Jelly Roll (singer)

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This article is about the 21st century Nashville-based musician. For the jazz musician of the early 20th century, see Jelly Roll Morton. For other uses, see Jelly roll.

Jelly Roll
Jelly Roll performing in 2014
Jelly Roll performing in 2014
Background information
Birth nameJason Bradley DeFord[1][2]
Born (1984-12-04) December 4, 1984 (age 39)[3]
Antioch, Tennessee, U.S.[1]
OriginAntioch, Tennessee
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
Years active2003-present
Labels
Spouse
Alyssa DeFord (BunnieXo)
​
​
(m. 2016)​
Children2
Websitejellyroll615.com

Jason Bradley DeFord (born December 4, 1984), known professionally as Jelly Roll (often stylized as JellyRoll), is an American country singer, rapper and songwriter from Antioch, Tennessee. Beginning his career in 2003, he rose to mainstream prominence following the release of his singles "Need a Favor" (2023) and "Son of a Sinner" (2021), the latter of which won three CMT Music Awards.[5] That same year, he received a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist.

Early life[edit]

DeFord was raised in the Antioch neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee.[6][7] His father was a meat salesman and worked as a bookie on the side; his mother suffered from mental illness and addiction.[8]

At age 14, he and several others were arrested and charged with multiple counts of possession of marijuana and attempted robbery.[9][8]

Career[edit]

Jelly Roll launched his career in hip hop after being inspired by rappers such as Three 6 Mafia, UGK, and 8Ball & MJG. He sold mixtapes out of his car,[8] starting with a string of releases from his first project The Plain Shmear Tape in 2003 then following with the four part Gamblin' on the White Boy series from 2004 to 2011.

His 2010 collaboration "Pop Another Pill" with Memphis rapper Lil Wyte reached over 6.3 million YouTube views.[10] This song led to the album Year Round by the hip-hop group SNO, of which Jelly Roll was a member. Over the next few years, Jelly Roll released many mixtapes and independent solo album including collaborations with Lil Wyte, Struggle Jennings, Haystak, and Tech N9ne.[11]

Jelly Roll's 2013 mixtape Whiskey, Weed, & Women was originally named Whiskey, Weed, & Waffle House,[6] but was later changed after the restaurant threatened legal action over the use of their name and logo on the cover. The replacement cover featured a "cease and desist" stamp in place of the Waffle House logo.[12][13]

Jelly Roll made his Grand Ole Opry debut on November 9, 2021.[14] On July 7, 2022, he was invited by country singer Craig Morgan to join him on stage at the Opry to perform "Almost Home".[15]

On May 9, 2022, Jelly Roll scored his first number one on rock radio with the track "Dead Man Walking".[16] In January 2023, Jelly Roll scored his first number-one song on Country radio with his debut country single "Son of a Sinner", written by Jelly Roll, Ernest and David Ray Stevens. The track was the second single from the 2021 album Ballads of the Broken and also peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.[17] In February 2023, he made history with a record-breaking 25th week at number 1 on Billboard's Emerging Artists chart.[18]

Jelly Roll sold out Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on December 9, 2022, to 15,000 fans and was joined by Chris Young, Sam Hunt, Riley Green, Shinedown, Ernest, Struggle Jennings, Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko.[19] In the summer of 2023, he completed a 44-city 'Backroad Baptism Tour'.[20]

At the 2023 CMT Music Awards, Jelly Roll won for Male Video of the Year, Male Breakthrough Video of the Year, and Digital-First Performance of the Year, all for the song "Son of a Sinner".[21][22]

Jelly Roll released his album Whitsitt Chapel featuring the single "Need a Favor" on June 2, 2023.[23]

In November 2023, Jelly Roll won the award for New Artist of the Year at the 57th Annual Country Music Association Awards.

In January 2024, Jelly Roll testified before the U.S. Congress, in support of anti-fentanyl legislation.[24] Explaining his perspective as a former distributor of illegal drugs, Jelly Roll stated before the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee “I was a part of the problem. I am here now, standing as a man that wants to be a part of the solution".[25]

Personal life[edit]

Jelly Roll is married to Alyssa "Bunnie XO" DeFord. He has one daughter born in 2008 and one son, both from previous relationships.[26][27] Jelly Roll earned his GED at the age of 23 while in jail.[8]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2023 Country Music Association Awards Male Vocalist of the Year Nominated [28]
Single of the Year – "Need a Favor" Nominated
New Artist of the Year Won
Music Video of the Year – "Need a Favor" Nominated
Musical Event of the Year – "Save Me" (with Lainey Wilson) Nominated
CMT Music Awards Male Video of the Year – "Son of a Sinner" Won [29]
Male Breakthrough Video of the Year – "Son of a Sinner" Won
CMT Digital-First Performance of the Year – "Son of a Sinner" (from "CMT All Access") Won
2024 Grammy Awards Best New Artist Nominated [30]
Best Country Duo/Group Performance – "Save Me" (with Lainey Wilson) Nominated

Discography[edit]

Main article: Jelly Roll discography

Studio albums

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Jelly Roll biography". AllMusic. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  2. ^ "ADDICTION KILLS". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  3. ^ Piccotti, Tyler (April 6, 2023). "8 Things You Might Not Know About "Son of a Sinner" Singer Jelly Roll". Biography. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Nicholson, Jessica (September 16, 2021). "Nashville Native Jelly Roll on Shifting From Hip Hop to Country-Rock: 'I Want to Change The Way Music Is Done on Those Streets'". Billboard. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  5. ^ Hall, Kristin (April 3, 2023). "'Son of a Sinner' Jelly Roll reigns at CMT Music Awards show". APNews. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Dodero, Camille (June 14, 2013). "The Story of the 450-Pound Rapper Who Loved Waffle House Too Much". Gawker.
  7. ^ Dowling, Marcus K. (March 9, 2023). "Jelly Roll on his three 2023 CMT Music Award noms: 'A nomination calls for a celebration'". The Tennessean. Retrieved April 9, 2023. I'm just a kid from Antioch, Tennessee
  8. ^ a b c d "Meet Jelly Roll, the Rapper Turned Country Singer Rousing Nashville". The New York Times. April 26, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  9. ^ Nicholson, Jessica (September 16, 2021). "Nashville Native Jelly Roll on Shifting From Hip Hop to Country-Rock: 'I Want to Change The Way Music Is Done on Those Streets'". Billboard. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  10. ^ "JellyRoll Feat. Lil Wyte POP ANOTHER PILL – YouTube". YouTube. March 19, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  11. ^ Will, Ill (January 17, 2023). "JELLY ROLL ON THE IMPORTANCE OF TECH N9NE: 'HIS ENERGY IS SO PURE'". HipHopDX. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  12. ^ Paine, Jake (April 5, 2013). "JellyRoll Responds To Waffle House Cease & Desist, New Mixtape Artwork & Title". HipHopDX. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  13. ^ Tishgart, Sierra (June 14, 2013). "Waffle House Screwed Over Its Biggest Fan, a Rapper Named Jelly Roll". Grub Street. New York Magazine. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  14. ^ Decker, David (October 15, 2021). "Jelly Roll Blows the Roof off the Fillmore Auditorium". Digital Beat Magazine. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  15. ^ Seller, Christine (July 7, 2022). "Craig Morgan Brings Jelly Roll To Tears With Heartfelt Gift At The Opry: "This Is A True Testimony That God Is Real"". Music Mayhem. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  16. ^ Wendowski, Andrew (May 9, 2022). "Jelly Roll Scores First-Ever No. 1 Radio Hit With "Dead Man Walking": "The Losers Win Again Baby!"". Music Mayhem. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  17. ^ Holthouse, Jerry (January 9, 2023). "Jelly Roll Scores His First Number One". Nashville.com. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  18. ^ Zellner, Xander (February 8, 2023). "Jelly Roll Breaks Record for Most Weeks Spent at No. 1 on Emerging Artists Chart". Billboard.com. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  19. ^ Watts, Cindy (December 12, 2022). "JELLY ROLL SELLS OUT NASHVILLE'S BRIDGESTONE ARENA WITH CHRIS YOUNG, SAM HUNT, STRUGGLE JENNINGS AND MORE". cmt.com. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  20. ^ Liptak, Carena (February 20, 2023). "Jelly Roll unleashes plans for Backroad Baptism Arena Tour". Taste of Country. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  21. ^ Lipshutz, Jason; Unterberger, Andrew (April 5, 2023). "Jelly Roll Keeps Winning After CMT Music Awards With Big 'Son of a Sinner' and 'Need a Favor' Gains". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  22. ^ Respers France, Lisa (April 3, 2023). "Jelly Roll reigns among first-time winners at the CMT Music Awards". CNN. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  23. ^ Patton, Alli (March 18, 2023). "Jelly Roll Confirms Highly Anticipated New Album "Whitsitt Chapel"". American Songwriter. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  24. ^ "Jason "Jelly Roll" DeFord Opening Statement | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  25. ^ Shapero, Julia (January 11, 2024). "Jelly Roll urges Congress to pass anti-fentanyl legislation".
  26. ^ Peake, Amber (May 28, 2021). "Who is Jelly Roll's wife, Bunnie? Rapper shares sweet family snap". The Focus. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  27. ^ "Jelly Roll Opens Up About the Day He Found Out He Was a Dad — While Sitting in Prison (Exclusive)". Peoplemag. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  28. ^ Avila, Daniela; Michaud, Sarah (November 8, 2023). "CMA Awards 2023: See the Complete List of Winners". People. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  29. ^ "Search winners: Lainey Wilson". Academy of Country Music. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  30. ^ "Grammy winners 2024 – the full list". BBC News. November 10, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2024.

External links[edit]

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