18 minutes | Monday, 18 September 2023
'The CountryLine Songwriter Series', is where you'll hear from some of the most successful artists and songwriters working in Nashville today. Country music is all about storytelling and this is where you'll discover the stories from the people themselves of how they managed to find their way into such a competitive industry and rise to the top. What motivates and inspires them and what they've learnt along the way.
Going deep into the Southern roots of various styles, Tennessee rapper/vocalist/songwriter Jelly Roll’s music explores themes of addiction, pain, and the struggle for better days.
Born Jason DeFord, Jelly Roll was raised in the Antioch neighbourhood of Nashville, Tennessee. His father was a meat salesman who also worked as a bookie on the side, while his mother dealt with her own mental health and addiction issues. At the of age 14, Jelly Roll and several others were arrested and charged with multiple counts of possession of marijuana and attempted robbery.
Before his transition into country music, he launched his career in hip hop. His 2013 mixtape "Whiskey, Weed, & Women", was originally named "Whiskey, Weed, & Waffle House", but was later changed after the restaurant threatened legal action over the use of their name and logo on the cover.
He initially broke through on the underground scene before topping the independent albums chart in 2016 with his release "Sobriety Sucks". 2021 saw his first major label release "Ballads of the Broken", which featured his country cross-over smash "Son Of A Sinner", and in August of 2022 he chatted with Stuart Banford.