Jelly Roll

7 Things We Learned About Jelly Roll

Jelly Roll

Jelly Roll‘s love of music transcends genre: he’s a rapper, a rockstar and a country boy all rolled into one. If you’ve heard of him, you know he’s larger than life. If you haven’t, buckle in: here’s 7 things we learned when Radio Sara caught up with him on the heels of releasing his album Whitsitt Chapel.

His Mom Gave Him His Stage Name

• Jelly Roll’s mother gave him that nickname when he was a kid, and it stuck. His given name is Jason DeFord, but if you try to call him that, he probably won’t realize it’s him that you’re talking to.
• Plus, the name “Jelly Roll” puts him in a unique group: artists and bands named after food (think Red Hot Chili Peppers, Meat Loaf, Korn…)

Brent Smith Of Shinedown Inspired Him To Learn How To Sing

• He explains: “Before I went out (on tour) with Shinedown… I knew I was going to sing for 45 minutes every night, and I knew I was going to sing in front of who I think is one of the best frontmen in rock n’ roll (Brent Smith). So, I then took a vocal lesson for the first time.”
• What was his vocal warm-up like before learning the proper technique? “A shot of Jack, a bong hit, and some Lay’s potato chips!”

Some Of His Biggest Hits Are The Hardest To Sing Live

• Confession time: “I’ve never said this in an interview, ’cause I’m embarrassed, but ‘Son of a Sinner’ and ‘Save Me’ are so hard for me to sing… So (years later) I had to learn how to sing ‘Save Me’ because muscle memory was like ‘You just sing as high as you can sing’, but then I was going out of key… I had to learn how to re-sing my own songs, the right way.”

He Was So Excited To Meet Garth Brooks, He Lifted Him Off The Floor

• “I didn’t realize I picked him up until the clip went viral,” Jelly Roll laughs. “I was just so excited, the big kid in me was like, this is Garth Brooks!… and then I get on TikTok, and my wife’s like, ‘There’s a video of you with 4 million views picking up Garth Brooks,’ and I was like ‘Oh no!’”

He Has A ‘Nobody Cries Alone’ Policy

• The connection to his fans is profound and fully transparent. “Nothing is more important than the relationship that exists between the artist, and the person that cares about the art… They should never hear news from anybody but me, good or bad.”
• He adds, “I’m an empath by nature. I don’t just hear you, I feel you.”

MSG Is The Holy Grail Of Venues

• He’s performed on hallowed ground like the Grand Ole Opry and Red Rocks, but Madison Square Garden in NYC is at the top of Jelly Roll’s music venue bucket list.

The Movie On His Life Already Cast

• Who would play him and his wife Bunny in a feature film? “Obviously, Jelly Roll’s gotta be Jonah Hill… He’s a lively jovial dude in real life, and he can also put on the serious stuff… and nobody but Margot Robbie could do Bunny. Who else is more fit?!”