It doesn’t matter which genre of music a fan enjoys, any lover of music has heard of Jelly Roll. While some artists spend decades trying to gain the spotlight, Jelly Roll seemed to do it overnight. Although the singer performed for years before gaining recognition, in 2023, he took over country music with his album Whitsitt Chapel. Having watched his fame reach new heights, the country star received numerous accolades for his contributions to music. But while enjoying his time on stage, Jelly Roll recently found himself at the center of a legal dispute over his name.
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With Jelly Roll becoming a household name, it appears that the founder of “Philly’s favorite wedding band” took issue with the singer’s name. Although a unique name, Kurt Titchenell explained how he filed for a trademark on the name Jellyroll back in 2010. Claiming to have performed under the name since the 1980s, the group shared their thoughts on Instagram.
Posting a picture of the band performing, Jellyroll wrote, “We have become aware of, and you may have heard of, another ‘Jelly Roll’, who has recently gained some fame in the country music scene – Jason DeFord, the Nashville area crossover singer songwriter. It’s imperative that we avoid confusion for our band that has been performing as JELLYROLL® for over 40 years.” The band continued, “The related promotion of his performance at the popular local Philadelphia Jingle Ball has caused confusion within our fan base resulting in multiple inquiries requesting information on the event. This is to clarify that the original JELLYROLL® is not part of this event.”
[RELATED: Fans Urge ‘American Idol’ to Make Jelly Roll a Full-Time Judge With Katy Perry Exiting]
Jelly Roll Receives Cease And Desist From Jellyroll
While sharing their thoughts on Jelly Roll, the group eventually filed a complaint against the star. It read, “Prior to the Defendant’s recent rise in notoriety, a search of the name of Jellyroll… returned references to the Plaintiff. Now, any such search on Google returns multiple references to Defendant, perhaps as many as 18-20 references before any reference to Plaintiff’s entertainment dance band known as Jellyroll can be found.”
Eventually sending a cease and desist letter to Jelly Roll, the country star refused to do away with his name. With neither party backing down, the country singer might once again find himself in court.
(Photo by Hubert Vestil/Getty Images)
