Jelly Roll Wants To Use His Pardon To Become A Missionary

Jelly Roll is hopeful that his pardon will come through. The singer-songwriter shares his thoughts after Sheriff Daron Hall reveals that the Tennessee Board of Parole unanimously voted in favor of Jelly Roll receiving a full pardon for his crimes, including his felony for armed robbery.

“I want to be an inspiration for people who are now where I used to be — to let them know that change is truly possible,” Jelly Roll tells the board (via the Associated Press). “One of the reasons I’m asking for your recommendation for this pardon is because I’m looking to take my message of redemption through the power of music and faith, through the rest of the world.”

Jelly Roll goes on to say that, while he would like to be able to tour internationally, he also wants to do other work overseas.

“I’ll still be using this same pardon, God willing, to go do missionary work in my 50s and 60s,” he adds.

While a pardon for Jelly Roll is one step closer, it is now in the hands of Governor Bill Lee, who speaks out about the possibility.

“The reporting on Jelly Roll, that’s encouraging for his situation,” Lee says. “But there are steps yet to happen in that case.”

Jelly Roll’s Time In Prison

Jelly Roll committed multiple crimes as an adolescent, including the armed robbery that earned him a felony when he was just 16. While the Nashville native deeply regrets his actions, he also admits he likely wouldn’t be a country music superstar without his time in incarceration. Jelly Roll was behind bars when his love for songwriting began.

“It started as a passion project that felt therapeutic,” the “Save Me” singer says. “[It] would end up changing my life in ways that I never dreamed imaginable and opened doors that I’ve never thought possible.”

Jelly Roll has beaten impossible odds to become the success story he is today. Still, without a pardon, there is only so much he can do to expand his career.

“This felony carries with me,” Jelly Roll tells CBS Sunday Mornings. “It’s sad. It prohibits me from a lot… I finally got a passport. I was so excited that America was willing to let me leave, and I didn’t realize other countries had to let me come. That’s my new hurdle … It’s so funny that here I am becoming a global artist, and I’m restricted still to my own yard.”