January 13, 2023 • 18 mins
From edgy rap star, to now a chart-topping country star, Jelly Roll meets Lorianne and Charlie, the family-friendly broadcast team he watched on television, never imagining he would one day be the top star on their show. Likewise, Crook & Chase never imagined a tattooed, cuss-loving, party animal rap artist would take country music by storm and capture their hearts. A fun and fascinating conversation as Crook & Chase: Nashville Chats with Jelly Roll. Get ready to be scattered, smothered, and covered!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, it's Lorienne and Charlie here Crook and Chase Nashville chats.
Charlie and I have been in this business. We always
mentioned this decades. We are not often stumped. Its stunned
is a better word. Last year we were stunned and
for a minute didn't know what to do. We heard
a song called Son of a Sinner that floored us.
(00:25):
We got a call from the record label. Hey, this guy,
jelly Roll would love to be on your show and
he's from Ville. Yeah, talk about this brand new song.
We thought, okay, great, Well then we google jelly Roll.
Well you did, and then you called me. Charlie and
Lorianne is just in a tis she's man. Have you
(00:45):
seen some of his past work and he was in
rap Okay, he was cussing, involved in the rap craziness. Yea.
So we were kind of freaked out because we're used
to that. We're not no, no, no, no, we're not.
I mean, this is the first of its kind of
you know, a rapper, you know doing well in country music.
So we don't know what to do. But we we said, okay,
let's go ahead and visit with jelly Roll. That has
(01:07):
been may I just interrupted. Hasn't that been our motto
all along? There have been so many artists that came
our way where I don't know, I guess some of
the movers and shakers and country music that they'll never
make it. They won't make it. Like Randy Travis was
one we always and not to pound ourselves on the back,
but we always gave everybody a shot, and the same
(01:28):
with Jelly Roll. But this was different. This was really different.
And this guy, you know, has tattoos on his face
and everything else. So we were going, Okay, what are
we into? But it turns out he's very familiar with us,
and now we are very familiar with him. Now you
get pasted all the cussing and all that rap stuff
in the past, and you start listening to what he's
(01:48):
doing now in country music and it's fascinating and he's
got a great voice. Well, and here's the deal. So
the first time we met this guy, I mean, you're
just about to hear it. I mean, I just wanted
to give him the biggest bear hug. And here's how
it went. What's up? What's up? Roll? Hey Crook and
(02:13):
Charlie Chase here, sir Crooking Chase Man. Dude, I've been
knowing about y'all my whole life. I feel like I
bet you watched us on TV back in the day. Way, Yes,
I am a Nashville native. Yeah, but you were a
young guy though I was young and young and skinny, Okay, joking,
I skinny. I have to ask you a personal question,
(02:35):
but there's a reason for it. What are you wearing?
I am wearing a denim jacket, a black T shirts,
some riches and some Shaquille O'Neal's all right, because we've
been hanging out with Brantley Gilbert and he said, you
have been coveting his big fluffy smoking robe. And he says,
(02:55):
he says that he is going to buy you one
in red and white. Rumor is he's got it. I
gotta get it though we've been taught, you know he's Listen.
He showed up to the studio one night and he
called this guy said, will you bring my fluffy robe?
Bradley talks you bring my fliffy robe and this guy
and I was like, what is he talking about? This
guy showed up with the longest most just plush, comfortable,
(03:18):
just oh dude, listen. The Marriott ain't got nothing on
what this. Well, while we are speaking of luxury here,
when you are touring with Brantley, now that he's got
your spoil over the robe and all that, are there
certain things that you want in your dressing room during
this tour? Well, pda light, Um, I gotta feel them.
(03:39):
We're gonna be doing a lot of rehydrating. Hydrated. That's
how you need. Literally, my writer. It don't matter how successful.
I all my writer is liquor, water and paw. You're
like hey, They're like, hey, we'll bring you sandwiches or something.
(04:00):
Was like, not if it takes away from it's either
that or an extra bottle of liquor. Will take the
extra bottle of liquor. All right, here's here's the question
I have that I want to get things underway with.
Do you recall the moment when you first heard Jelly
roll You're on the country chart? Oh? Absolutely? It was
what I've seen it on Twitter because we had came
in at like fifty something and I didn't know how
(04:21):
real or fake it was. And then when we cracked
into like that, because like the first week we really
came in hard. We came into like thirty seven or something,
and I just remember them calling and telling me, and
I just my whole mind was blown. It was just
unreal and it was a testament to the record man
because we completely skipped the forties and that's what's really
(04:41):
blew my mind. Well, here's the thing. I've been listening
to a lot of your previous music, and you can
tell me if you agree there is something different in
your voice and about your voice the way you present
this song. Do you think so? And if so, why, Well,
I didn't think about it when it was happening. I
(05:02):
think the most obvious different thing was the steel guitar
for me, but um, to me, it was you know,
it didn't feel much different from Save Me. And I
don't know if you heard save Me, but it's a
song I dropped in that went viral and uh, shameless plug.
I'm proud of this. We just broke over a hundred
million YouTube views, and uh, I feel like it wasn't
(05:24):
far from Save Me except for the steel guitar. You know,
the music has always been twangy, just because I'm from Nashville,
so I could sing guns and Roses song and somebody
in l A'd be like he made a country, you know,
just because of how it sound. So yeah to me
it was, but that I remember the first time I
heard the produced version back and that that get that
steel guitar came in and I just remember getting goose bumps,
(05:45):
going I'm home, baby, I am home. Oh man. Well,
I mean, in a way, is this maybe where you
should have been all along? You know, I think it
might have been. I mean, I'm from Nashville. I just
think that it was necessary for me to go through
everything I in through in life and in music to
be able to tell this story and help people with
this music in an authentic way. Yeah. I don't mean
(06:07):
this comment to sounds silly or anything, But do you
feel like you are musically holding the hand of somebody
who needs it? Oh? Absolutely? Man. As a songwriter, I
have three minutes to help people in their darkest moment.
I have three minutes to help people through a rough day,
or to celebrate a good day or whatever is. You know,
(06:28):
whatever it is, I am in the front seat of
your car for those three minutes, and that three minutes
is so precious. And I take that job so serious
as a songwriter to try to make music that will
help in those three minutes. All right, So what's the
goal was Son of a Center? I think Son of
a Center is to help people want to understand it's
okay to struggle. It's okay to have to fight your demons.
(06:51):
It's okay to accept that you do have demons to fight.
It's also okay to ride that line between what people
call right and wrong. I think it's to do tea
of life right. Just because I go out and have
a drink every now and then I like to party
just a little bit, doesn't mean that I'm not a
good guy, you know what. Doesn't mean I'm not gonna
wake up and do what's best for my mother and
take care of my daughter. You know, I know a
(07:12):
lot of dudes that'll drink themselves to sleep in the
alarm We'll go off at five am, and they're the
first person up, busting their back somewhere getting money. Oh
my gosh. You know, it's interesting because you really you're
a little bit of a mystery to me, because I
don't think I've seen anybody have more fun than you
do on stage making music. But man, your songs get
(07:35):
get down in there. Many very very complicated, very deep
So in your mind, which are you more of the
fun party guy or the guy who's really living some
complicated parts of life? Well, this should be interesting. We'll
be back with Jelly Rolls answer to that. Also, why
(07:57):
this rep star feels he's a fig fit now for
country music? And we'll crack the mystery behind jelly Rolls music.
You're a little bit of a mystery to me because
I don't think I've seen anybody have more fun than
you do on stage making music. But man, your songs
get get down in there many very very complicated, very deep.
(08:23):
So in your mind, which are you more of the
fun party guy or the guy who's really living some
complicated parts of life? Well, I think that's back to
son of a Center and both right, I'm somewhere in
the middle. Um, And I think that what's cool about
that is I call it the Willie Nelson effect right
(08:43):
where Willie Nelson was a famous hippie who was just
as jovial as he could be. He was funny, he
was witty, but he wrote the saddest songs. I mean,
blue Eyes Crying in the Rain. My heroes have always
been cowboys, I mean, dude, nobody wrote a better sad
song than Willie Elson. And he was a full blown stoner.
I mean, he was just a straight hippie and I
(09:05):
think maybe his darker side came out in the writing room.
You know. My wife says she fears the man I
would be if I didn't have the ability to listen
to and write music that. Yeah. I mean, you know
what if all that was bottled up inside of you?
What do you think would happen? Oh, I don't even
want to think about. It scares me, you know, really,
(09:25):
it really, it really does. The mental health issues I've
had in my life, I am worried if I didn't
have an outlet. And I think that's why I take
my job as a songwriter so serious to help people
with that outlet. And I think that's why I have
so much fun on stage, because it's my outlet and
it's their outlet. People don't come to a jelly roll
show that's been going to concerts, went to forty concerts
this year. This is a night for them. I tell people,
(09:45):
I don't do concerts. I do family reunions. Family reunions
of people healing together. That's what a jelly roll show is.
It's it's a. It's a somewhere between a rock and
roll show, a country show, and an old back road
tent revival. Well past the play and here we go,
you know. You know, I have seen a trend developing lately,
emerging stars here in Nashville are actually from Nashville, like yourself. Yeah,
(10:11):
born and raised here. So I want to know your
take on this question. Is it any easier to make
it in Nashville being here with more local knowledge or
coming in from elsewhere? What's the word on the street?
You know, I think for some of us it was
probably harder being from Nashville because I think I'm part
my maybe I'm guilty of this and they're not. I
don't want to speak for Mitchellton, Pennion, Ernest and Connor
(10:32):
and my friends, but I might have taken for granted
the beauty of music row right. I might have took
for granted the ability to write songs with other people.
And I just held music so close to my own
heart and chest for so long that the idea of
opening it up was weird. And I regret that now
that I'm meeting great people that are like minded all
(10:54):
over this street and having a ball. Dude, I'm dude,
I'm doing an interview with Crook and Chase Man. Younger
Met would be doing cartwheels right now, be like there's
no way. So it's like, you know, the Nashville boy
is just always here. But I think it also. I
think where it does make it easier is I never
get stuck in traffic. I will always take a back
road out of traffic. I'm with you all the way, man.
(11:18):
I never turned on GPS. The first time I see
a car backed up, I hop off the interstate and
groove away, baby, and I probably right behind you. Hey, listen,
it's talking about the mystery of you. As much as
you reveal through your music. There's not a lot written
about you. You know. I did absolutely no interviews until
(11:41):
I signed with Broken Bow. Oh why, I was just well,
you know, I'm from an old school thought when it
comes to songwriting. I like it when it's abstract and
when it's open for interpretation. Jim Jim Taylor's probably I
mean h James Taylor and Jim crowch you are my
favorite songwriter, and they had two different approaches. Jim Croach
(12:02):
would openly talk about what he was writing about right
where James Taylor would just give you the run around.
You watch old interviews with James, he just he was
having fun with reporters, like, Yeah, what do you think
it's about? That's what it is. Whatever you know it's like,
And I just loved that, you know what. I'm still
that way. You know. I get asked all the time
about son of a Center what does this line mean?
And I'll never answer it. It's like, what does it mean?
(12:23):
Do you do it mean something to you? That's what
it means. Baby. Okay, Well, I have a couple of
true or false questions here if you follow along, Okay,
I'm always going to go true. No no, no, no no, okay.
You're up at five am every morning working out? False?
You drinking? Okay? I was like, how does he know
(12:45):
my schedule? After the alleged workout, you go directly to
the waffle house? That would if the workout. If we
take the workout out, true, waffle house is big. Facts
favorite meal would be what, oh listen to new hash
brown balls? Have you had one yet? Oh? My god.
I was a grand Slam guy for years and let
(13:08):
me tell you because I liked them scattered, smothered, covered,
and chunked. But I will tell you that I am
now a hash brown bowl. Guy. They got these sauce
and you're chicken. It's so far. It's hash browns. You
can add an egg, it's got the cheese. You can
do it, uh, the same old style you did the scattered,
smother or covered have you all? Dude, it's you gotta
try one. I promised that's getting fancy now that it is.
(13:30):
The awful house is upgrading. Dude. Well, they had biscuits
for a whole year. Oh I know that, but usually
for me, it's triple scramble, bacon, crisp, don't destroy it,
just crisp, scatter the hash browns, white tools s, grape jelly,
large glass of milk, and coffee when you get a chance.
Oh my god, that sounds like a hangover dream. That
sounds like it's just screaming for my next drunk. Okay,
(13:55):
don't hate me. Mine is whole food salad bar. Oh sorry,
they're awesome. My wife is a big whole food so
she likes to fry tofu. Well, then how come I
don't look like her thinking the same stuff that she's eating?
How come I don't look like her? I pick on.
My wife. She eats like a buzzard. She'll order a
(14:16):
big meal, take one bite of it and pass it
to me. And I'm like, thank you so much. You're
helping my calorgan take today. Hey well, listen, brother, it's
this is interesting, this is fun. I mean, your your
backgrounds as about as far from countries you can get.
But your music fits right in with what country music
is to. You're one of us. We love it. Why
(14:37):
I thank you? You know, the cool thing about country
music is originally the country music I fell in love with,
with stories and people speaking for those who didn't have
a voice. Right. Country music was the voice of the voiceless.
And I feel like if that's the barometer in which
we're judging country music, then I could not fit in
anywhere else any better. Uh well, and listen that you're
(14:59):
doing what the great Conway Twitty told me years ago.
He said, you know what, you have to have a
little mystery in the entertainment business. Just keep a little
mystery and keep the fans guessing. And but I don't
think the fans are guessing about you. I think they
know you pretty well. I try to wear it all
my sleeves, but I do think it's a little polarizing,
and I think that's awesome. I will say, when you
(15:21):
first said Conway Twitty told me, I was like, if
she says, let me lay you down, I'm gonna cry
laughing right now. Tell Roll, I'd love to lay you down. Yeah,
I'll see you at the waffle house. Come all, baby,
appreciate y'all. Thanks for having me. This is okay, a
(15:44):
different outcome of what we expected going in. And I
need to tell everybody this. This is so very important
because Jelly Roll taught me a lesson that I had
already learned in life, but reminded me. And I had
this conversation you and I by did with Craig Morgan,
because Craig Morgan, I mean, stand up, all American guy. Uh,
(16:06):
you know, no custom party in drinking anything like that
couldn't be more opposite than Jelly Roll. And frankly, you
and me we don't do a lot of that. And uh,
Craig has become such a great friend of Jelly's. And
I mentioned to Craig, I said, look, I could not
think of two more opposite people becoming friends. And I
(16:27):
just remember Craig's eyes kind of burning a hole in me,
saying it's a reminder, don't judge the book. Don't judge
the book by the cover. And I'm like, well, dang,
that's right. I need to follow up on waffle House. Okay, okay.
About ten years ago, uh, he released Okay, Jelly Roll
released a collection of songs okay, rap songs, and you know,
(16:51):
you can imagine what they were sounding like back then.
And there was a mention of waffle House actually on
the cover, used the logo about so you know, he
didn't realize this, but that's copyright infringement. So they sent
him a cease and desist, which he did and apparently
was some tough feelings there because he was, yeah, I
(17:14):
don't know where it stands now, but ten years later.
That was ten years ago, of course, and now and
I checked my favorite waffle house for or to go
on Nashville and it's not on there. His songs, no,
So I don't know if they're going to make up
it's that's that's in their ballpark. But let me just
(17:35):
say that Jelly Roll, Son of a Center is a
good launch into country music. I can't wait to see
what he does now going down the road. Well, oh,
and as we sit here and as we just put
this all over the internet and for the world to
hear in our show coming up this weekend, Jelly Roll
has made history. He has hit number one on the
(17:57):
country chart. So that will be on our Crook and
Chase count Down this weekend all across North America. And
that is after he just mentioned the first time he
heard that he was on the country chart about Oh
my god, what what a great guy. Jelly Roe. We
love you. You have taught us some some life lessons.
You continue to do so with just who you are
(18:20):
and with your music. Well, folks, we have your countrycovered.
Listen to the Crook and Chase Countdown that we just
mentioned every weekend on hundreds of radio stations all across America,
also streaming on I Heart Radio. And you can follow
us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at Crook and Chase
Hello, it's Lorienne and Charlie here Crook and Chase Nashville chats.
Charlie and I have been in this business. We always
mentioned this decades. We are not often stumped. Its stunned
is a better word. Last year we were stunned and
for a minute didn't know what to do. We heard
a song called Son of a Sinner that floored us.
(00:25):
We got a call from the record label. Hey, this guy,
jelly Roll would love to be on your show and
he's from Ville. Yeah, talk about this brand new song.
We thought, okay, great, Well then we google jelly Roll.
Well you did, and then you called me. Charlie and
Lorianne is just in a tis she's man. Have you
(00:45):
seen some of his past work and he was in
rap Okay, he was cussing, involved in the rap craziness. Yea.
So we were kind of freaked out because we're used
to that. We're not no, no, no, no, we're not.
I mean, this is the first of its kind of
you know, a rapper, you know doing well in country music.
So we don't know what to do. But we we said, okay,
let's go ahead and visit with jelly Roll. That has
(01:07):
been may I just interrupted. Hasn't that been our motto
all along? There have been so many artists that came
our way where I don't know, I guess some of
the movers and shakers and country music that they'll never
make it. They won't make it. Like Randy Travis was
one we always and not to pound ourselves on the back,
but we always gave everybody a shot, and the same
(01:28):
with Jelly Roll. But this was different. This was really different.
And this guy, you know, has tattoos on his face
and everything else. So we were going, Okay, what are
we into? But it turns out he's very familiar with us,
and now we are very familiar with him. Now you
get pasted all the cussing and all that rap stuff
in the past, and you start listening to what he's
(01:48):
doing now in country music and it's fascinating and he's
got a great voice. Well, and here's the deal. So
the first time we met this guy, I mean, you're
just about to hear it. I mean, I just wanted
to give him the biggest bear hug. And here's how
it went. What's up? What's up? Roll? Hey Crook and
(02:13):
Charlie Chase here, sir Crooking Chase Man. Dude, I've been
knowing about y'all my whole life. I feel like I
bet you watched us on TV back in the day. Way, Yes,
I am a Nashville native. Yeah, but you were a
young guy though I was young and young and skinny, Okay, joking,
I skinny. I have to ask you a personal question,
(02:35):
but there's a reason for it. What are you wearing?
I am wearing a denim jacket, a black T shirts,
some riches and some Shaquille O'Neal's all right, because we've
been hanging out with Brantley Gilbert and he said, you
have been coveting his big fluffy smoking robe. And he says,
(02:55):
he says that he is going to buy you one
in red and white. Rumor is he's got it. I
gotta get it though we've been taught, you know he's Listen.
He showed up to the studio one night and he
called this guy said, will you bring my fluffy robe?
Bradley talks you bring my fliffy robe and this guy
and I was like, what is he talking about? This
guy showed up with the longest most just plush, comfortable,
(03:18):
just oh dude, listen. The Marriott ain't got nothing on
what this. Well, while we are speaking of luxury here,
when you are touring with Brantley, now that he's got
your spoil over the robe and all that, are there
certain things that you want in your dressing room during
this tour? Well, pda light, Um, I gotta feel them.
(03:39):
We're gonna be doing a lot of rehydrating. Hydrated. That's
how you need. Literally, my writer. It don't matter how successful.
I all my writer is liquor, water and paw. You're
like hey, They're like, hey, we'll bring you sandwiches or something.
(04:00):
Was like, not if it takes away from it's either
that or an extra bottle of liquor. Will take the
extra bottle of liquor. All right, here's here's the question
I have that I want to get things underway with.
Do you recall the moment when you first heard Jelly
roll You're on the country chart? Oh? Absolutely? It was
what I've seen it on Twitter because we had came
in at like fifty something and I didn't know how
(04:21):
real or fake it was. And then when we cracked
into like that, because like the first week we really
came in hard. We came into like thirty seven or something,
and I just remember them calling and telling me, and
I just my whole mind was blown. It was just
unreal and it was a testament to the record man
because we completely skipped the forties and that's what's really
(04:41):
blew my mind. Well, here's the thing. I've been listening
to a lot of your previous music, and you can
tell me if you agree there is something different in
your voice and about your voice the way you present
this song. Do you think so? And if so, why, Well,
I didn't think about it when it was happening. I
(05:02):
think the most obvious different thing was the steel guitar
for me, but um, to me, it was you know,
it didn't feel much different from Save Me. And I
don't know if you heard save Me, but it's a
song I dropped in that went viral and uh, shameless plug.
I'm proud of this. We just broke over a hundred
million YouTube views, and uh, I feel like it wasn't
(05:24):
far from Save Me except for the steel guitar. You know,
the music has always been twangy, just because I'm from Nashville,
so I could sing guns and Roses song and somebody
in l A'd be like he made a country, you know,
just because of how it sound. So yeah to me
it was, but that I remember the first time I
heard the produced version back and that that get that
steel guitar came in and I just remember getting goose bumps,
(05:45):
going I'm home, baby, I am home. Oh man. Well,
I mean, in a way, is this maybe where you
should have been all along? You know, I think it
might have been. I mean, I'm from Nashville. I just
think that it was necessary for me to go through
everything I in through in life and in music to
be able to tell this story and help people with
this music in an authentic way. Yeah. I don't mean
(06:07):
this comment to sounds silly or anything, But do you
feel like you are musically holding the hand of somebody
who needs it? Oh? Absolutely? Man. As a songwriter, I
have three minutes to help people in their darkest moment.
I have three minutes to help people through a rough day,
or to celebrate a good day or whatever is. You know,
(06:28):
whatever it is, I am in the front seat of
your car for those three minutes, and that three minutes
is so precious. And I take that job so serious
as a songwriter to try to make music that will
help in those three minutes. All right, So what's the
goal was Son of a Center? I think Son of
a Center is to help people want to understand it's
okay to struggle. It's okay to have to fight your demons.
(06:51):
It's okay to accept that you do have demons to fight.
It's also okay to ride that line between what people
call right and wrong. I think it's to do tea
of life right. Just because I go out and have
a drink every now and then I like to party
just a little bit, doesn't mean that I'm not a
good guy, you know what. Doesn't mean I'm not gonna
wake up and do what's best for my mother and
take care of my daughter. You know, I know a
(07:12):
lot of dudes that'll drink themselves to sleep in the
alarm We'll go off at five am, and they're the
first person up, busting their back somewhere getting money. Oh
my gosh. You know, it's interesting because you really you're
a little bit of a mystery to me, because I
don't think I've seen anybody have more fun than you
do on stage making music. But man, your songs get
(07:35):
get down in there. Many very very complicated, very deep
So in your mind, which are you more of the
fun party guy or the guy who's really living some
complicated parts of life? Well, this should be interesting. We'll
be back with Jelly Rolls answer to that. Also, why
(07:57):
this rep star feels he's a fig fit now for
country music? And we'll crack the mystery behind jelly Rolls music.
You're a little bit of a mystery to me because
I don't think I've seen anybody have more fun than
you do on stage making music. But man, your songs
get get down in there many very very complicated, very deep.
(08:23):
So in your mind, which are you more of the
fun party guy or the guy who's really living some
complicated parts of life? Well, I think that's back to
son of a Center and both right, I'm somewhere in
the middle. Um, And I think that what's cool about
that is I call it the Willie Nelson effect right
(08:43):
where Willie Nelson was a famous hippie who was just
as jovial as he could be. He was funny, he
was witty, but he wrote the saddest songs. I mean,
blue Eyes Crying in the Rain. My heroes have always
been cowboys, I mean, dude, nobody wrote a better sad
song than Willie Elson. And he was a full blown stoner.
I mean, he was just a straight hippie and I
(09:05):
think maybe his darker side came out in the writing room.
You know. My wife says she fears the man I
would be if I didn't have the ability to listen
to and write music that. Yeah. I mean, you know
what if all that was bottled up inside of you?
What do you think would happen? Oh, I don't even
want to think about. It scares me, you know, really,
(09:25):
it really, it really does. The mental health issues I've
had in my life, I am worried if I didn't
have an outlet. And I think that's why I take
my job as a songwriter so serious to help people
with that outlet. And I think that's why I have
so much fun on stage, because it's my outlet and
it's their outlet. People don't come to a jelly roll
show that's been going to concerts, went to forty concerts
this year. This is a night for them. I tell people,
(09:45):
I don't do concerts. I do family reunions. Family reunions
of people healing together. That's what a jelly roll show is.
It's it's a. It's a somewhere between a rock and
roll show, a country show, and an old back road
tent revival. Well past the play and here we go,
you know. You know, I have seen a trend developing lately,
emerging stars here in Nashville are actually from Nashville, like yourself. Yeah,
(10:11):
born and raised here. So I want to know your
take on this question. Is it any easier to make
it in Nashville being here with more local knowledge or
coming in from elsewhere? What's the word on the street?
You know, I think for some of us it was
probably harder being from Nashville because I think I'm part
my maybe I'm guilty of this and they're not. I
don't want to speak for Mitchellton, Pennion, Ernest and Connor
(10:32):
and my friends, but I might have taken for granted
the beauty of music row right. I might have took
for granted the ability to write songs with other people.
And I just held music so close to my own
heart and chest for so long that the idea of
opening it up was weird. And I regret that now
that I'm meeting great people that are like minded all
(10:54):
over this street and having a ball. Dude, I'm dude,
I'm doing an interview with Crook and Chase Man. Younger
Met would be doing cartwheels right now, be like there's
no way. So it's like, you know, the Nashville boy
is just always here. But I think it also. I
think where it does make it easier is I never
get stuck in traffic. I will always take a back
road out of traffic. I'm with you all the way, man.
(11:18):
I never turned on GPS. The first time I see
a car backed up, I hop off the interstate and
groove away, baby, and I probably right behind you. Hey, listen,
it's talking about the mystery of you. As much as
you reveal through your music. There's not a lot written
about you. You know. I did absolutely no interviews until
(11:41):
I signed with Broken Bow. Oh why, I was just well,
you know, I'm from an old school thought when it
comes to songwriting. I like it when it's abstract and
when it's open for interpretation. Jim Jim Taylor's probably I
mean h James Taylor and Jim crowch you are my
favorite songwriter, and they had two different approaches. Jim Croach
(12:02):
would openly talk about what he was writing about right
where James Taylor would just give you the run around.
You watch old interviews with James, he just he was
having fun with reporters, like, Yeah, what do you think
it's about? That's what it is. Whatever you know it's like,
And I just loved that, you know what. I'm still
that way. You know. I get asked all the time
about son of a Center what does this line mean?
And I'll never answer it. It's like, what does it mean?
(12:23):
Do you do it mean something to you? That's what
it means. Baby. Okay, Well, I have a couple of
true or false questions here if you follow along, Okay,
I'm always going to go true. No no, no, no no, okay.
You're up at five am every morning working out? False?
You drinking? Okay? I was like, how does he know
(12:45):
my schedule? After the alleged workout, you go directly to
the waffle house? That would if the workout. If we
take the workout out, true, waffle house is big. Facts
favorite meal would be what, oh listen to new hash
brown balls? Have you had one yet? Oh? My god.
I was a grand Slam guy for years and let
(13:08):
me tell you because I liked them scattered, smothered, covered,
and chunked. But I will tell you that I am
now a hash brown bowl. Guy. They got these sauce
and you're chicken. It's so far. It's hash browns. You
can add an egg, it's got the cheese. You can
do it, uh, the same old style you did the scattered,
smother or covered have you all? Dude, it's you gotta
try one. I promised that's getting fancy now that it is.
(13:30):
The awful house is upgrading. Dude. Well, they had biscuits
for a whole year. Oh I know that, but usually
for me, it's triple scramble, bacon, crisp, don't destroy it,
just crisp, scatter the hash browns, white tools s, grape jelly,
large glass of milk, and coffee when you get a chance.
Oh my god, that sounds like a hangover dream. That
sounds like it's just screaming for my next drunk. Okay,
(13:55):
don't hate me. Mine is whole food salad bar. Oh sorry,
they're awesome. My wife is a big whole food so
she likes to fry tofu. Well, then how come I
don't look like her thinking the same stuff that she's eating?
How come I don't look like her? I pick on.
My wife. She eats like a buzzard. She'll order a
(14:16):
big meal, take one bite of it and pass it
to me. And I'm like, thank you so much. You're
helping my calorgan take today. Hey well, listen, brother, it's
this is interesting, this is fun. I mean, your your
backgrounds as about as far from countries you can get.
But your music fits right in with what country music
is to. You're one of us. We love it. Why
(14:37):
I thank you? You know, the cool thing about country
music is originally the country music I fell in love with,
with stories and people speaking for those who didn't have
a voice. Right. Country music was the voice of the voiceless.
And I feel like if that's the barometer in which
we're judging country music, then I could not fit in
anywhere else any better. Uh well, and listen that you're
(14:59):
doing what the great Conway Twitty told me years ago.
He said, you know what, you have to have a
little mystery in the entertainment business. Just keep a little
mystery and keep the fans guessing. And but I don't
think the fans are guessing about you. I think they
know you pretty well. I try to wear it all
my sleeves, but I do think it's a little polarizing,
and I think that's awesome. I will say, when you
(15:21):
first said Conway Twitty told me, I was like, if
she says, let me lay you down, I'm gonna cry
laughing right now. Tell Roll, I'd love to lay you down. Yeah,
I'll see you at the waffle house. Come all, baby,
appreciate y'all. Thanks for having me. This is okay, a
(15:44):
different outcome of what we expected going in. And I
need to tell everybody this. This is so very important
because Jelly Roll taught me a lesson that I had
already learned in life, but reminded me. And I had
this conversation you and I by did with Craig Morgan,
because Craig Morgan, I mean, stand up, all American guy. Uh,
(16:06):
you know, no custom party in drinking anything like that
couldn't be more opposite than Jelly Roll. And frankly, you
and me we don't do a lot of that. And uh,
Craig has become such a great friend of Jelly's. And
I mentioned to Craig, I said, look, I could not
think of two more opposite people becoming friends. And I
(16:27):
just remember Craig's eyes kind of burning a hole in me,
saying it's a reminder, don't judge the book. Don't judge
the book by the cover. And I'm like, well, dang,
that's right. I need to follow up on waffle House. Okay, okay.
About ten years ago, uh, he released Okay, Jelly Roll
released a collection of songs okay, rap songs, and you know,
(16:51):
you can imagine what they were sounding like back then.
And there was a mention of waffle House actually on
the cover, used the logo about so you know, he
didn't realize this, but that's copyright infringement. So they sent
him a cease and desist, which he did and apparently
was some tough feelings there because he was, yeah, I
(17:14):
don't know where it stands now, but ten years later.
That was ten years ago, of course, and now and
I checked my favorite waffle house for or to go
on Nashville and it's not on there. His songs, no,
So I don't know if they're going to make up
it's that's that's in their ballpark. But let me just
(17:35):
say that Jelly Roll, Son of a Center is a
good launch into country music. I can't wait to see
what he does now going down the road. Well, oh,
and as we sit here and as we just put
this all over the internet and for the world to
hear in our show coming up this weekend, Jelly Roll
has made history. He has hit number one on the
(17:57):
country chart. So that will be on our Crook and
Chase count Down this weekend all across North America. And
that is after he just mentioned the first time he
heard that he was on the country chart about Oh
my god, what what a great guy. Jelly Roe. We
love you. You have taught us some some life lessons.
You continue to do so with just who you are
(18:20):
and with your music. Well, folks, we have your countrycovered.
Listen to the Crook and Chase Countdown that we just
mentioned every weekend on hundreds of radio stations all across America,
also streaming on I Heart Radio. And you can follow
us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at Crook and Chase
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