Jelly Roll was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on March 10 (Image: Getty)
On Tuesday, country music star Jelly Roll was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
Fellow artist Lainey Wilson, who was inducted into the Opry in 2024, officially welcomed Jelly Roll into the “family.” The prestigious institution boasts only 230 members, including icons like Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash.
“Country music has always been about telling stories, telling the truth. The good, the bad, the ugly, the messy,” said Wilson as Jelly Roll, 41, stood by her side.
“It’s about redemption, and tonight, we’re welcoming a man who has never been afraid to tell the truth about his life, and that is powerful,” she continued.
Wilson commended Jelly Roll for turning “pain into purpose” and “mistakes into music.” She credited the singer with making “millions of people feel a little less alone.”
Jelly Roll was inducted in the Grand Ole Opry on March 10 (Image: Getty)
“I’m so proud to know you, I’m so proud to call you my friend,” she said.
“Jelly Roll, because of your heart, your story, and the way that you have used your voice to lift everybody up. It is my honor to welcome you into the Grand Ole Opry family,” exclaimed Wilson.
Jelly Roll began his acceptance speech with a nod to his hometown. The singer was born in Antioch, Tennessee, a handful of miles from downtown Nashville.
“I didn’t find Nashville because of country music y’all. I found country music because of Nashville, because I’m from here,” he said.
He reflected on his past in juvenile detention centers and at the “local county jail with Sheriff Hall.”
Jelly Roll said he didn’t deserve the honor (Image: Getty)
“You bring [that kid] here, and you give him Grammys, and you give him awards and platinum plaques, and you make him a member of the most prestigious group,” he trailed off.
“I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve to be on this stage,” Jelly Roll continued.
Loud shouts from the crowd countered his statement, with audience members crying out, “Yes, you do!”
“I don’t deserve the grace that God gave me,” said Jelly Roll, “but I think that’s the best part. None of us do.”
“And yet, he gives it all the time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can show up on his doorstep with all of your problems. He said, ‘it’s okay,’” he added.
He continued to profess his faith, telling the crowd, “You can have your own relationship” with God and Jesus.
“You can read your own Bible,” Jelly Roll said.
Jelly Roll spoke about Lainey Wilson during his acceptance speech (Image: Getty)
The “Son of a Sinner” artist then turned to his on-stage companion.
“Lainey, I want to tell you this. I looked the other day and it was a proud moment for me that our song together, ‘Save Me,’ has officially outstreamed the original ‘Save Me,’” said Jelly Roll.
Jelly Roll and Wilson covered “Save Me,” originally written by Brian May of Queen, in 2020.
“You took a song that saved millions of people and you helped it save millions more, Lainey, so many more people found this song because of you, so many more young women,” he said, commending Wilson.
He then joked about attendees of his show, saying that he knows a concertgoer is a fan of Wilson’s because they “show up in bell bottom pants and cowboy hats and they dress like you.”
Jelly Roll and Wilson then performed the hit collaboration to finish the celebration.
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