Jelly Roll will spend not one but two nights at the iconic Ryman Auditorium. The Nashville native will appear at the Mother Church of Country Music on May 30, for a Q&A about his Save Me documentary, which premieres on Hulu that day. The following night, May 31, Jelly Roll will perform his new album, Whitsitt Chapel, in its entirety, ahead of the record’s June 2 release.
Jelly Roll announced the news on social media.
I’ll be at the mother church, Ryman Auditorium back to back nights!
The first night May 30th will be the world…
Posted by Jelly Roll on Thursday, May 25, 2023
The 38-year-old uncovers his entire life and career in Save Me, including his troubled childhood, his battle with addiction, his numerous incarcerations and more.
“My whole mission in life is to touch people,” Jelly Roll tells ABC. “I just want to help people, man. I want to help those that feel helpless because I felt helpless for so long. And I think this documentary is really going to get into the weeds of that.”
“But this documentary was also really eye-opening for me because sometimes I don’t understand the impact I’m having,” he adds. “I get to see just a minute teaser of this documentary and I cried. I mean, I cried. I cried for like 20 minutes after I watched it.”
In Save Me, Jelly Roll also recalls the moment that he decided to make a change, vowing while still in prison that he would never, ever return.
“I came out of jail with a plan. I was going to put every piece of energy I had into music. It’s almost like something just clicked, right then,” Jelly Roll recalls in the documentary. “I came home and jumped out of the window with no parachute.”
Jelly Roll found out, while still in prison, that he had become a father to his daughter, Bailee, who just turned 15 years old. It was her arrival which became the impetus for Jelly Roll turning his life around. His daughter also served as the inspiration for Whitsitt Chapel, an album named after the church he grew up attending.
“She wants to go to church, I’m in,” Jelly Roll tells Taste of Country. “That’s my kid. If she wanted to play soccer, I’d start reading books on soccer. If she wants to play cricket, I’m gonna figure out what cricket is, you know? But lucky for me, I knew a lot about church.”
Bailee ultimately decided to get baptized, which had an unexpected but profound impact on Jelly Roll.
“Her getting baptized, the crazy thing was just all the parallels,” Jelly Roll says. “That’s how much her at this church, let alone the baptism, impacted me — that I wrote a whole album themed around it.”Tickets for Jelly Roll’s Ryman appearances are available at Ryman.com.
Jelly Roll will embark on his Backroad Baptism Tour in July, joined by a rotating list of opening acts, including Ashley McBryde, Chase Rice, Struggle Jennings, Caitlynne Curtis, Elle King, Merkules, Three 6 Mafia, Yelawolf and Josh Adam Meyers. Whitsitt Chapel will be out on June 2. Find all of Jelly Roll’s music and upcoming shows, and pre-order the record, at JellyRoll615.com.