Before he became one of country music’s most beloved and raw voices, Jelly Roll — born Jason DeFord in Antioch, Tennessee — lived a life shaped by addiction, incarceration, and despair. Arrested as early as age 14 and ultimately jailed roughly 40 times for various drug-related and violent offenses, his early years were far removed from the spotlight of the stage.
He has spoken openly about using and selling substances like cocaine, Xanax, and cough syrup, and how the turning point for him came when he became a father while behind bars.
In his own words: “I had to learn that you could drink alcohol without doing cocaine. … There was a long time where I just assumed … we only drank to do cocaine.” It was through music — writing, rapping, singing — that he found the possibility of hope. He told American Songwriter: “Music gave me hope when I didn’t think I’d ever…
