Jelly Roll Surprises Franklin Theatre for Recovery Court Benefit

Despite unpredictable weather, the Franklin community came together on Thursday for a night of music in support of a program that works to rehabilitate people dealing with addiction and restore lives.

The Stories Behind the Songs event took place at the Franklin Theatre, where songwriting legends Brad and Brett Warren took the stage to introduce two surprise guests: Grammy-nominee Jessi Alexander and one of the most talked about names in music right now – Jelly Roll.

The 2023 Country Music Association’s New Artist of the Year performed his songs such as “Save Me” and “Need a Favor,” both of which were written about seeking help from God to beat his addictions.

The Warren Brothers have several hits under their belt, writing hit songs such as Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup” and Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift’s “Highway Don’t Care.” But the brothers have also been sober for 20 years now. Because of their sobriety, they are huge supporters of Recovery Court and help to put on this fundraiser every year both playing and bringing in other artists to play every year. In the past, artists such as Martina McBride and Tim McGraw have played at the event. 

Before the music started, 21st District Recovery Court board president Eric Larsen gave a powerful testimony. He shared how controlling drug addiction can be explained that it’s a non-discriminatory disease.

“What I really want to do is share a personal success story about recovery court,” Larsen said. “As I said, I’m an attorney, and several years ago I represented a man named Mike, and he’s here today, and he wanted me to share his name and tell his story. Mike is a fantastic guy. He comes from a great family, but he just fell into the trap door of addiction. What had happened was that he had an injury; he was prescribed medication, and the wheels fell off after that. That’s the trap door. It happens all the time.”

After running into some legal trouble while in active addiction, Larsen explained, Mike was referred to the two year program that 21st District Recovery Court offers, and he successfully graduated.

The Recovery Court program itself costs about $15,000 per year, as opposed to the $45,000 a year that it costs to incarcerate an inmate, Larsen said, which means that choosing alternative routes for those struggling with drug addiction saves taxpayers money. Although Recovery Court is an alternative to incarceration, the program receives no tax dollars. It is primarily funded through grants and donations.

Recovery Court director Connie Martin knows all too well what the justice system can do to non-violent addicts because she worked as a probation officer with the state for over 20 years. During her work, she saw people who were struggling with addiction go in and out of prison for failed drug tests. She saw families torn apart and people lose their lives because of lack of proper treatment for addiction. She started volunteering at Recovery Court and ended up joining the team in 2002.

“It makes fiscal sense financially to support this program, because we’re not spending 40 to 50 thousand dollars a year to incarcerate someone,” Martin told the Williamson Scene. “There’s a need, and people have ignored it, or they really didn’t understand it. But now, there’s more understanding because people are being more vocal about it. Just like tonight, the folks that are putting on this show tonight, they understand.”