Backstage At The CMAs: Wynonna Says Jelly Roll Is A ‘Force’
Wynonna Judd joined Jelly Roll to open the 57th Annual CMA Awards. The two brought the audience to their feet, singing Jelly’s number one hit, “Save Me.”
After the stirring performance, Wynonna came backstage to talk all about how much she adores country music’s new golden boy.
After I asked about the performance, Wynonna said backstage, “It was too much. He’s so powerful. I was so nervous and so excited. I don’t know how many more of these moments I have left, but I can tell you this: that was definitely top ten for me.”
She added of her new friend, “Jelly Roll is a force to be recorded with, and he is his own person, and to stand toe to toe with him with him was one of my favorite things I’ve ever done.”
Judd then explained how she and Jelly knew each other. She told us, “I didn’t know anything about him until the CMT Awards, and I stood up out of my seat, and I ran up to him and Bunny afterward, And I said, ‘I need to know the two of you, and I need to be part of your world, and I don’t know what that looks like.’ I just kind of threw myself at them.”
She concluded with a sigh, “I guess you just need to show up on stage and say, ‘What do you want, “I’ll do whatever.”
Wynnona also talked about her memories of the CMA Awards over the years, saying that when all the artists didn’t stay in their buses in the 1980s, they got to hang out backstage a lot more. She admitted she really misses those days but is enjoying being a part of the country music community these days as well.
GALLERY: Jelly Roll Is A Country and Rock Star
Jelly Roll won three awards at this year’s (4/2) CMT Music Awards. The one-time rapper recently scored his first country music chart-topper “Son of A Sinner.” Born and raised in Antoich (right outside of Nashville), Jelly Roll has won the hearts of his fellow country stars and the heart of country music fans worldwide.
He made his first on the CMT Music Awards performance, joined by a full gospel choir, with his song “Need A Favor.” That was followed by an enthusiastic standing ovation by the whole house.
Jelly Roll’s awards came before his new album, Whitsitt Chapel, was released on June 2. Titled after the church the Antioch native grew up attending, the debut full-length Country project on BMG/Stoney Creek Records features 13 tracks.
Before his current time in country music, Jelly was known as a Southern Hip Hop artist. Beginning in 2010, he collaborated with Lil Wyte, Struggle Jennings, Yelawolf, Tech N9ne, and Ryan Upchurch. His 2010 collaboration “Pop Another Pill” with Memphis rapper Lil Wyte reached over 6.3 million YouTube views and started his career.
A record label executive in Nashville told me they were looking for the Post Malone of country music and found that in Jelly. His real name is Jason DeFord, and his Jelly Roll nickname comes from his mother, who called him Jelly Roll when he was a young, as he said, a “chubby” kid.
As Jelly’s star continues to rise, we take a look at his last few years in the national spotlight.
Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s.
Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.
