The Christian faith of Jelly Roll: Grace, grit and a hard-fought hallelujah

The country singer recently won a Dove Award for his collaboration with Brandon Lake on ‘Hard fought Hallelujah’. But who is the man behind the tattoos - and what is the story behind his Christian faith? Robin Ham finds a messy tale of redemption that makes space for those on the margins

When worship leader Brandon Lake accepted the song of the year award at the GMA Dove Awards recently for ‘Hard fought hallelujah’, few noticed the trophy itself.

Instead, all eyes were on the man stood beside him: Jelly Roll, the tattooed Nashville music artist whose gritty story and unconventional lifestyle have often raised eyebrows among Christian media outlets in recent years.

As the applause faded and Jelly Roll took the mic, he admitted that he felt out of place. But then, there was a stunning moment. He preached.

“Y’all forgive me…I’m nervous. But I’m here because people visited the least. The world is hearing about Jesus right now like they haven’t heard in generations. But put faith on your feet and feet on your faith. They’ve heard of Jesus…now show ’em Jesus. Go feed the poor, love the broken, visit the prisoners. We’re done talking. It’s time to show them.”