Jelly Roll first made a name for himself in hip-hop, then tried out rock music, and finally released a country album called ‘Whitsitt Chapel’ last year. He did pretty well for himself, scoring two Grammy nominations in 2023 and winning the New Artist of the Year award at the CMA Awards. But some folks have been questioning if he really fits into the country music world.
He opened up about this topic on the Full Send Podcast, saying:
“There’s being country and being country music. Because even country music, as far as time has been, wasn’t always just super country rednecks.”
The singer explained that country music isn’t just one thing:
“It’s like country music has always had a wide stroke. Like, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson weren’t singing about fishing or hunting, and they were as authentically country as you could be. The country thing … is to me, it’s just my spirit is country music.”
The Country Music Has Been An Inspiration For The Singer
Jelly Roll grew up near Nashville, exposed to the genre, and got to know country music through his mom’s favorite tunes at home. He recalled:
“My mother listened to country — real outlaw country, like Waylon and Willie. You know what I mean? Like Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard.”
Naming his other influences, the ‘Son Of A Sinner’ singer added:
“90s country, too. Tracy Lawrence, George Strait, Garth Brooks. Dude, I could probably sing more Garth Brooks songs than Garth Brooks can.”
At his concerts last year, Jelly Roll performed a cover of Toby Keith’s ‘Should’ve Been A Cowboy,’ which was a hit with the crowd. This year, he’s planning to tour North America all through spring and summer.
