learning the history behind the hardworking people of these mountains. I want people to know what’s good moonshine and what’s not.” In 2010, Bradford opened the Howling Moon Distillery in Asheville. Putting out hundreds of gallons of moonshine, Bradford The 4th Annual Popcorn Sutton Summer Jam will be can’t keep up with demand, even from 4 to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. with the product only being sold in Saturday, Aug. 3, at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. Western North Carolina. Celebrating the life of the legendary moonshiner, the “Making liquor is the hardest event features live music, educational exhibits, food and job I’ve ever had,” he said. “And craft vendors, and appearances from stars of the reality doing it legally, I can pass along the show “Moonshiners,” among other activities. tradition without the fear anymore Music schedule for Friday is the Big Mouth Bass of getting caught.” Band (4 p.m.), The Bootleg Turn Band (5:15 p.m.), In a twist of fate, his wife’s greatMichelle Leigh Band (6:30 p.m.), Andy Buckner Band great uncle was the federal marshal (8:30 p.m.), and The Jake Cox Band (9:30 p.m.). shot by “King of the Moonshiners” Saturday will include The Hillbilly Outlaw Band (11:30 Lewis Redmond in 1876. a.m.), Morgan Stepp (12:45 p.m.), The Kaitlyn Baker “Moonshine isn’t about a bunch Band (2 p.m.), Ginny McAfee (3:45 p.m.), Hillbilly Bonez of hillbillies getting drunk,” he said. Band (4:30 p.m.), My Highway (6:15 p.m.), Michelle “It’s about people whose only surLeigh Band (8 p.m.), and Ail Randolph & the Outta Luck vival was brewing ‘shine. For me, Band (9:30 p.m.). brewing it is a thrill, and it’s part of Pre-sale tickets are $5, with day-of-show tickets who I am.” priced at $6. $1 from each ticket sold will go to Sarge’s In recent years, the image of the Animal Rescue Foundation in Popcorn’s name. bootlegger has increased through www.popcornsuttonjam.eventbrite.com. popular reality shows like “Moonshiners” and “Hillbilly Blood.” But still, how has the public fascina- today than I can count,” he said. “They’re tion with moonshiners remained so strong smarter these days; they don’t talk about it at through the generations? all, and they’ve survived.” “People like outlaws, whether it’s Al And the proof of their existence is in the Capone, Jesse James or Billy the Kid,” ‘shine. Just last month, sheriff deputies in Bradford said. “And moonshiners are the last Mitchell County (north of Asheville) seized real outlaws still out there.” more than 150 gallons of illegal moonshine in a raid on a production facility following a tip. not a common occurrence anymore, LOWING INTO MODERNITY but“It’s we still come across them once in a Moonshine arrests and convictions have while,” said Josh Sparks, chief deputy for drastically dropped in recent decades. With S EE ‘S HINE, PAGE 26 25 illegal trades shifting more to hard drugs and
Festival honors moonshine, Popcorn Sutton
Smoky Mountain News
Pam Sutton was working at a café in Parrottsville, Tenn., when a skinny, bearded man walked in. Adorned with a rolled cigarette hanging from his lips, trademark bib overalls, long sleeve plaid and floppy hat with a raccoon penis bone through the top, he looked at her and soon walked back out. “I knew who he was; I knew it was Popcorn,” she said. “He came down again the next day for some business with somebody, and he gave them a card to give me. It said, ‘Call me.’” From there, a romance blossomed. At the time, Popcorn resided in Parrottsville. He made every effort to win over Pam’s heart. It was a notion many aware of his legend may have been surprised by. “Personally, he was a very caring, loving man,” Pam said. “He was totally different with me than in public — he treated me like a queen. He was a very romantic guy, and you wouldn’t think that by looking at him.” The couple was married for two years before Popcorn committed suicide to avoid
spending what arguably would have been the rest of his life in prison, given his poor health at the time. In his final years, he was setting the foundation to make his longtime illegal practice legal by starting his own licensed business. But, he’d never see the fruits of his labors. In his honor, Pam has taken the reins and created “Popcorn Sutton’s Tennessee White Whiskey.” The company brings together Pam, J&M Concepts LLC and outlaw country musician Hank Williams Jr., who was a fan of Popcorn’s moonshine and wanted to continue the tradition. “Moonshine keeps our culture here in Southern Appalachia alive; it’s our history. It’s how people made a living in these mountains, and it keeps Popcorn’s memory alive,” Pam said. In its fourth year, the Popcorn Sutton Summer Jam, a.k.a. “Hillbilly Woodstock,” is held at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. The event is Aug. 2-3. Starting as a grassroots get-together of a couple hundred people, the festival has grown to more than 4,000 attendees, according to promoters.
Courtesy of Pam Sutton
July 31-Aug. 6, 2013
During America’s infancy, distillers were able to practice their trade legally, making liquors to not only consume but for trade, medicine and seemingly everything in between. All walks of life from farmers to the President of United States purchased, consumed and enjoyed spirits. It was an honorable and sacred profession, one that was left alone for decades during the nation’s development. But, that all changed with the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791. According to the Library of Congress, in an effort to increase the power of the government and pay off state debts from the Revolutionary War, U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton introduced a new tax on people who made and used whiskey as a means of exchange. The tax sparked a protest, one that was “against taxation without local representation.” The feuding hit a head in 1794 with protesters attacking the home of a tax inspector who was serving writs to people who hadn’t adhered to paying the tax. President George Washington sent peace commissioners, with thousands of militia later being deployed to quell the rebellion. The suppression showcased a change in the new nation where resistance could be thwarted by the government. The tax was eventually repealed when President Thomas Jefferson came to office in 1801. Following the Civil War, another tax on spirits was enacted by the federal government to once again pay for the cost of battle. Already physically and economically devastated by the war, the
Pam Sutton and Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton on their wedding day. arts & entertainment
‘Shining a light on history
Confederate States of America felt they couldn’t take another financial blow by allowing the tax in the years during Reconstruction. “Making moonshine was the primary way people paid their taxes. It was a dependable thing for a cash crop when a lot of these agricultural families of the South couldn’t rely on their farms every year,” said Dan Pierce, UNCAsheville history professor and author of Corn From A Jar. Dan Pierce “Making and transDonated photo porting liquor was cheaper and more profitable than growing corn. But, by the 1870s, the government started cracking down on the production.” If a distiller did pay tax on their product, they were legally allowed to keep brewing. But, for small-time farmers and producers, the tax ate up too much of their profit to justify making the liquor. “Liquor was a poor farmer’s hedge,” Pierce said. “When agriculture in this area went down in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, these distillers relied more and more on making moonshine to get by.” Though a temperance movement to ban alcohol has early roots in this country, it gained significant momentum at the turn of the 20th century. By 1918, Congress passed the 18th Amendment to the Constitution – an action that prohibited the manufacture, transport and sale of alcohol. “Prohibition” was finally repealed in 1933, after years of heightened crime, violence and protest due to the controversial laws.
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