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The Untold Truth About ‘Moonshiners’ Star – Jim Tom Hedrick

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• Jim Tom Hedrick is an American moonshiner, singer and reality TV star, born in 1940 in North Carolina.
• He left school at an early age and had a variety of jobs, eventually learning the process of making moonshine.
• He gained fame appearing on the Discovery Channel's show "Moonshiners".
• He has released country songs and has an estimated net worth of $100,000.
• He has a deep southern accent and has been featured in various music videos and documentaries.

Jim Tom Hedrick is an American moonshiner, singer and reality TV star, born on 25 December 1940, in Robbinsville, North Carolina USA. He’s known for appearing in the Discovery Channel’s show “Moonshiners”.

Early Life

Marvin ‘Jim Tom’ Hedrick grew up in Graham County. Although there’s no information about his childhood, family and education, it’s known that he left school at an early age, and so started working when he was 15 years old.

Career

Different Jobs

Marvin Hedrick had many different jobs during his youth. Although his principal job was as a plumber, he also worked as electrical technician, radio operator, and the job he hated the most to do: car maintenance.

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Moonshiner Profession

There’s no information on who taught Hedrick the process of creating moonshine, though it’s assumed he learned it from a local distiller in the Appalachian Mountains in his early twenties.

Hedrick has worked as moonshiner for almost 60 years, and his specialty is Unaged Rye, winning several awards for it including a bronze medal from American Distilling Institute, silver medals from LA International Spirits Competition and Beverage Testing Institute, a gold medal in San Francisco World Spirits Competition and obtained double gold in Fifty Best.

When Marvin became known as “Jim Tom” is indefinite, though it’s speculated he adopted the nickname as his popularity as a Moonshiner increased in his native North Carolina.

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Media Appearances

Jim Tom’s first media appearance was in “Mountain Talk” in 2004, directed by Neal Hutcheson. In this documentary, the audience gets to know the culture and dialect of Southern Appalachia, along with their people’s good humor, music and distilled spirits traditions.

In 2009 Jim Tom appeared in “Shine”, the music video by Matt Stillwell filmed at Fontana Village in Graham, North Carolina; Hedrick participated in 2012’s short “Squzz Corn N’ Ole Scratch” as well.

Moonshiners – TV Show

Centered on illegal producers of Moonshine located in Appalachian Mountains, Discovery Channel premiered this documentary-drama series in 2011, though it was only during show’s second season in 2012 that Jim Tom Hedrick made his first appearance.

Although the show centers on distillers’ efforts to produce moonshine evading law, authorities have claimed there’s no actual production of liquor in the show: ‘If illegal activity was actually taking place, the Virginia ABC Bureau of Law Enforcement would have taken action’.

Authorities of Virginia also declared that “Moonshiners” is misleading its audience, falsely making them believe illicit activities pertaining to distilling are overlooked by police. Discovery Channel has refuted these allegations, assuring everything seen in the show is real, denying its dramatic nature.

In despite of this, “Moonshine” has been a popular show for years, and Jim Tom Hedrick was highly admired by fans for his unforgettable and charismatic personality.

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This led him to become a local celebrity in his native South Carolina, where copper stills in miniature autographed by him are being sold.

In 2016, however, Jim Tom Hedrick stop appearing in the series for reasons unknown.

Singer

Jim Tom’s a country musician as well. His most famous work, part of “Moonshiners” soundtrack is “Golly that’s Good”, sung by him in collaboration with My Highway.

Why is Moonshine Illegal?

Despite its popularity, Moonshine – commonly known as white whisky, mash liquor or white lightning – it’s illegal to be produced. This liquor is traditionally created by illicit, homemade distilleries, and gets its name in reference to the conditions it was originally made in: underground or under the “moon light”.

Moonshine also plays an important role in Southern history, going back as far as 1791, when protests started as a response to George Washington’s Congress taxing alcohol. Farmers were deeply affected by this law, as many of them became distillers when unable to market and sell all of their grain, and chose instead to refine it to produce various alcoholic beverages, obtaining their principal income from it.

Widely distributed and with the highest consumption rates of the time, whisky’s market was the most affected, so the movement acquired the name “The Whisky Rebellion”, taking place in various states such as Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and of course South Carolina.

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The uprising was suppressed by government forces after it became an armed rebellion in 1974, though the tax decree was annulled in 1801.

In 1861 however, another “whisky tax” was instituted during the Civil War causing distillers to hide their activities once again to evade taxes. Moonshiners came to exist as a result of this situation.

In the early 1900s, the consumption of Moonshine increased exponentially, as alcohol was made illegal in many places, particularly during the period of prohibition from 1920 to 1933. Having this immense growth on demand, distillers opted for distilling large amounts of moonshine without taking into consideration its quality.

For this reason, moonshine and other illicit liquors were contaminated by various factors related to its production process, resulting in serious health problems for consumers, including poisoning.

Nowadays homemade distilleries are strictly prohibited not only in US but also in many countries, as they have been deemed dangerous for evading sanitary regulations, causing prejudicial consequences in many cases.

Moonshine is only permitted to be made by registered distilleries, therefore Hedrick has partnered with Sugarlands Distilling Co., to commercialize his own brand of this alcoholic beverage.

Personal Life

There’s not much personal information about Jim Tom.

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His relationships, possible children and other family are unknown, as he prefers to stay away from social media. However, it’s known that he was married at least two times in his youth.

Despite the lack of information, Hedrick has shared some aspects of his past adventures in various interviews during the show “Moonshiners”.

In 1962 Jim suffered an accident on Halloween night while riding a Starliner 390 bike. He was left with a broken leg and a serious head injury after hitting a Ford Station Wagon at 115mph, allegedly flying through the air for 300 feet. Fortunately he survived said accident, and feverously narrates the story now.

In his youth he was locked up several times, and in 2015 he held DUIs record in North Carolina.

Net Worth

Jim Tom Hedrick has an estimated net worth of $100,000 as of 2020, which is a result of his work as moonshiner and as reality TV star.

Physical Appearance

Jim Tom Hedrick is a man of white ethnicity, with blue eyes and white hair, which was speculated to be blond in his youth. Regardless of his old age, he’s a healthy man with a slender build who is approximately 5ft 9ins (1.75m) tall.

Interesting Facts

His bio on SugarLands.com describes him as ‘legendary moonshiner, master storyteller, and still maker’.

Discovery Channel’s official YouTube Channel shared a video of Jim Tom being asked the things he can’t live without, to which he answered: ‘The women. Now, you just can’t hardly make it without them. Now I get around. People don’t know that I get around. Yes sir. Women and booze. Ain’t never been nothing that matches like that together.’

Jim Tom allegedly partied a lot during his youth, once waking up in a tent with two women he didn’t know.

Despite his age, Jim Tom drives a 50cc Cruiser Chopper bike.

Even before his appearances in “Moonshiners”, he was already popular in his hometown. However, it was the show that made him well known across the country, but regardless of his fame, he remains humble.

He has a deep, characteristically southern accent, hence he was subtitled during his appearances in “Moonshiners”, as it was hard to understand his words for non-native English speakers and people from other states.

Though his most famous song is “Golly that’s Good”, he released many other country songs during his time as a radio operator.

As the Managing Editor at The Legit, I direct a dynamic team dedicated to creating rich content that profiles the lives and accomplishments of influential figures. My commitment to detail and storytelling drives the production of biographies that truly engage our audience. I manage all aspects of the editorial process, from conducting thorough research to crafting vivid narratives, all while ensuring the accuracy and quality of our work. At The Legit, our goal is to offer our readers comprehensive profiles that provide deep insights into the realms of business, entertainment, and more. Through diligent research and engaging storytelling, we highlight the exceptional journeys and achievements of those who both inspire and intrigue us.

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1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Roy

    February 6, 2021 at 2:37 am

    Just bought a jar of Sugarland’s “Jim Tom’s rye” whisky. 100 proof of smooth tasty white whisky. Thank you Jim Tom

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Actors

The Truth Why Pauley Perrette Left “NCIS” and Her Future Plans

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Who is Pauley Perrette?

American actress, producer, director and singer Pauley Perrette was born in New Orleans, Louisiana USA, on 27 March 1969, making Aries her zodiac sign. She’s appeared in over 50 TV series and movies, but is known best for starring as Abby Sciuto in 354 episodes (2003-2018) of the crime action series “NCIS”, which today stars Mark Harmon, Sean Murray and David McCallum, and was created by Don McGill and Donald P. Bellisario. The series has been airing since 2003, follows the work of the Major Case Response Team in Washington, D. C. and has won 27 of its 71 award nominations.

Pauley stated on 7 June 2019 that she quit “NCIS” because she was terrified of her former colleague Mark Harmon, and that she had been physically assaulted multiple times on set.

Education and early life

Pauley and her family lived in more than 10 US states while she was growing up, mostly because of her father’s (undisclosed) job; she’s highly secretive when it comes to her mother and father, thus not sharing many details about them, but it’s believed that Pauley’s father worked for the FBI.

She grew up dreaming of becoming either an FBI agent, a rock ‘n’ roll musician or a veterinarian. Pauley matriculated from high school in 1987 and then enrolled at Valdosta State University in Georgia; she eventually transferred to John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, from which she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in 1991.

Some of the jobs she did prior to launching her career as an actress were a dinner cruise boat cook, bartender and waitress.

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Roles in TV series

Pauley’s debut TV series role was playing Shannon in the 1994 episode “Magical Make-Over” of the adventure comedy “ABC Afterschool Specials”, and she only gained recognition in 1997, with her portrayal of Gwen in 10 episodes of the popular crime mystery “Murder One”, created by Steven Bochco and Charles H. Eglee, and which starred Mary McCormack, Michael Hayden and J. C. MacKenzie. It follows the life of prominent defense lawyer Theodore Hoffman, the series aired from 1995 through 1997 and won 15 of its 33 award nominations. The remainder of the ‘90s saw Pauley appear in an episode or two of the adventure comedy “Early Edition”, the comedy “Frasier” and another comedy “The Drew Carey Show”.

In 2001 and 2002, she played Alice Cramer in the action crime comedy “Special Unit 2”, created by Evan Katz, and which starred Michael Landes, Alexondra Lee and Richard Gant; it follows detectives Nick O’Malley and Kate Benson as they’re trying to hide the existence of mythological creatures Links from the public. Pauley had only a couple of other TV series roles in the decade, appearing in an episode or two of the crime action “24”, the crime mystery “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”, and the crime action “JAG”.

In 2016, she voiced Nickleby in the popular animated comedy “Fantasy Hospital”; it starred Pete Holmes, Kunal Nayyar and Emma Caulfield Ford, and follows wizards, fairies and dwarves as they’re running a hospital together. Pauley’s since appeared in only two TV series: she played Robin in the 2017 episode “Night IV: Part VI and VII” of the drama mini-series “When We Rise”, and the lead character Jackie in all the 13 episodes of the 2020 comedy “Broke”.

Roles in movies

Pauley’s debut film role was playing Renee in the 1997 romantic drama “The Price of Kissing”, and the following year saw her star in the short comedy movies “Hand on the Pump” and “Hoofboy”.

In 2000, Pauley appeared as Alice Wisdom in the critically acclaimed adventure comedy “Almost Famous”, which Cameron Crowe wrote and directed, and which starred Kate Hudson, Patrick Fugit and Billy Crudup. Set in the first half of the ‘70s, the film follows a teenager as he’s accompanying a rock ‘n’ roll band on their tour, and it won 55 of its 158 award nominations, including an Oscar nomination for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. A couple of Pauley’s following roles were in the 2001 romantic comedy “My First Mister”, the crime action “Red Skies” and the  horror mystery “The Ring”, both in 2002.

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In 2003, she voiced Female Lover Bear in the critically acclaimed animated adventure comedy “Brother Bear”, which Robert Walker and Aaron Blaise directed, and which starred Rick Moranis, Jeremy Suarez and Joaquin Phoenix. It follows an Inuit hunter who’s needlessly killed a bear, and has now been magically transformed into one; the movie won two of its 25 award nominations, including an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. Some of Pauley’s roles in the remainder of the decade were in the 2004 short drama “A Moment of Grace”, the 2006 crime comedy “Potheads: The Movie” and the 2009 short drama “To Comfort You”.

In 2012, she played Mom in the thriller “I Am Bad”, while her most recent film role has been voicing both Delilah Domino and The Crimson Witch in the animated adventure comedy “Scooby-Doo! And Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery”.

Other credits

Pauley voiced Lucy Devlin in the 1997 video game “Blade Runner”.

She produced and directed the 2013 biographical historical documentary movie “Citizen Lane”, while she also produced the 2015 family documentary movie “An Act of Love”, the 2019 short film “The German King”, and three episodes of the 2020 comedy series “Broke”.

Pauley received special thanks for the 2007 short film “NCIS: Cast Roundtable”, the 2012 short horror series “Project: Phoenix”, and the 2023 documentary movie “Commitment to Life”.

Some of her most recent talk-show appearances have been in “48 Hours”, “The Talk” and “Entertainment Tonight”.

Awards and nominations

Pauley won a Best Female Performance Award for Short Film Drama at the 2010 Beverly Hills Film Festival, for her performance in “To Comfort You”.

She’s been nominated for five other awards, including three People’s Choice Awards for her performance in “NCIS” in 2014, 2016 and 2017, and two Behind the Voice Actors Awards for “Superman vs. The Elite” and “Scooby-doo! And Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery”.

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Love life and husband

Pauley’s been married once, and has become engaged twice. Her husband was Canadian actor and musician Francis ‘Coyote’ Shivers; the two married in 2000 and divorced in 2006. Pauley was granted a restraining order against Coyote, as he’d allegedly subjected her to sexual, emotional and physical abuse while they were married.

She then began dating American cameraman Michael Bosman, and the two became engaged in June 2008, but split in 2010. In December 2011, Pauley revealed that she and former British Royal Marine Thomas Arklie had become engaged. The two haven’t married, as they’ve promised not to exchange vows until the 2008 California Proposition 8 is invalidated; the proposition aims to ban same-sex marriage.

Pauley’s engaged to Thomas Arklie as of April 2023, was married to Francis ‘Coyote’ Shivers, and doesn’t have children.

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Interesting facts and hobbies

Pauley donated $10,000 to the city of Prattville, Alabama, to be given to the person who offers information that would lead to catching the killer of Shannon Paulk; she also donated $10,000 to the city of Detroit, Michigan to be given to those who provided information regarding the disappearance and possible murder of seven-year-old girl Raven Jeffries.

She’s a philanthropist, and supports various charitable organizations including LGBT right groups, the American Red Cross, and animal rescue organizations.

A homeless man assaulted Pauley on 12 November 2015, in front of her Hollywood Hills house; she didn’t press charges.

In September 2021, Pauley suffered a stroke.

She has her own favorite actresses, Meryl Streep and Kate Winslet, and some of her favorite movies include “Heavenly Creatures”, “Little Children” and “The Devil Wears Prada”.

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Height, eyes and wealth

Pauley’s age is 54. Her eyes are green and hair’s black, she’s 5ft 10ins (1.78m) tall and weighs about 150lbs (68kgs).

Pauley’s net worth’s been estimated at over $22 million, as of April 2023, most of which she earned by starring in “NCIS”.

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Actors

What is Jasmine Guy doing now? About Her Age, Net Worth, Bio

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Who is Jasmine Guy?

American actress, singer and dancer Jasmine Guy was born in Boston, Massachusetts USA, on 10 March 1962, making Pisces her zodiac sign. She’s had roles in more than 80 TV series and movies, but is probably still known best for starring as Whitley Gilbert in all the 144 episodes of the comedy “A Different World”, which Bill Cosby created, and which also starred Kadeem Hardison and Lisa Bonet. It follows the students attending an historically Black University, the series aired from 1987 through 1993, and won 17 of the 28 awards for which it was nominated.

Jasmine is still highly active in the movie industry, and is currently shooting for the upcoming films “A Wesley Christmas Wedding”, and “Not Another Church Movie”.

Education and early life

Jasmine was raised in Atlanta, Georgia by her Caucasian mother Jaye Rudolph who was a high school teacher, and black father Reverend William Guy who was a pastor at the Friendship Baptist Church; Jasmine’s sister Monica Guy’s also an actress, but is perhaps only known for playing Danielle in the 1992 episode “Community Action” of the comedy series “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”.

Jasmine studied at Northside Performing Arts High School, and was into a number of activities during her time there, mostly acting and dancing. Upon matriculating in 1979, aged 17, Jasmine moved to New York City, and enrolled at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center.

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Roles in TV series

Jasmine’s debut TV series role was playing Dancer in two episodes of the 1982 musical drama “Fame”, and the remainder of the decade saw her appear in two other series: the crime action “The Equalizer”, and the drama “At Mother’s Request”.

From 1995 through 1997, Jasmine portrayed Kathleen in the popular family fantasy “Touched by an Angel”, which John Masius created, and which starred Jon Dye, Roma Downey and Della Reese. It tells the story of three angels who’ve been sent to Earth by God, the series aired from 1994 through 2003 and won 28 of its 88 award nominations. Jasmine could then have been seen appearing in an episode or two of the comedy “Malcolm & Eddie”, the drama “Any Day Now”, and the comedy “Ladies Man”.

In 2003 and 2004, she portrayed Roxy Harvey, one of the main characters in the fantasy comedy “Dead Like Me”, created by Bryan Fuller, and which also starred Ellen Muth and Callum Blue. It follows a temporary clerk who’s been killed by a toilet seat which fell from the space station Mir, and has now become a grim reaper; the series was nominated for 10 awards. Some of Jasmine’s roles in the remainder of the decade were in an episode or two of the animated adventure comedy “Cyberchase” (voice role), the family fantasy comedy “That’s So Raven”, and the comedy mini-series “Hillman College Reunion Week”.

Her following notable performance was playing Mattaline in three episodes in 2014-2015 of the romantic drama “If Loving You Is Wrong”, which Tyler Perry created, and which starred Edwina Findley, Heather Hemmens and April Parker Jones. It follows the lives of five married couples who live in the same street, and the series aired from 2014 through 2020.

Jasmine’s three most recent roles in TV series have been in the 2022 episode “Hot in Here” of the drama “Tales”, the 2023 episode “Wanna Get Away?” of the action “Chronicles of Jessica Wu”, and eight episodes of the 2023 comedy “Harlem”.

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Roles in movies

Jasmine made her debut film appearance in the popular 1988 musical comedy “School Daze”, which Spike Lee wrote and directed, and which starred Laurence Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito and Tisha Campbell. It follows a not-so-popular teenager who wants to join his university’s popular fraternity – the movie was nominated for an Image Award for Outstanding Motion Picture.

Some of Jasmine’s following roles were in the 1989 family drama “Runaway”, the 1992 drama “Stompin’ at the Savoy”, and the 1995 romantic crime musical “Klash”. In 1999, she portrayed a supporting character in the family comedy “Madeline”, directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer, and which starred Frances McDormand, Nigel Hawthorne and Hatty Jones. It follows a young girl who’s trying to save her school from being sold – the film was nominated for five awards.

Jasmine appeared in only a couple of movies in the 2000s, with some of the most popular amongst these having been the 2000 drama “Diamond Men”, the 2006 comedy “The Heart Specialist”, and the 2008 romantic comedy “Tru Loved”.

The year 2014 saw her play Leah Grimes in the romantic comedy “Big Stone Gap”, written and directed by Adriana Trigiani, and which starred Ashley Judd, Patrick Wilson and Whoopi Goldberg. The film follows elderly woman Ave Marie Mulligan who’s learned a horrible secret about her family; it was nominated for a Casting Society of America Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Low Budget Feature – Comedy.

Jasmine’s three most recent movie roles have been in the thriller “Vanished: Searching for My Sister”, the family drama “A Wesley Christmas”, and the drama “The Lady Makers”, all released in 2022.

Other credits

Jasmine received special thanks for the 2003 biographical documentary movie “Dorothy Dandridge: An American Beauty”, and the 2017 episode “Devil in a Red Suit” of the biographical crime documentary mini-series “Who Killed Tupac?”

She wrote three and directed one episode of the series “A Different World” from 1990 through 1992, and directed the 2020 short movie “American Leopard”.

Some of Jasmine’s recent talk-show appearances have been in “Tamron Hall”, “Start Your Day with Sharon + Mike” and “Red Table Talk”.

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Awards and nominations

Jasmine’s won six of the 10 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Awards for which she’s been nominated – six for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series from 1990 through 1995, all for her performance in “A Different World”.

Love life and relationships

Jasmine was quite close friends with the late American rapper and actor Tupac Amaru Shakur, the two having met when he made a guest appearance in the series “A Different World”; after Tupac was shot in 1994, he recuperated at Jasmine’s home. She was featured in his 1995 music video “Temptations”, and later helped write Tupac’s mother’s biography “Afeni Shakur: Evolution of a Revolutionary”; some people believe that the two might had been romantically linked, but this hasn’t been confirmed.

Jasmine exchanged vows with non-celebrity American Terrence Duckett in 1998, and she gave birth to their daughter Imani in 1999; Jasmine and Terrence divorced in 2008, with Imani staying with Jasmine.

She hasn’t spoken of her other relationships; Jasmine seems to be single as of April 2023, was married to Terrence Duckett, and has a daughter with him.

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Interesting facts and hobbies

Jasmine supported Bernie Sanders in the 2016 US presidential election.

She enjoys being active on Instagram and has posted close to 100 pictures and videos, while she’s today followed by nearly 400,000 people on the social media network; most of Jasmine’s content features her during her everyday life.

She loves to travel and has been all around the world; Jasmine dislikes travelling alone, so often does it with her friends.

She’s a huge fan of the late singer Michael Jackson, and her favorite two songs are “Billie Jean” and “They Don’t Care About Us”.

Some of Jasmine’s favorite actresses are Halle Berry, Angela Bassett and Regina King, and her favorite movies include “Things We Lost in the Fire”, “Losing Isaiah” and “Solomon & Sheba”.

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Height, eyes and wealth

Jasmine’s age is 61. She has brown eyes and hair, is 5ft 2ins (1.57m) tall and weighs around 110lbs (50kgs).

Jasmine’s net worth’s been estimated at over $4 million, as of April 2023.

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Musicians

Shadows’ Biography – Net Worth, Wife, Tattoo, Height

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Who is M Shadows?

Matthew Charles Sanders was born on 31 July 1981, in Fountain Valley, California, USA. He is a singer, musician, and songwriter, best known for performing under the stage name M Shadows, working as the lead vocalist of the band Avenged Sevenfold. He is one of the heavy metal band’s founding members, and is considered by many as one of the greatest heavy metal frontmen of all-time.

The Net Worth of M Shadows

As of early-2020, M Shadows’ net worth is estimated to be over $25 million, earned primarily through the success of the band, Avenged Sevenfold, one of the most recognized in the heavy metal genre, making music since the 2000s.

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He’s also worked with other bands, as well as collaborating with the video game franchise “Call of Duty”.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

While M was born in Fountain Valley, his family later moved to Huntington Beach where he grew up with younger sister Amy Sanders, who is now known to play in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).  He developed an interest in music at a young age, thanks to his father who gifted him his first cassette of the band Guns N’ Roses, sparking an interest which just grew as he got older.

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Eventually, he learned how to play the guitar as well as the piano, skills which would also help him learn more about tone and voice. He attended Huntington Beach High School, and during this period, he aspired to start a band. He briefly joined a punk band called Successful Failure, but it was short-lived. Afterwards he reconnected with a few friends from middle school who had the same taste in music. This led to the formation of Avenged Sevenfold, as he was joined by The Rev, Zacky Vengeance, and Matt Wendt.

Avenged Sevenfold

Shadows didn’t want to use his first name as he didn’t like the way it sounded as a performer. Instead, he only adopted the first letter M and added Shadows because he felt that he was the darker character within their group. They also chose to adopt nicknames because it was a popular practice among rock groups that inspired them. Over the years, the band has released music, and gained a lot of acclaim for their diversity when it comes to their portrayal of rock and metal.

They also promoted themselves through the use of dramatic imagery, which became more evident over the years.

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Their debut album “Sounding the Seventh Trumpet” helped establish them on the scene, but it wasn’t until their third album “City of Evil” that the band truly took off. The group enjoyed a lot of success until 2009, when their drummer The Rev suddenly passed away. The band continued with drummer Mike Portnoy for their 2010 album “Nightmare” which reached the top of the Billboard 200. Eventually, they took in drummer Brooks Wackerman and continued to release music, with their latest being “The Stage” which debuted in fourth spot of the Billboard 200.

Solo Projects

Apart from his work with Avenged Sevenfold, M has been a guest on albums of other well-known bands. He was featured on the album “Feel the Steel” by Steel Panther, and helped produce the album “Requiem” by The Confession – he ventured to learn more about production to help Avenged Sevenfold with their album releases as well. Other music projects he’s had include working with Slash on his solo album, and making music with the band Device.

In 2012, he made his first foray into the video game world with the development of ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops II”, in which he made a cameo contribution by doing motion capture and recording voice lines.

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He is an avid player of the popular first-person shooter game, and has even participated in professional tournaments. One of his latest projects in video games is “Call of Duty: Black Ops 4” in which he became a playable character thanks to the help of a close friend who works for its developer Treyarch. He can be selected as a part of the game’s battle royale mode, which sees numerous players fight against each other in a large but shrinking map.

Vocal Ability and Style

Shadows’ vocal ability has been praised numerous times, not only for his range and versatility but also its evolution throughout his career with Avenged Sevenfold.

At the beginning of his career, he had a harsher voice filled with growls reminiscent of metalcore bands. Since 2003 he’s been more inclined towards melodic lines, but still retains his love for screams and growls. After signing with a major record label, his style changed even further, focusing more on his voice and melody as opposed to the screaming. He took numerous lessons to improve his style, working with Ron Anderson who is known for his collaborations with Audioslave and Guns N’ Roses.

The band also contributed, with each member becoming a part of the vocal whole as opposed to Shadows taking the brunt of the work.

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This led to rumors going around that he had lost his ability to scream, as a result of having throat surgery after damaging his voice sometime in 2003. Other musicians defended him, stating that he has indicated a desire to be more of a singer than a screamer with his music. He is also a big advocate in protecting his voice, and prefers hitting the notes rather than going for raspy sounds that could damage his throat again.

Personal Life

M married Valary DiBenedetto in 2009 and they have two children together. His bandmate Synyster Gates married Valary’s twin sister Michelle which makes the two band members brothers-in-law as well. He spends a lot of his free time, learning more about music, working on new music, and playing video games. He also spends a lot of his time learning more about preserving his voice and prioritizes resting his voice when not working with the band.

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Contents1 Who is Bob Knight?2 Education and early life3 Bob’s career4 Life after basketball5 Love life and relationships6 Interesting facts...

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