Jelly Roll Invites Inmates To Perform At Charlottesville Arena Show
Jelly Roll described the performance with the inmates as “one of the most special moments” of his career.
Jelly Roll (Credit: Eric Ryan Anderson)
Jelly Roll has once again proven why his fans love him: He’s humble and gives back to communities.
Last week, when Jelly Roll performed at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA, fans received a special surprise when the singer-songwriter was accompanied by a couple of inmates from a jail in Chesterfield, VA.
The inmates, in a program called Helping Addicts Recover Progressively (HARP), performed for Jelly when he visited the jail. Then, he got the idea to ask the sheriff if he could bring the inmates with him to Charlottesville to perform during his show.
“Who's this motherf**ker that's been singing his a** off?” Jelly Roll asked in a video posted to Instagram, encouraging a man named Ejay to deliver a soulful performance of the star’s song, Unpretty.
Jelly Roll filmed the performance as a fan, watching the inmates as they performed.
After discussing his ideas with the sheriff to have the inmates perform with him in Charlottesville, arrangements were made to transport the four inmates to the show. Wearing HARP shirts, the inmates sang with Jelly Roll on stage.
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Notably, the HARP program is a jail-based, peer-to-peer recovery program that requires participants to voluntarily commit to a six-month inpatient stay. Having been involved in the program in the past, Jelly Roll made an appearance at the same Virginia facility in 2023.
On Instagram, Jelly Roll described the performance with the inmates as “one of the most special moments” of his career.
“I’ve had the pleasure of getting to visit and talk to the folks in this program before, but this time something surreal took place,” Jelly wrote. “Sheriff Leonard allowed 4 members of the program to not only come to the show, but come on stage and perform the music with me.
“I don’t know what it was about me, but I only ever believed things could happen whenever I got close enough to see them happening in front of me. My hope with bringing these men out on stage with me is that they can see a larger picture of what life can become.”
He continued, “The place they’re in now is not the end, and the future can be so much more than their wildest dreams. I can never thank and praise the HARP program enough for making this happen; the work they’re doing is truly invaluable.”
Jelly Roll is currently touring the US in support of his new album, Beautifully Broken (and the deluxe edition).
In a review of Beautifully Broken for Countrytown, Stephen Green noted that “every second of his vocal performance is drenched in passion and authenticity. Every word of his lyrics drips with emotion and grace.
“This is a man who has been through the wringer and has a story to tell. The traditional fairytale would say that he’s made it through to the other side, but the attraction of Jelly is that he’s open about this just being another part of a journey.”
You can read the review here.
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