Jelly Roll Revisits Former Nashville Jail Cell: 'There Was a Time in My Life Where I Truly Thought This Is It'

Jelly Roll took a trip back to his rocky past recently.

During an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, the "Save Me" musician (born Jason DeFord), 39, revisited his former jail cell at the Metro-Davidson County Detention Facility in Nashville, which inspired many of his songs.

“There was a time in my life where I truly thought this was it,” he recalled in an emotional conversation with CBS News Sunday Morning‘s Kelefa Sanneh. “And then, coming here after being nominated for two Grammys just hits different.”

He added: “I wrote hundreds of songs right here. I wrote [the 2010 song] ‘Ridin’ All Alone’ chorus right here.”

Over the years, the country singer has had several run-ins of his own with the law — he’s been to jail himself some 40 times for various drug charges. He was only 14 when he was arrested for the first time.

2023 was a landmark year for Jelly who landed three No. 1 country hits, dropped the smash album Whitsitt Chapel (his seventh studio record, but first official foray into country) and won new artist of the year at the CMA Awards. He also scored two Grammy nominations, including one for best new artist. 

But before he could full lean into country music fame, Jelly had to clean up his act, and that meant re-evaluating his relationship with some of his vices. 

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“I had to learn that you could drink alcohol without doing cocaine. It took me a long time to learn that,” the "Son of a Sinner" performer told PEOPLE in December. “I've never said that, but that's real. There was a long time where I just assumed, when people told me they drank without doing cocaine, I was like, I thought we only drank to do cocaine.”

While Jelly never went to rehab for his drug addiction, he often visits centers across the country where he’ll bring warm meals, play some songs and “do a little encouraging.” He does the same at juvenile centers.

"I always said that if I ever got in this situation, I would do everything I could to give back," he said. "The fact that just me showing up places can make people happy is such a gift, and I feel like if God gave me that gift, I should show up."