Season three is here, and this time we are taking a deep dive into the history of moonshiners! A topic selected by the listeners, this season will explore the stories of moonshiners from their origin to more modern-day examples of those keeping this illicit tradition alive. In this opening episode, Kenyon covers some basics: what is moonshine? How did moonshiners come into existence? Why is illicit liquor called moonshine, anyway? Is the moonshiner a simple criminal or a loveable trickster? Take a listen, and I hope you enjoy as we kick off this new season!
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Sources:
Emily D. Edwards, “Moonshiners and the Media: The Twenty-First Century Trickster,” in Modern Moonshine: The Revival of White Whiskey in the Twenty-First Century, edited by Cameron D. Lippard and Bruce E. Stewart (West Virginia University Press, 2019).
Jason Ezell, “Entrepreneurial Family Values and the Modern Moonshiner: Appalachian Craft Distilling beyond its Neoliberal Frame,” in Modern Moonshine: The Revival of White Whiskey in the Twenty-First Century, edited by Cameron D. Lippard and Bruce E. Stewart (West Virginia University Press, 2019).
Man Garrone, “The History of Alcohol Proof – And Why So Many Spirits Are Still 40%,” Distiller (November 20, 2025).
Jamie Joyce, Moonshine: a cultural history of America’s infamous liquor (2014).
Kevin Kosar, Moonshine: a global history (2017).
Benjamin Rush, “Dr. Benjamin Rush's Journal of a Trip to Carlisle in 1784,” edited by L. H. Butterfield, The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 74, No. 4 (Oct., 1950).
Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne
Theme music: \"Southern Gothic\" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer
Also featuring:
“Mountain Dew,” Bascom Lamar Lunsford
Additional featured music (from Pixabay):
“John Barleycorn,” JuliusH
“Pirate Action (acoustic),” Ebunny
“Wise Old Travelling Cowboy,” UniqueCreativeAudio
“Dark Guitar Atmosphere,” Danilov_Mixing
“Maple Leaf Rag,” by Scott Joplin, performed by Art_Roseman
“Barrel House,” Grumpynora
“Hip Hop Orchestra,” _Music_for_Creators_