Jelly Roll Sued By Pennsylvania Band Also Named Jellyroll
Jelly Roll, a CMA Award-winning and Grammy-nominated country artist, has been sued by a band with the same stage name.
Rolling Stone reports that Kurt L. Titchenell, the leader of a Pennsylvania-based wedding band named Jellyroll, recently filed a lawsuit against the country singer. Titchenell’s suit outlines how the band has operated under their stage name since 1980.
The band has performed at both public and private events for years. President George W. Bush asked them to perform at the White House in 2007.
The band trademarked their name in 2010 and renewed that trademark in 2019.
Jelly Roll the singer was born in 1984…four years after the band originated. He started off his music career as a rapper and released his debut studio album in 2011. He’s been performing under the name Jelly Roll since then.
Jelly Roll rose to greater prominence after switching his focus to country music. In 2023 alone, he won three CMT Music Awards and the CMA Award for New Artist of the Year.
He also won three awards at the 2024 CMT Music Awards.
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Jelly Roll also received his first two Grammy nominations at the end of 2023. He earned nods in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance Category and the all-genre Best New Artist category.
Additionally, Jelly Roll has three #1 country hits: “Save Me,” “Need a Favor,” and “Son of a Sinner.”
Why Is Jelly Roll Being Sued?
Because Jelly Roll the singer has recently experienced increased popularity, Jellyroll the band alleges that search engines (such as Google) now prioritize his name over theirs in search results. Because of this, the band claims their online exposure has suffered.
Court Watch obtained the legal filing regarding the lawsuit. Tichenell is seeking injunctive relief for service mark infringement, false designation of origin and/or sponsorship, dilution, common law palming off, trademark and trade name infringement and unfair competition, and injury to business reputation and dilution.
Attorneys for Jellyroll the band sent Jelly Roll the singer a cease-and-desist letter in February 2024. Now, the band is seeking an injunction to prevent him or any of his representatives from using his stage name during the course of legal action.
Jelly Roll has not publicly addressed the lawsuit at the time of this writing.
How Did Jelly Roll Get His Name?
Obviously, Jelly Roll is not the singer’s real name. He was born on December 4, 1984, in Antioch, Tennessee as Jason Bradley DeFord.
A young Jason got his nickname from his mother. He told Bobby Bones in 2022, “My mother named me that whenever I was a little chubby kid.”
His friend also started calling him Jelly Roll, and the nickname stuck. Listen to him speak more about his background by tuning into his interview with Bobby Bones below.