2023 was the year of Jelly Roll, and the country music sensation has carried that momentum into 2024. After releasing eight hip-hop albums between 2012 and 2020, the Antioch, Tennessee native broke through the country scene with the highly acclaimed Whitsitt Chapel. So far, 2024 has brought three CMT Music Awards, headliner gigs, and a brand-new single guaranteed to inspire. Recently, the “Need a Favor” singer even managed to bring a smile to the notoriously prickly Howard Stern’s face with a powerful Hootie and the Blowfish cover.
Videos by American Songwriter
Jelly Roll Covers Hootie and the Blowfish, Otis Redding
Jelly Roll made his debut on The Howard Stern Show Wednesday (June 12.) He filled the shock jock in on his difficult childhood, his seemingly overnight global fame, and everything in between.
But of course, Jelly Roll isn’t going to show up somewhere and not sing. The 39-year-old country star (born Jason DeFord) closed out his time on set with some of his most beloved hits, such as “Need a Favor” and his newest song, “I Am Not Okay.” Next, Jelly wanted to try his hand at something a little different.
The artist first launched into an invigorating rendition of the Otis Redding hit “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.” He slowed it down for his next cover, breaking out Hootie and the Blowfish’s 1994 tearjerker “Let Her Cry.”
“Wow,” Stern said after the performance ended. “That was spectacular—spectacular!”
“I Was the Worst Criminal Ever”
Jelly Roll has made no secret of his checkered past. However, it certainly seems like those days are behind him. Which is probably for the best, as the “Halfway to Hell” singer fully admits he wasn’t exactly slick.
“My successfulness of running from the police is zero and 20,” Jelly told Howard Stern.
He underscored his point with a story about his arrest at age 15 after taking a Xanax bar.
“Howard, [I’ve] never told this story, but you know how Xanax make you a little slow anyways?” the hitmaker said. “In my mind, when the police pulled us over, I was like, ‘I’m just gonna run.’
He continued, “So I opened the door, and in my mind, I jumped out and sprinted across a field and almost made it. I was so fat and Xanaxed out, I stood out and got two steps.”
Featured image by Terry Wyatt/WireImage
