An inspiration to inmates, country singer Jelly Roll performs at Oregon prison

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Country singer Jelly Roll has been playing sold-out shows across the U.S. as part of his “Beautifully Broken” tour. But earlier this week, his venue wasn’t a massive arena: it was the Oregon State Penitentiary.

The award-winning artist posted a video and photos of his visit to the Salem prison on Instagram, showing him singing a cover of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” and signing autographs for people incarcerated at the prison.

According to Jelly Roll, it was the first live music in the prison yard in 20 years.

“I am a firm believer that if we commit crimes we should do our time and be held accountable for our actions, but I also believe that every human deserves love no matter how bad of a decision they have made,” the 39-year-old wrote on Instagram.

Jelly Roll, who was incarcerated in his youth, said he wrote his first song while behind bars.

“It never feels better than to come back behind a wall and sing a song for y’all,” he told the crowd.

His lyrics often touch on his troubled past and issues of addiction, and in his video from the prison, one man speaks about how Jelly Roll’s music changed his life.

“I heard ‘Save Me’ on the radio, and I got clean that day,” the man said, referring to a song on Jelly Roll’s most recent album.

Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, began his musical career as a rapper before becoming an acclaimed country artist. In 2023, he won New Artist of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards.

“I remember being in a dark place and no one ever coming through and showing us any hope of changing the path of our lives,” he said. “It felt so good bringing a little light to such a dark place.”