Jelly Roll is officially the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry! He was inducted by his good friend, Lainey Wilson, who praised Jelly Roll for who he is, as an artist and a person.

“There are some people in this business who are great singers,” Wilson says. “Some people in this business who are great songwriters and storytellers. And every once in a while, somebody comes along who is something even bigger than that. They’re a voice for people who feel like they don’t have one. And that’s exactly who Jelly Roll is. And if you’ve ever met Jelly Roll, you know the guy who stood on this stage tonight is the same one that’s backstage, the same man at the grocery store. He’s the same man talking to the fans that needed to hear that they were not beyond saving.”

Wilson also praised Jelly Roll for how much his life has been transformed, going from a prison cell to becoming an Opry member.

“Your love for Jesus Christ radiates from you, and I’m just so proud of you,” Wilson says. “I’m so proud to watch your journey. It is inspiring. It really is inspiring. Country music has always been about telling stories, telling the truth –  the good, the bad, the messy. It’s about redemption. And 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. I’m so proud to know you. I’m so proud to call you my friend.

“Jelly Roll, because of your heart, your story, and the way you have used your voice to lift everybody else up,” she concludes, “it is my honor to welcome you into the Grand Ole Opry family.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Everything Nash (@nash.everything)

An Emotional Jelly Roll Speaks Out About His Grand Ole Opry Induction

Jelly Roll was understandably emotional as he took the stage for the first time after officially becoming a member of the Opry.

“To take a convicted felon from the Music City who found country music — I didn’t find Nashville because of country music. I found country music because of Nashville, because I’m from here,” Jelly Roll begins his speech. “You take that kid that’s been in that local juvenile with Miss [Yolanda] Hockett, that’s been in that local county jail with Sheriff [Daron] Hall. And you bring him 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. Less than 230 people are members of the Grand Old Opry.

“And every word of that I said, it sounded like I was telling you a lot about myself,” he adds. “But that is a story that only God can be the author of.”

Jelly Roll also spoke out about the faith that he credits with getting him to the Opry stage.

“Some stories only God can write,” Jelly Roll maintains. “And this is truly one of those stories. I told Lainey that God — this isn’t a me and her story. It isn’t a duet story. It’s not two country singers that struck at the right time with the right song story. This is a God story. And I talk about Him a lot more now because I’m getting a lot closer to Him, the more I recognize that. The more I recognize that 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 all the time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“You can show up on His doorstep with all of your problems. He said it’s okay,” he concludes. “You can have your own relationship with Him. You don’t have to listen to the judgmental Christians about how you’re living your life. You can read your own Bible. You can have your own relationship with Jesus.”

Photo Credit: Grand Ole Opry / Chris Hollo

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Everything Nash (@nash.everything)