Jelly Roll (singer)
Jason Bradley DeFord (born December 4, 1984), known professionally by his stage name Jelly Roll (sometimes stylized as JellyRoll), is an American rapper and multi-genre singer/songwriter. In 2023, he won three CMT Music Awards for the song "Son of a Sinner".[5]
Jelly Roll | |
|---|---|
Jelly Roll in concert in Minneapolis in 2014. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jason Bradley DeFord[1][2] |
| Born | December 4, 1984[3] Antioch, Tennessee, U.S.[1] |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels |
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| Spouse(s) | Alyssa Bunnie Xo (m. 2016) |
| Website | jellyroll615 |
Early life Edit
Jason 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 dealt with mental health and addiction issues.[8]
At age 14, he and several others were arrested and charged with multiple counts of possession of marijuana and attempted robbery, after an attempted marijuana robbery.[9][8]
Career Edit
Before his transition into country music, Jelly Roll launched his career in hip hop. After being inspired by rappers such as Three 6 Mafia, UGK, and 8Ball & MJG. He would sell 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 Feb 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 will embark on the 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]
Personal life Edit
Jelly Roll is married to Bunnie DeFord, aka Bunnie XO, and has one daughter born in 2008 and one son born in 2016 from previous relationships.[24] Jelly Roll earned his G.E.D. at the age of 23 while in jail.[8]
Discography Edit
Studio albums Edit
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [25] | US Country [26] | US Rock [27] | US R&B [28] | US Rap [29] | US Indie [30] | US Heat. [31] | CAN [32] | ||
| Year Round (with Lil Wyte & BPZ) |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Strictly Business (with Haystak) |
| — | — | — | 67 | — | — | 16 | — |
| The Big Sal Story |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| No Filter (with Lil Wyte) |
| — | — | — | 33 | 17 | 42 | — | — |
| Business As Usual (with Haystak) |
| — | — | — | 42 | — | — | 11 | — |
| Sobriety Sucks |
| — | — | — | 42 | — | 48 | 12 | — |
| No Filter 2 (with Lil Wyte) |
| — | — | — | 47 | — | — | — | — |
| Addiction Kills |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | 22 | — |
| Waylon & Willie (with Struggle Jennings) |
| — | — | — | — | — | 28 | 4 | — |
| Waylon & Willie II (with Struggle Jennings) |
| — | — | — | — | — | 17 | 6 | — |
| Waylon & Willie III (with Struggle Jennings) |
| — | — | — | — | — | 25 | 4 | — |
| Goodnight Nashville |
| — | — | — | — | — | 46 | 12 | — |
| Whiskey Sessions II |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A Beautiful Disaster |
| 97 | — | — | — | — | 9 | — | — |
| Self Medicated |
| 110 | — | — | — | — | 22 | — | — |
| Waylon & Willie IV (with Struggle Jennings) |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ballads of the Broken |
| 157 | — | 41 | — | — | 21 | — | — |
| Whitsitt Chapel |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | 22 |
Mixtapes Edit
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| The Plain Shmear Tape |
|
| Gamblin' on the White Boy Vol 1 |
|
| The Halfway House |
|
| Gamblin' on the White Boy Vol 2 |
|
| Gamblin' on a Whiteboy Vol 3 |
|
| The Hate Goes On |
|
| Deal or No Deal |
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| Mr. Controversy |
|
| The Collection |
|
| Eleven On The Come Out |
|
| Gamblin on a White Boy 4 |
|
| White Trash Tale |
|
| Mid-Grade Miracle (The Boston George Story) |
|
| Whiskey, Weed & Women |
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| Biggest Loser |
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| Therapeutic Music 5 |
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Extended plays Edit
| Title | EP details |
|---|---|
| Whiskey Sessions |
|
| Crosses & Crossroads |
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Singles Edit
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [33] | US Alt. [34] | US Country Songs [35] | US Country Airplay [36] | US Main. [37] | US Rock [38] | CAN [39] | CAN Rock [40] | WW [41] | ||||||||
| "Smoking Section" | 2015 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Therapeutic Music 5 | ||||
| "Hate Goes On" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Addiction Kills | ||||
| "Only" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ||||||
| "Wheels Fall Off" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ||||||
| "I'm on It" (featuring Young Slugga, David Ray and Brabo Gator) | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |||||
| "Save Me"[43] | 2020 | —[A] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Self Medicated | |||||
| "Dead Man Walking" | 2021 | — | 29 | — | — | 1 | 30 | — | 38 | — | Ballads of the Broken | |||||
| "Son of a Sinner" | 2022 | 31 | — | 8 | 1 | — | 4 | 61 | — | — |
| |||||
| "Need a Favor" | 14 | 39 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 31 | 139 | Whitsitt Chapel | ||||||
| "Save Me" (with Lainey Wilson) | 2023 | 37 | — | 10 | 10 [46] | — | — | —[B] | — | — | ||||||
| "Wild Ones" (with Jessie Murph) | 49 | — | 8 | — | — | — | 68 | — | 118 | Non-album single | ||||||
| "—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart. | ||||||||||||||||
As featured artist Edit
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "House of Mirrors" (Hollywood Undead featuring Jelly Roll) | 2023 | Hotel Kalifornia |
| "Chevrolet" (Dustin Lynch featuring Jelly Roll) | Killed the Cowboy |
Promotional singles Edit
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Dig. [44] | US Rock [38] | |||
| "She" | 2022 | 29 | 22 | Whitsitt Chapel |
| "Unlive" (with Yelawolf) | 2023 | — | 27 | |
Other charted and certified songs Edit
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certification | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Bubbling [48] | US Country Songs [35] | US Rock [38] | ||||
| "Fall in the Fall" (with Struggle Jennings) | 2017 | — | — | — |
| Waylon & Willie II |
| "Same Asshole" | 2019 | — | — | — |
| Crosses & Crossroads |
| "Creature" (featuring Krizz Kaliko and Tech N9ne) | 2020 | — | — | — |
| A Beautiful Disaster |
| "Bottle & Mary Jane" | — | — | — |
| ||
| "Son of the Dirty South" (Brantley Gilbert featuring Jelly Roll) | 2022 | — | 48 | — |
| So Help Me God |
| "Halfway to Hell" | 2023 | 22 | 33 | 9 | Whitsitt Chapel | |
| "The Lost" | — | — | 32 | |||
| "Behind Bars" (with Brantley Gilbert and Struggle Jennings) | — | — | 36 | |||
| "Hold on Me" | — | — | 43 | |||
| "Kill a Man" | — | — | 44 | |||
Notes Edit
- ^ "Save Me" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 29 on the Digital Songs Sales chart.[44]
- ^ "Save Me" did not enter the Canadian Hot 100, but peaked number four on the Canadian Digital Song Sales chart.[47]
References Edit
- ^ a b c d e "Jelly Roll biography". AllMusic. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ^ "ADDICTION KILLS". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
- ^ Piccotti, Tyler (April 6, 2023). "8 Things You Might Not Know About "Son of a Sinner" Singer Jelly Roll". Biography. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Hall, Kristin (April 3, 2023). "'Son of a Sinner' Jelly Roll reigns at CMT Music Awards show". APNews. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
- ^ a b Dodero, Camille (June 14, 2013). "The Story of the 450-Pound Rapper Who Loved Waffle House Too Much". Gawker.
- ^ 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
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "JellyRoll Feat. Lil Wyte POP ANOTHER PILL – YouTube". YouTube. March 19, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ Will, Ill (January 17, 2023). "JELLY ROLL ON THE IMPORTANCE OF TECH N9NE: 'HIS ENERGY IS SO PURE'". HipHopDX. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
- ^ Paine, Jake (April 5, 2013). "JellyRoll Responds To Waffle House Cease & Desist, New Mixtape Artwork & Title". HipHopDX. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Decker, David (October 15, 2021). "Jelly Roll Blows the Roof off the Fillmore Auditorium". Digital Beat Magazine. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Holthouse, Jerry (January 9, 2023). "Jelly Roll Scores His First Number One". Nashville.com. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Liptak, Carena (February 20, 2023). "Jelly Roll unleashes plans for Backroad Baptism Arena Tour". Taste of Country. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Respers France, Lisa (April 3, 2023). "Jelly Roll reigns among first-time winners at the CMT Music Awards". CNN. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ^ Patton, Alli (March 18, 2023). "Jelly Roll Confirms Highly Anticipated New Album "Whitsitt Chapel"". American Songwriter. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ Peake, Amber (May 28, 2021). "Who is Jelly Roll's wife, Bunnie? Rapper shares sweet family snap". The Focus. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ "Jelly Roll Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ "Jelly Roll Chart History: Top Country Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ "Jelly Roll Chart History: Top Rock Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ "Jelly Roll Chart History: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ "Jelly Roll Chart History: Top Rap Albums". Billboard. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- ^ "Jelly Roll Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ "Jelly Roll Chart History: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- ^ "Jelly Roll Chart History: Billboard Canadian Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ "Jelly Roll Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- ^ "Jelly Roll Chart History: Alternative Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
- ^ a b "Jelly Roll Chart History: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- ^ "Jelly Roll History: Country Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
- ^ "Jelly Roll History: Mainstream Rock Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Jelly Roll History: Hot Rock & Alternative Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
- ^ "Jelly Roll Chart History: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- ^ "Jelly Roll: Chart History: Canada Rock". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- ^ "Jelly Roll Chart History: Billboard Global 200". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "American certifications – Jelly Roll". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ Carsten, Chad T. (October 4, 2021). "Jelly Roll's "Save Me" Single Independently Goes Gold!". Faygoluvers. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ a b "Jelly Roll Chart History: Digital Songs Sales". Billboard. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
- ^ "Canadian certifications – Jelly Roll". Music Canada. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "Billboard Country Update" (PDF). Billboard. October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ "Jelly Roll Chart History: Canadian Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
- ^ "Jelly Roll Chart History: Bubbling Under Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved June 13, 2023.