Governor of Tennessee pardoned country star Jelly Roll on Thursday for his criminal history in the state, acknowledging the Nashville native's long journey back from drugs and prison through self-reflection, songwriting and advocating for second chances.
The rapper-turned-singer, whose legal name is Jason Deford, has spoken about his redemption arc for years to audiences ranging from people serving time in correctional centers to crowds at concerts and even during testimony before Congress.
Republican Gov. Bill Lee announced the pardon after friends and community leaders of the Grammy-nominated musician joined in his support.
He said the pardon would make it easier for him to travel around the world on concert tours and do Christian missionary work without having to complete onerous paperwork.
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He was one of 33 people to receive a pardon Thursday from Lee, who has for years made clemency decisions before Christmas. Lee said Jelly Roll's application underwent the same rigorous review over several months as other applicants. In April, the state parole board made a non-binding, unanimous recommendation that Jelly Roll be pardoned.
“His story is remarkable, it's a redemptive, powerful story, it's what you look for and what you hope for,” Lee told reporters, adding that he hopes to meet Jelly Roll for the first time soon.
Starting at age 14, Jelly Roll was in and out of prison for about a decade for convictions including aggravated robbery, shoplifting, drug possession and drug trafficking.
In January 2024 CBS Sunday Morning Interview Jelly Roll at the Metro-Davidson County Detention Facility in Nashville, where he was once an inmate. At the time, Jelly Roll had just been nominated for two Grammy Awards.
“There was a time in my life when I really thought… this is it,” he said in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning. “And then when I came here, you know, right after I was nominated for two Grammys, it just hit me… I honestly didn't think I was going to get emotional.
He told CBS Sunday Morning that he wrote hundreds of songs while in prison.
Unlike recent high-profile federal pardons that have allowed people to avoid prison time, a pardon in Tennessee serves as a statement of forgiveness for a person who has already served a prison sentence and has been released. A pardon paves the way for the restoration of certain civil rights, such as the right to vote, although there are some restrictions under state law and the governor can specify conditions.
Jelly Roll broke into country music with 2023's “Whitsitt Chapel” and crossover songs like “Need a Favor.” He won several SMT AwardsCMA Award and has also received seven Grammy Award nominations, three of them recently.
Much of his work deals with overcoming adversity, such as the song “Winning Streak,” which tells the story of his first day of sobriety. Or direct and specific: “I’m not okay.”
Addressing the parole board, Jelly Roll said he first fell in love with songwriting while in custody, saying it began as a therapeutic passion project that “ended up changing my life in ways I could never have imagined.”
In addition to his sold-out appearances, he presented his story to the Senate. where did he testify? in January 2024 about the dangers of fentanyl, describing his younger drug dealer self as “an uneducated man in the kitchen playing chemist with drugs I knew absolutely nothing about.”
“I was part of the problem,” he told lawmakers at the time. “I stand here now as someone who wants to be part of the solution.”
Jelly Roll's most serious charges include robbery at age 17 and drug charges at age 23. In the first case, a female acquaintance helped Jelly Roll and two armed accomplices steal $350 from people in a home in 2002. Because the victims knew the woman, she and Jelly Roll were immediately arrested. Jelly Roll was unarmed and was sentenced to one year in jail plus probation.
During another encounter in 2008, police found marijuana and crack cocaine in his car, resulting in eight years of court-ordered supervision.
Friends and community leaders supported the clemency petition, citing Jelly Roll's transformation.
Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall, who runs the Nashville jail, wrote that Jelly Roll woke up in one of the jails he managed. Live Nation Entertainment CEO and President Michael Rapino mentioned Jelly Roll's donations from his performances to charities for at-risk youth.
The parole board began reviewing Jelly Roll's clemency application in October 2024, marking the state's five-year window to become eligible for clemency after his sentence expires. Prominent Nashville attorney David Rabin is representing Jelly Roll in the clemency case.
Lee's office said no one was pardoned Thursday with a conviction for murder or sexual assault, or for any crime committed as an adult against a minor.
