FILE.- Jelly Roll arrives at the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Frisco, Texas, on May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)2025-12-18T20:06:55Z NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Tennessees governor pardoned country star Jelly Roll on Thursday for his criminal past in the state, acknowledging the Nashville natives long road back from drugs and prison through soul-searching, songwriting and advocacy for second chances.The rapper-turned-singer whose legal name is Jason Deford has spoken for years about his redemption arc before diverse audiences, from people serving time in correctional centers to concert crowds and even in testimony before Congress. Republican Gov. Bill Lee issued his pardon after friends and civic leaders of the Grammy-nominated musician joined in an outpouring of support. Jelly Rolls convictions include robbery and drug felonies. He has said a pardon would make it easier for him to travel internationally for concert tours and to perform Christian missionary work without requiring burdensome paperwork. He was one of 33 people to receive pardons Thursday from Lee, who for years has issued clemency decisions around the Christmas season. Lee said Jelly Rolls application underwent the same monthslong thorough review as other applicants. The state parole board gave a nonbinding, unanimous recommendation for Jelly Rolls pardon in April. His story is remarkable, and its a redemptive, powerful story, which is what you look for and what you hope for, Lee told reporters, adding he hopes to meet Jelly Roll for the first time soon. Unlike recent high-profile federal pardons, which let people off the hook for prison, a pardon in Tennessee serves as a statement of forgiveness for someone who has already completed a prison sentence and been released. Pardons offer a path to get certain civil rights restored, such as the right to vote, although there are some limitations under state law, and the governor can specify the terms.Jelly Roll broke into country music with the 2023 album Whitsitt Chapel and crossover songs like Need a Favor. He has won multiple CMT Awards, a CMA Award and also picked up seven career Grammy nominations, three of them recently. Much of his work has become associated with overcoming adversity, like the song Winning Streak that tells the story of someones first day sober. Or the direct-and-to-the-point, I Am Not Okay.When I first started doing this, I was just telling my story of my broken self, he told The Associated Press in a recent interview. By the time I got through it, I realized that my story was the story of many. So now Im not telling my story anymore. Im getting to pull it right from the crevices of the people whose storys never been told.In making his case to the parole board, Jelly Roll said he first fell in love with songwriting while in custody, stating it began as a therapeutic passion project that would end up changing my life in ways that I never dreamed imaginable.Beyond his sold-out shows, hes brought his witness to the U.S. Senate, where he testified about the dangers of fentanyl, describing his drug-dealing younger self as the uneducated man in the kitchen playing chemist with drugs I knew absolutely nothing about. I was a part of the problem, he told lawmakers at the time. I am here now standing as a man that wants to be a part of the solution.Jelly Rolls most serious convictions include a robbery at age 17 and drug charges at 23. In the first case, a female acquaintance helped Jelly Roll and two armed accomplices steal $350 from people in a home in 2002. Because the victims knew the female acquaintance, she and Jelly Roll were arrested right away. Jelly Roll was unarmed, and was sentenced to one year in prison plus probation. In another run-in 2008, police found marijuana and crack cocaine in his car, leading to eight years of court-ordered supervision. Friends and civic leaders backed the pardon application, citing Jelly Rolls transformation.Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall, who runs Nashvilles jail, wrote that Jelly Roll had an awakening in one of the jails he managed. Live Nation Entertainment CEO and President Michael Rapino cited Jelly Rolls donations from his performances to charities for at-risk youth. The parole board began considering Jelly Rolls pardon application in October 2024, which marks the states five-year timeline for eligibility after his sentence expired. Prominent Nashville attorney David Raybin represents Jelly Roll in the pardon case.Lees office said no one was pardoned Thursday who had a homicide or a sex-related conviction, or for any crime committed as an adult against a minor.