From prison to the Grand Ole Opry stage, last night was a highly emotional induction ceremony for 3 time Grammy award-winning artist, Jelly Roll.
Formally known as Jason DeFord, the “Liar” singer was officially inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry last night, March 10, ushered in by no other than his close friend, duet partner, and CMA Entertainer of the Year, Lainey Wilson. Wilson herself was previously inducted on June 7, 2024, and supported Jelly during this monumentous moment, marking him as the 77th active member.
In front of the auditorium of friends, family, and fans, Wilson expressed her sincere support, saying, “Your love for Jesus Christ radiates from you, and I’m just so proud of you, and I’m so proud to watch your journey.” Noting his heavy journey to fame, she added, “Tonight we are welcoming a man who has never been afraid to tell the truth about his life, and that is powerful. He turned pain into purpose, mistakes into music, and somehow managed to make millions of people feel like they were just a little less alone.”
Throughout the night, both Jelly Roll and Wilson performed alongside appearances from Ernest, Craig Morgan and Comedian, Leanne Morgan. It was only fitting that after his induction, Jelly Roll took to the stage to sing his highly successful duets with his country music friends, including “Save Me” with Wilson, and Ernest’s co-penned, “Son of A Sinner,” which became Jelly’s first number one hit at country radio.
With an incredible story of perseverance through a past of crime, addiction, and imprisonment (not to mention his mind-blowing weight loss journey), this massive honorary step in Jelly Roll’s career made for a tear-jerking night. The Antioch native with his trophy in hand told the crowd, “I didn’t find Nashville because of country music, y’all. I found country music because of Nashville, because I’m from here.” Humbly, in true Jelly fashion, he shouted out the Lord saying, “I don’t deserve this, I don’t deserve to be on this stage, I don’t deserve the grace that God gave me. But I think that’s the best part, none of us do right, and yet he gives it to us all the time.”
This induction is also one of Jelly Roll’s first Nashville performances before heading out on the road on his solo 2026 The Little A** Shed Tour and his Big A** Stadium Tour Part 2 alongside Post Malone. His packed summer of dates starts up on April 10 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, before wrapping up on July 28 in Salt Lake City, Utah.