Jelly Roll’s central family has opened up about their relationship with the singer and what first drew them to him and his music. This is one of the film’s most moving sequences.
Last fall, Chanel Clarke, her mother Minia Smith, and Smith’s 16-year-old granddaughter Abby made their way backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. It didn’t take them long to break down in tears.
You can watch Jelly Roll: Save Me on Hulu and this section was a part of it. Clarke and Abby’s account of how they got there was shared with Taste of Country, which made it even more touching but terrible.
According to Clarke, her mother’s emotional reaction to meeting Jelly Roll was “like getting to hug my brother again.”. A cell phone video that was shared with Taste of Country also shows the other women crying.
The story behind this scene from @JellyRoll615’s new documentary is even more powerful.
EXCLUSIVE interview with the family 👉 https://t.co/WvnRhkIDE8 pic.twitter.com/qudNIOUuy0
— Taste of Country (@TasteOfCountry) June 19, 2023
In Phoenix, Arizona, in March 2021, Brandon Smith, Minia Smith’s son, was fatally shot. Police would take his wife into custody and then accuse her of killing him.
Their 14-year-old daughter was present at the time. She then remembered hearing gunshots and going into the living room to find her father lying wounded on the floor. Furthermore, the family dog was shot.
The daughter of the couple is called Abby. Since that time, she and Clarke have moved to Tennessee to start a new life. When the family learned that Jelly Roll would be performing at Bridgestone Arena last October, they bought tickets. Later they found out he was going to the Grand Ole Opry even sooner.
The author recalled, “I made him a flannel with the words “Mama Tried” on the back after first purchasing front-row tickets (to the Opry).
Before leaving the stage, Jelly Roll picked up the flannel, and the group sort of barnstormed backstage in the hopes that fate would lead them to the singer. It was successful!
In a report from ABC 15 in Phoenix, Diane Smith’s problems with her mental health are described, as is her husband’s struggle to get her help. Clarke continues, “Her brother knew his life was in danger. Everyone feared his wife of 13 years in the three months before his death, but he insisted on staying because he couldn’t leave his daughter behind.
Taste of Country quotes her as saying, “We had blankets covering our windows because ours was the corner house on the side of the street. Our backyard was frequently the target of her throws. The fact that I had two young children prevented me from even letting them play in our backyard.
In January 2021, when “Save Me” started playing, Clarke remembered cleaning the house while listening to music on YouTube. As she listened to the lyrics, she halted her movement.
“Somebody save me / Me from myself / I’ve spent so long living in hell,” Jelly Roll croons. “.
“I just stood there contemplating, ‘Oh my gosh. She says, “That sounds exactly like what my brother is attempting to say to us.
It was similar to the impact of Jelly Roll’s “Glitter.”. He is no longer there, so these words have a much greater significance.
Minia Smith says to Jelly Roll, “We played your song at his funeral,” in a video that she sends to Taste of Country. She is crying as she tells the hitmaker their story, and when the camera on her cell phone pans up, he is visibly moved to tears.
After their visit, Jelly Roll takes Abby and speaks to her directly. His effort and feelings are more apparent in this unedited version of the video. The impact of their story on him is actually quite evident.
According to an old proverb, we are supposedly conquered by the power of our testimony. Jelly Roll, who is distraught, says in a fierce whisper to Abby, “You have a really strong testimony.
You’re going to use it in the future to do a lot of good for the world. You can hear me. Anytime you want, you can cry about it. Never let someone tell you how to feel during a time of loss. You move cautiously. You discuss him every day if that’s what you need to do to survive. I guarantee that when you think back on him in the future, you’ll laugh.
The way he said that to me was truly amazing, thinks Abby. I was so impressed with myself, and everything was just perfect. “.
The adolescent seems to be listening intently to what her favorite performer is saying. Despite being soft-spoken and still being under a lot of pressure, she admits that she is happy to reside in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Clarke, her adoptive mother, just learned about this from her.
She hugged me and said, “I feel like I have a second chance at life.
