There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
Jelly Roll has a big old heart.
In the midst of the wild career spike he’s experienced over the past few years, he’s never stopped doing what he can to support the causes that mean the most to him.
At the end of last year, he donated every single dollar from a sold out show in Bridgestone Arena to the Juvenile Detention Center he served time in growing up.
And now, videos from the prison he served time in as an adult shows him doing even more to lift up those in the midst of rough times.
Jelly Roll, real name Jason DeFord, put on a concert for inmates at the prison he was once at, and my goodness I didn’t know something like this would get me emotional, but here we are.
The first video shows Jelly, Brantley Gilbert, and Struggle Jennings (step-grandson of Waylon) going to visit inmates in Jelly Roll’s old cell block, and while they were there, in a second video, Jelly hopped on the mic and put on a show for those currently there.
I mean, these people were fired up, everyone standing up and clapping along as he lays down the most fitting song for the occasion, Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues”.
You have to think that one hit pretty damn good for those guys…
Big shoutout to Jelly Roll for not letting the spotlight change him. He really seems like a caring, good dude, and he’s been putting out some pretty awesome music recently too. That whole Ballads Of The Broken album rocked.
@againstthegrain_ent Pt. 1 of Jellyroll, ACal, Struggle Jennings, and Brantley Gilbert visiting Jellyrolls old cell block to perform for inmates. #jellyroll #sonofasinner #nashville #creeksquad #countryrap #countryrapper ♬ Love You So – The King Khan & BBQ Show
@againstthegrain_ent The stuff Jellyroll does for his community is insane. A true inspiration, honestly. #jellyroll #sonofasinner #nashville #acal #creeksquad #countryrap ♬ Stuck In The Middle – Tai Verdes
Here’s a full acoustic cover of the song from back in 2015:
And of course, the original from The Man In Black, himself:
Miranda Lambert And Jelly Roll Team Up
The duo we didn’t know we needed.
Miranda Lambert met up with Nashville native and new top name in the industry Jelly Roll the other day, and apparently teamed up with country DJ Telemitry to write a song.
You may remember that Miranda worked with Telemitry (Jesse Frasure) before on her “Tequila Does” Remix, but he has also written with the likes of Thomas Rhett, Jon Pardi, Florida Georgia Line and more.
And unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably gotten at least somewhat familiar with the name Jelly Roll over the past year or so, as the rapper turned country-rock artist went on a run of shows with Koe Wetzel, joined Craig Morgan on the Grand Ole Opry stage, and donated every penny from a sold out show at Bridgestone Arena to the juvenile detention center he spent time in growing up.
He also scored his first ever country radio Number 1 with his song “Son Of A Sinner,” off his latest album Ballads Of The Broken.
Well, it looks like this unlikely duo has something in the works and I’m super excited to hear what it will be.
Miranda is a true wildcard (pun intended), not afraid to put out just about any type of song she likes while staying true to her roots as a hell of a songwriter and performer.
So, the possibilities of this creation are pretty much limitless.
Whatever it is… I’m game.
Geraldene (Live from the CMAs)
Jelly Roll Scores His First Career #1 At Country Radio With “Son Of A Sinner”
From prison to the top of the charts.
If you’re not familiar with Jelly Roll, he’s got one hell of a personal comeback story.
Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, spent much of his early life in Nashville in and out of the prison system. He first entered the juvenile system at the age of 14, he spent his late teens and early 20s going in and out of jail on charges like aggravated robbery and drug possession with intent to deliver.
The rapper-turned-country star made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 2021, and has talked extensively about his time spent in the criminal justice system.
It’s a story that he doesn’t run from. Hell, he even describes himself as a “reformed drug dealer” in his Twitter bio. And it’s a story that makes his meteoric rise recently all the more inspiring.
He recently played a sold-out hometown show at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, and donated all of the proceeds to a foundation to help build music programs in juvenile facilities – including the one he was locked up in.
And now he’s reached another milestone in his comeback: Jelly Roll officially has his first #1 single at country radio.
“Son Of A Sinner,” a deeply personal song written by Jelly Roll along with Ernest and David Ray Stevens, details Jelly’s life on the road, his personal fight with drug addiction and his struggle between right and wrong.
“I’m just a long-haired son of a sinner
Searching for new ways I can get gone
I’m a pedal to the highway
If you ever wonder why we write these songs
‘Cause I’m only one drink away from the devil
I’m only one call away from home
Yeah, I’m somewhere in the middle
I guess I’m just a little right and wrong”
And now it’s the number one song in the country, reaching the top of the Billboard country charts and giving Jelly his first #1 single at country radio.
Talk about going from the bottom to the top – literally.
