Jelly Roll has racked up milestone after milestone over the past few years, chart toppers, sold out arenas, a breakthrough Billboard 200 debut, but nothing quite prepared him for the moment Craig Morgan officially invited him to join the Grand Ole Opry.
The invitation arrived in the most modern way possible, a video played during Jelly Roll’s appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, where Morgan surprised him from inside the Opry pews.
In the clip, Morgan honours Jelly Roll’s impact before delivering the line that floored him, “And who would have ever dreamed back then that I’d be back at the Opry House today, to say Jelly Roll, you’re officially invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. It’s an honor to say welcome to the family, brother.”
Before Morgan even finished speaking, Jelly Roll crumbled into tears, burying his face in his hands.
Hugging Rogan, he managed to get out: “It don’t get no bigger in country music, bubba. It’s as big as it gets.”
Once he caught his breath, he opened up about what the Opry meant to him as a kid with nothing but big dreams and a borrowed ticket.
“Dude, I used to buy tickets to go there,” he said, remembering the first time he saw Morgan play, that memory, ankle bracelet on, racing home before curfew, still shapes him.
“I Googled Craig Morgan … I heard ‘Almost Home’ in jail … I cried. I cried. I cried like I’m crying here now … I can’t believe they made me a member of the Opry. I want to make people feel the way he makes me feel.”
Jelly Roll also reflected on watching Luke Combs’ Opry induction years ago, saying, “I’ll never forget watching Luke Combs when they asked him to be a member…”
With eight No. 1 Country Airplay hits and a massive cultural footprint, Jelly Roll’s rise has already rewritten the rulebook, becoming an Opry member is something else entirely though, a stamp of legacy that even he once thought was out of reach.
RELATED
MORE IN News
