‘True joy, just acceptance’: Chesterfield inmates recount performing with Grammy-nominated artist Jelly Roll
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A second visit from Jason Deford -- better known as Jelly Roll -- left a lasting, heartfelt impression on those who are part of the HARP (Helping Addicts Recover Progressively) Program. 8News spoke to five of the members who shared the experience -- Ejay Shakoore, Kevin Wheeler, Craig Fordham, Amin Barakthwrght and Chris Walker. Shakoore said the musician's visit embodied the message behind the HARP Program. As someone who experienced addiction, himself, Jelly Roll was able to really connect with these men. “'I see you. I understand you. I’m here to help you,'" he said of how Jelly Roll made him feel. "He just really let us know that he was the same as us -- [that] we’re more alike than different.” "[It] felt [like] true joy ... just acceptance, that I wasn’t alone," Walker added. "You know? He saw me, and that’s amazing -- to be seen, just in general. Just to be seen.” The late October visit didn't end when Jelly Roll left, but with a performance at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville. Right after his visit, Jelly Roll contacted Sheriff Karl Leonard of Chesterfield County and asked if Shakore, Wheeler, Fordham and Barakthwrgh could perform with him. They sang a "HARP-ified" version of the Grammy-nominated artist's song "Unpretty." (Video courtesy of Kerri Rhodes, Director, of the Behavioral and Mental Health Division of Chesterfield County Jail) The experience was life-changing for the inmates, who told 8News in their own words how much it meant to them. “That was a different type of high … nothing can compare to that," Fordham said. "That was one of my childhood, to actually perform and be on stage." Their gratitude for Jelly Roll's part in that is profound. “We have a saying, and it’s 'lost dreams awaken, new possibilities arise' -- and he [Jelly Roll] made all those come those come true," Barakthwrght said. Wheeler explained how unforgettable the evening was when contrasted with the earlier parts of his own music career. “I’ve always played for people, but substances were always involved," Wheeler said. "So, to be able to do that on that stage without substances … Jelly Roll showed me a lot of things with that. ... Yeah, I’ll never forget that.” Officials also weighed in, noting that the evening brought a deeper meaning into who someone is, rather than what they are known for. “Everybody accepted them as artists, as performers, not as inmates, not as addicts," Leonard said. "Everybody accepted them for what they really are: human beings." "They are beautiful people who are heading down a path in their own recovery -- and the sky's the limit," added Kerri Rhodes, director of the jail's Behavioral and Mental Health Division.
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CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A second visit from Jason Deford -- better known as Jelly Roll -- left a lasting, heartfelt impression on those who are part of the HARP (Helping Addicts Recover Progressively) Program.
8News spoke to five of the members who shared the experience -- Ejay Shakoore, Kevin Wheeler, Craig Fordham, Amin Barakthwrght and Chris Walker.
Shakoore said the musician's visit embodied the message behind the HARP Program. As someone who experienced addiction, himself, Jelly Roll was able to really connect with these men.
“'I see you. I understand you. I’m here to help you,'" he said of how Jelly Roll made him feel. "He just really let us know that he was the same as us -- [that] we’re more alike than different.”
"[It] felt [like] true joy ... just acceptance, that I wasn’t alone," Walker added. "You know? He saw me, and that’s amazing -- to be seen, just in general. Just to be seen.”
The late October visit didn't end when Jelly Roll left, but with a performance at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville.
Right after his visit, Jelly Roll contacted Sheriff Karl Leonard of Chesterfield County and asked if Shakore, Wheeler, Fordham and Barakthwrgh could perform with him.
They sang a "HARP-ified" version of the Grammy-nominated artist's song "Unpretty."
The experience was life-changing for the inmates, who told 8News in their own words how much it meant to them.
“That was a different type of high … nothing can compare to that," Fordham said. "That was one of my childhood, to actually perform and be on stage."
Their gratitude for Jelly Roll's part in that is profound.
“We have a saying, and it’s 'lost dreams awaken, new possibilities arise' -- and he [Jelly Roll] made all those come those come true," Barakthwrght said.
Wheeler explained how unforgettable the evening was when contrasted with the earlier parts of his own music career.
“I’ve always played for people, but substances were always involved," Wheeler said. "So, to be able to do that on that stage without substances … Jelly Roll showed me a lot of things with that. ... Yeah, I’ll never forget that.”
Officials also weighed in, noting that the evening brought a deeper meaning into who someone is, rather than what they are known for.
“Everybody accepted them as artists, as performers, not as inmates, not as addicts," Leonard said. "Everybody accepted them for what they really are: human beings."
"They are beautiful people who are heading down a path in their own recovery -- and the sky's the limit," added Kerri Rhodes, director of the jail's Behavioral and Mental Health Division.
