Jelly Roll’s Lawsuit Over Stage Name Dropped

When Kurt Titchenell, head of the Pennsylvania-based Jellyroll Band, sued the country singer Jelly Roll, one primary complaint was how the singer made it harder for clients to find information about their group online. According to Billboard, Titchenell began using the name Jellyroll Band in 1980. The band applied for the trademark in 2010, per Rolling Stone. By contrast, Jelly Roll, born in 1984, first used the name in relation to his music career in 2003. Notably, Jelly Roll had been known by this sweet moniker long before his music career, given to him by his mother, Donna DeFord.

“Well, it started with my mother,” Jelly Roll said at the 2023 CMA Fest while speaking to StageRightSecrets. “I was a chunky little kid who loved doughnuts, and every Sunday after church, I’d get one. She called me her little Jelly Roll.” The name stuck with him throughout his school years and ultimately became the name by which everyone knew him.

The overlapping names created issues for the Jellyroll Band, leading to “confusion in the marketplace,” as reported by Rolling Stone. Titchenell decided to take legal action when a cease-and-desist order he sent went unanswered, according to Billboard.

Source: Rolling Stone, Billboard