Craig Morgan invited a special guest to join him onstage at the Grand Ole Opry during his performance on Thursday, July 7. It’s not the first time Jelly Roll has been on that stage — his debut was last fall — but it’s the first time the two have performed together, despite having a bit of history.
“How exciting is Jelly Roll, yall?” Morgan asks the crowd in the video below, before sharing their backstory. “I happened to be our on the road somewhere and someone called me and said, ‘Man you have got to see this Jelly Roll guy. He was just on the Grand Ole Opry and he don’t look like somebody that would be on the Grand Ole Opry, but he was talking about you.”
The “Little Bit of Life” singer continues, speaking about Jelly Roll watching him perform just after being released from prison. Then, Jelly Roll walks onstage to confirm the story while adding his own perspective.
“Shortly after I got out of jail, I did, I sat right there in row seven and I cried like a baby and watched him sing,” he says, gesturing toward Morgan. “I remember thinking, I wanna make people feel the way he makes me feel right now.”
“This is a true testimony that God is real and all things are possible cause that same kid that was in jail and struggling, his wife is sitting right there. And he’s not sitting there tonight. That kid is standing next to Craig Morgan,” he adds.
The two sang the song that moved Jelly Roll that night, “Almost Home.”
After their performance, Morgan presented Jelly Roll with a gift: A signed, handwritten copy of the lyrics to “Almost Home.” The gesture was almost too much for Jelly Roll, as his eyes welled up with tears.
Jelly Roll has been making waves in the world of country music since the release of his album Ballad of the Broken in 2021. His song “Dead Man Walking” quickly became his first No. 1 hit, and his latest single, “Son of a Sinner,” is currently in the Top 20.
See Pictures of the Grand Ole Opry Through Its History