Jelly Roll has added several new titles to his resume over the past few years, among them Billboard chart-topper, Grammy nominee, CMA Award winner and concert headliner. But earlier this week, he added a new role: Jelly Roll cut the ribbon on the Jelly Roll Music Studio at Genesee County Jail in Flint, Mich., and was sworn in as a deputy with the Community Cares Task Force.
Audacy 99.5 WYCD captured the moments as Jelly Roll was presented with an official Sheriff’s ID and a badge on July 27. “From convict to deputy,” Jelly Roll said, with the former Billboard cover star referencing his own time spent in a juvenile correctional facility as a teen. His journey from prison to stardom includes time behind bars for a felony, when he was arrested for aggravated robbery at age 16.
After swearing Jelly Roll in with the Oath of Office, Sheriff Christopher Swanson told the singer-songwriter, “This is the real deal. You walk into any facility now, you can tell them you’re a Deputy Sheriff from Genesee County.”
Jelly Roll has worked with Sheriff Swanson for several years, working with the I.G.N.I.T.E. Program and encouraging inmates to pursue their GED while serving time, in order to increase their skills level to aid in obtaining employment when released.
In June, he had a celebratory headlining set in his hometown, when he closed out a night at CMA Fest at Nissan Stadium.
Jelly Roll recently teamed with MGK for the new collaboration “Lonely Road,” and launches his headlining Beautifully Broken Tour in August. The tour will run through October, and features openers Warren Zeiders and Alexandra Kay.
Watch Jelly Roll get deputized below: