Just over the last few years, Jelly Roll not only released albums like Ballads of the Broken and Whitsitt Chapel, but he also landed the New Artist of the Year award at the 2023 CMT Awards. While enjoying his time on the stage and his stardom, the country singer never forgot where he came from. For any fan of Jelly Roll, they know his life wasn’t always great. Once finding himself on the wrong side of the law, the singer eventually changed his life around and now, he hopes to give troubled youth a second chance as he recently opened a music studio at a Nashville detention center.
Videos by American Songwriter
Besides discussing his music, Jelly Roll has been extremely outspoken about his dreams of giving back. Knowing what it feels like to have no future, the singer wanted to change that for others. Spending time at the Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center in Nashville as a kid, Jelly Roll decided to return, but this time – he brought a music studio with him. Teaming up with the Beat of Life Organization, the hitmaker used his own money to bring the music studio to life.
With Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell introducing Jelly Roll, he admitted, “I never would’ve dreamed when I was sitting right there that I would one day come back and introduce the studio and partner with the Beat of Life and all these songwriters would come out to support the cause and the f**king mayor would introduce me. I would never guess this. It wasn’t in my bingo card in life.”
[RELATED: 3 Songs for People Who Say They Don’t Like Jelly Roll]
Jelly Roll Wants To Change The Future For Troubled Youth
Discussing his time at the center, Jelly Roll added, “When I was in juvenile, we never got a visitor. We never had a mentor, nobody ever came to see us. To be able to come back on these terms is a dream that I have and this is only the beginning.”
While giving back, Jelly Roll didn’t come alone as he brought ERNEST with him. Collaborating on the song “I Went To College / I Went To Jail”, the two singers performed their new hit. With numerous volunteers, artists, and even songwriters attending the event, Jelly Roll’s dream of helping others is taking shape. He explained his ultimate goal was to “put millions and millions and tens of millions of dollars back into this city directly for youth because they are our future mayors, they are our future residents of the United States.”
(Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images)
