How did Jelly Roll get his name? All about the Breakout country star as he has a heartwarming reaction to Grammy nomination 

Jelly Roll, born Jason Bradley DeFord, derives his name from the nickname his mother gave him as a child while growing up in the Antioch suburb of Nashville. His mother gave him the nickname when he was chubby, which has stuck ever since.

Now, the singer has received two nominations in the category Best New Artist and Best Country Duo/Group Performance at the 2024 Grammy Awards, something which he reacted to with an Instagram post, stating:

"The greatest honor an artist can ever hear is that they've been nominated for a Grammy -- and I got to hear that this morning. I haven't cried like this since my daddy died."

The singer later stated in a statement to The Tennessean on November 10, 2023:

"I love [my fans] so...much. It's unreal. There's no greater award or honor than the Grammies -- either being nominated for or winning one is the dream of all dreams."

---

More on Jelly Roll's music career

Jelly Roll continued to speak about his music in the statement to The Tennessean, elaborating on his win at the CMA Awards 2023 this year:

"A song that's now healed and helped millions of people is being acclaimed on the largest platform possible. Sometimes, you do so much work and think people believe you're crazy."

The singer continued:

"Similar to so many in Nashville right now -- like the War and Treaty, who I'm nominated alongside for Best New Artist -- we're being represented in greater numbers on larger platforms. This is an exciting moment for community and celebration [for Nashville overall]."

Jelly Roll, a native of Nashville, began his career as a hip-hop artist, achieving moderate success with his Year Round album, released in collaboration with hip-hop group SNO in 2010.

The singer subsequently collaborated with Haystack, Strictly Business, on November 15, 2011. The album peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Heatseekers album chart.

The singer's had his second solo studio album, Sobriety Sucks, which was released on May 13, 2016. The album peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Heatseekers album chart.

The singer subsequently collaborated with Struggle Jennings, releasing three collaborative albums, Waylon & Willie, Waylon & Willie II, and Waylon & Willie III. The three albums, November 3, 2017, March 23, 2018, and November 16, 2018, peaked at numbers 4 and 6 on the Billboard Heatseekers album charts.

The singer debuted his mainstream chart with the fourth studio album, A Beautiful Disaster, released on March 13, 2020. The album peaked at number 97 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

The singer debuted his major label with his sixth studio album, Ballads of the Broken, on September 17, 2021. The album peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Heatseekers album chart.

Jelly Roll received critical acclaim with his sixth studio album, Whitsitt Chapel, released on June 2, 2023. The album peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200 album chart.