Jelly Roll Performs for Inmates at the Jail Where He Served Time [Watch]
Jelly Roll is following in the footsteps of country greats like Johnny Cash by performing for inmates, but for the "Son of a Sinner" singer, it's more than just a good deed. As someone who spent time in and out of jail before launching his music career, Jelly Roll is passionate about helping those who are incarcerated, and videos recently shared to TikTok show him putting his commitments into practice.
According to the clips, Jelly Roll recently performed for inmates at a jail where he once did time. In the first video, Jelly Roll enters the cell block with Brantley Gilbert, Struggle Jennings and others. The singer laughs as he enters through the cell block door and the video creator jokes, "So, a bunch of ex-inmates walk into a jail."
In a second video, Jelly Roll is seen with his full band performing Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" at the jail. Inmates stand along the floor and on the second level as he sings, with many of them clapping and enjoying the performance.
The video features a caption that reads, "This wasn't for a music video or anything like that. @jellyroll615 went back to the jail he did time in and performed for the inmates. This was such an amazing thing to watch. I'm truly happy for you brother."
This isn't the first time Jelly Roll has given back to incarcerated people in his community. In November, he revealed plans to donate $250,000 to construct a recording studio within the Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center, where he was once incarcerated.
In a December interview, Jelly Roll shared that he spent three-and-a-half years at the juvenile detention center before being charged as an adult for a crime he committed in his youth. It is also the place he began making music, so it's essential for him to help those who are in the same situation he once experienced.
"I think it's important that we give back, especially to our kids," he said. "Man, our youth are so impressionable, and the old quote goes, 'None of them asked to be here.'"