Jelly Roll Wins GRAMMY for Best Contemporary Country Album

What a way to welcome the new year. Jelly Roll took home the award for Best Contemporary Country Album at the recently concluded 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards. Known for blurring the lines between country, rock, and hip-hop, his win feels like a victory for a new era of country music. Aside from his incredible win, Roll’s faith-filled speech took center stage.  

Jelly Roll was obviously surprised when he won Best Contemporary Country Album for Beautifully Broken. Aside from Best Contemporary Country Album, Roll was also nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Amen” with Shaboozey, and Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for “Hard Fought Hallelujah” with Brandon Lake. He won all three categories.  

In his emotional speech, Roll, first and foremost, thanked God: “I know they’re going to try to kick me off here, so just let me try to get this out. First of all, Jesus, I hear you and I’m listening. Lord, I’m listening, Lord.”  

He went on to thank his wife Bunnie Xo, “Second of all, I want to thank my beautiful wife. I would’ve never changed my life without you. I’d ended up dead or in jail. I’d have killed myself if it wasn’t for you and Jesus, I thank you for that.”  

Roll also mentioned his label and country radio, “I thank you for my label, Broken Bow! Country Radio, baby. What’s up, dog? Oh, Republic John McNeely. We did it, baby.”  

During his speech, the Tennessee-born singer-songwriter pulled a Bible out of his pocket. “There was a time in my life y’all that I was broken,” Roll continued. “That’s why I wrote this album. I didn’t think I had a chance. There was days that I thought the darkest things, I was a horrible human. There was a moment in my life that all I had was a Bible this big and a radio the same size of a 6x8 foot cell. And I believed that those two things could change my life.”  

He added, “I believed that music had the power to change my life, and God had the power to change my life. And I want to tell y’all right now, Jesus is for everybody. Jesus is not owned by one political party. Jesus is not owned by no music label. Jesus is Jesus and anybody can have a relationship with him. I love you, Lord!”  

Roll was up against Kelsea Ballerini (Patterns), Tyler Childers (Snipe Hunter), Eric Church (Evangeline Vs. The Machine), and Miranda Lambert (Postcards From Texas).