Before he became one of country music’s most beloved stars, Jelly Roll — born Jason DeFord in Antioch, Tennessee — lived a life marked by addiction, incarceration, and struggle. He began selling drugs as a teen and spent nearly a decade in and out of jail. Behind bars, he found music — and a reason to hope.
Fast forward to 2025: Jelly Roll is channeling his hard-won redemption into a new mission — transforming part of his Tennessee property into a mental health and addiction recovery center called “The Field of Grace.” “I believe in the healing power of music,” he said. “But I want to do more than sing about it — I want to help people live through it.”
The center will offer therapy, community programs, and a small recording studio where residents can share their stories through music. Partnering with local charities and recovery specialists, Jelly Roll hopes it will become “a refuge for those who need a way out.” He says the idea came during a quiet night on the farm that changed his own life. “Now it’s time it changes someone else’s.”
Fans have called the project his true legacy. Jelly Roll insists it’s not for publicity: “If one kid doesn’t pick up a needle because of this, every brick is worth it.” Once trapped behind bars, he’s now building bridges — proving that redemption isn’t just sung about, it’s lived.