Struggle Jennings is heading to the Grand Ole Opry. The grandson of Waylon Jennings was invited to make his Grand Ole Opry debut by his close friend, Jelly Roll.

“My best friend of 21 years got to invite me to step into the circle at Opry,” Jennings shared on social media, along with a video of the historic moment.

“This might mean more to me than you,” an emotional Jelly Roll said. “They’ve asked me to invite to play the Grand Ole Opry. I just kept thinking about having to speak at your court date, and to go from talking at your court date, before you got sentenced to federal prison, to be able to ask you to play your first show at the Grand Ole Opry.”

My best friend of 21 years got to invite me to step into the circle at @opry. June 5th, we’re celebrating. pic.twitter.com/NCASC4teLI

— Struggle Jennings (@youngstrugg) May 31, 2024

 

Both Jelly Roll and Jennings have similar stories, of a life marked by addiction and trouble with the law, and both have, fortunately, come out on the other side, with their friendship stronger than ever. The two celebrated their relationship with their “Hard to Hate” collaboration, out last year.

“We have been best friends for 20 years,” Jennings recently told Everything Nash. “We effortlessly make music together. We got in the studio, and decided to do something different than we had ever done. He’s been leaning more toward the country genre. I’ve got an album coming out that’s about 80 percent country; I’ve always integrated country into my rap. But I’m just exploring, and moving into the next phase of my life and my career. So we were like, ‘We’re gonna do one that’s just singing, just country.’”

Jennings and Jelly Roll have each gone through some incredible lows, which makes their success now even sweeter.

“Everything that two men can possibly go through together, me and Jelly Roll have gone through together,” Jennings previously told American Songwriter. “We’ve carried caskets, we’ve taken care of each other through jail and prison bids, we were on the streets together when music wasn’t on the up-and-up and we were hustling. We’re best friends.”

Jelly Roll has also been vocal about their enduring friendship. The two have also released numerous musical collaborations together, with one of them, “Fall in the Fall,” being certified Gold last year.

 

 

“Best friends of 20 years right here – we have held each other down through prison bids and county jail years, we have carried caskets together,” Jelly Roll said after receiving their plaques for the career accomplishments. “Slept on each other’s couches – did a lot of stuff to make a living we are proud of together. But above everything we chased this dream together – we stood side by side and fought the monsters of the music business.

“We created the kind of music we felt made a difference when everybody tried to get us to make ‘popular music,’ we continued making real music for real people – and today, we stand side by side with our first RIAA CERTIFIED GOLD RECORD in our hands,” he added. “These plaques don’t come easy and we owe it to y’all for streaming ‘Fall in the Fall’ and making the video explode—- love y’all.”

Jennings’ latest album, El Camino, was just released. He will make his Grand Ole Opry debut on June 5, the same day Alexandra Kay — whom Jelly Roll also invited — will perform. Find more information at Opry.com.

All of Jennings’ music and upcoming shows can be found at StruggleJennings.com.