Philly Today: Delco Band Says Country Star Jelly Roll Stole Name (2024)

News

Plus, the crackdown on Broad Street madness.

Check phillymag.com each morning Monday through Thursday for the latest edition of Philly Today. And if you have a news tip for our hardworking Philly Mag reporters, please direct it here. You can also use that form to send us reader mail. We love reader mail!

Delco Band Jellyroll Files Lawsuit Against Country Star Jelly Roll Over Name

The Delco band Jellyroll has been playing weddings in the Greater Philadelphia region for decades, entertaining crowds with covers of songs like “Jungle Boogie,” “This Is How We Do It” and “Poison.” You may also have seen Jellyroll at local galas and events like the Philadelphia Auto Show’s Black Tie Tailgate.

And then there’s Jelly Roll. No, not Jellyroll. Jelly Roll. That’s the country music star/rapper, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord. Jelly Roll has been around since the early 2010s, but he only recently gained country star status.

In 2022, his song “Dead Man Walking” was top of the charts on rock radio. One year later, his “Son of a Sinner” was one of the most-played new songs on country radio. The Country Music Association named him New Artist of the Year for 2023. And just this year, he was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammys. He didn’t win, but he did seem to enjoy Miley Cyrus’s performance at the ceremony.

Well, Delco’s Jellyroll hasn’t taken too kindly to Nashville’s Jelly Roll. In fact, the local band just sued Jelly Roll in Philadelphia’s federal court. The founder of Jellyroll registered for a trademark on the name for use as a musical act way back in 2009. And he says that Jelly Roll is infringing on that trademark. A quick search of the national trademark database shows that DeFord just applied for a trademark on the name Jelly Roll for use on clothing and other wearables (a.k.a. concert merch) in early March and that the application is awaiting examination by a trademark office attorney.

According to the suit, DeFord’s use of the name Jelly Roll for a musical act leads to confusion, and since Jelly Roll recently shot to stardom, Google searches for a band called Jelly Roll that once led to Jellyroll’s site now lead to the country singer’s site. Plus, claims the suit, DeFord’s criminal past (he had several run-ins with the law in the 2000s, starting at age 14 — he’s now 39) harms the reputation of Jellyroll for anybody who might associate one act with the other.

Jellyroll’s attorney sent a cease-and-desist letter to Jelly Roll’s attorney, but Jelly Roll continues to promote himself as Jelly Roll, hence the suit.

Lawyers representing Jellyroll and Jelly Roll did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Broad Street Crackdown

If you’ve driven in Philadelphia anytime since 2020, you probably realize that drivers seem a bit nuts — nuttier than they used to be. They blatantly disregard red lights and stop signs. If you’re waiting for oncoming traffic to stop so you can make a left turn at an intersection, the impatient driver behind you might just go around you and dangerously make that same turn. Drivers basically do what they want these days, but the Philadelphia police department says it’s finally going to do something about that. Well, on Broad Street at least.

Police just announced a 30-day crackdown on Broad Street from City Hall up to Cheltenham Avenue. The initiative began on Monday, and police say officers are focusing on bad driving and double-parking and will be ready to hand out tickets left and right. The department has characterized this as a “zero-tolerance approach.”

“These reckless actions have put the safety of our citizens and visitors at risk,” Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said in a statement. “This initiative is designed to address these concerns and create a safer environment for everyone traveling along this busy corridor.”

Police say that in the past year, there were 1,601 crashes on North Broad Street alone. And 52 of those crashes involved pedestrians. Nine people died. Again, this is just on North Broad Street.

No word on what exactly is supposed to happen when that 30-day period ends.

Coyotes in Delco?

I have to say, I didn’t realize there were coyotes in these parts. But it turns out there are. And there’s one in Delco that just snatched a small dog out of a family’s backyard and ran into the woods. Where’s that damn Road Runner when you need him? Her? Wait, was Road Runner a boy or a girl?

By the Numbers

$2.6 billion: What SEPTA wants to spend in 2025. The transit agency just unveiled its latest budget proposal. That proposal includes more police officers and various system upgrades. But let’s just remember that some SEPTA upgrades aren’t necessarily upgrades.

4: Years in business for Center City medical marijuana dispensary Ethos Cannabis, which is shutting down on, yes, 4/20. Apparently, the property’s newish owners secured financing that doesn’t allow marijuana dispensaries to operate in the building.

7: Wawa stores in and around Center City that the company has closed since 2020. But the company’s president declared yesterday (Wawa’s 60th anniversary) that Wawa remains committed to Philadelphia and is, in fact, “Philly proud.”

Local Talent

As I mentioned above, Tuesday was the 60th anniversary of Wawa. Yes, I got my free Wawa coffee in honor of the occasion. I rarely get food at Wawa, but, I figured, why not? The only thing I’ll eat at Wawa these days is a chicken salad Shorti with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, hot peppers and oregano. So I got one. But who cares what I eat at Wawa? What do local talents and celebrities like Michael Solomonov, Governor Josh Shapiro, weather predictor Cecily Tynan, and FOX 29’s Alex Holley eat at Wawa? We’ve got the answers to those burning questions right here.

And From the Ranger-Danger Sports Desk …

Ranger Suárez had all he needed and then some in a masterful performance last night against the Rockies. He pitched a baseball unicorn these days: a complete-game shutout. He only gave up seven hits, one walk and had eight strikeouts. And he got good offensive support for a change. J.T. Realmuto smacked a two-run homer in the first inning:

Dinger szn 🔔‼️

J.T. Realmuto puts the Phillies on the board first!

(via @Phillies)pic.twitter.com/SA3pvyr8F2

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) April 16, 2024

And Bryce Harper had an RBI double in the sixth and then a two-run homer in the eighth, just for fun.

https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1780395350655717694

There were some nifty defensive plays in the game as well. Gotta feel good about this one!

Shutout for Ranger #RingTheBell #MLB pic.twitter.com/xIKsNEeXfq

— Kyle Ross (@krr5045) April 17, 2024

One more against the Rockies tonight, starting at 6:05.

Any Sixers News?

Um, yeah. Tonight is also the big Sixers play-in game against the Heat. It’s at home, Joel is possible the last we heard, and tip-off is at 7 p.m. The season series, by the way, is tied at 2-2. Terry Rozier is officially out for the game for the Heat, which can only be a good thing for our guys. Wish it was Jimmy Butler, but what can you do?

The Flyers also played. And now they won’t anymore.

All Philly Today sports coverage is provided by Sandy Hingston.