Jelly Roll and Marcus King brought the house down, and took fans to church, with a soaring performance of “Hard Fought Hallelujah” to close out the ninth televised Stand Up To Cancer fundraising special.
The genre-bending superstar, dressed in a dark gray Stand Up To Cancer shirt layered with a brown shacket, stood alongside King on the stage at The Pinnacle in Nashville, Tennessee, and belted out the lyrics to the track, which normally features Brandon Lake.
“What’s up Nashville? One night, one goal baby, if you’re watching at home… donate, donate, donate, and I don’t know about y’all, but I still believe in the power of praise. Can we goto church tonight, y’all?” the 40-year-old singer/songwriter stated, introducing the performance alongside a choir who joined him and King on stage.
Jelly Roll kicked off the performance by taking on the first verse of the song.
“Yeah, I don’t always feel it/ Yeah, but that’s when I need it the most/ So I’ma keep on singing/ ‘Til my soul catches up with my song/ There’s time when my hands go up freely/ Times that it costs, uh-uh/ There’s days when a praise comes out easy/ Days when it takes all the strength I got,” Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, delivered on the first verse before going into the chorus.
Marcus King, who wore a royal blue suit and a tan cowboy hat, took on the second verse of the track.
“I’ve wrestled with the darkness/ But I’m trying to reach for the light/ Yeah, the struggle keeps me honest/ And it breaks down the walls of my pride/ ‘Cause faith isn’t proven like gold/ ‘Til it’s been through the fire, ay, ay/ My head, heart, and hands are feeling heavy/ That’s when I lift them just a little higher,” King sang.
The pair of hitmakers then joined forces to sing the chorus and harmonize flawlessly.
Hosted by GRAMMY Award-winning country superstar Sheryl Crow, the Stand Up To Cancer fundraising special also featured performances from Crow, the Jonas Brothers, Noah Cyrus, Gavin DeGraw, Marcus King, Brothers Osborne, Jon Pardi, Jelly Roll, Dan + Shay and CeCe Winans, joined by Nashville Community Gospel Choir.
The Stand Up To Cancer telecast, airing for the first time ever from The Pinnacle in Nashville, also included appearances from special guests such as Kevin Bacon, Jamie Foxx, Tim McGraw, Zoe Saldaña, Reese Witherspoon, Keith Urban, SU2C co-founder Katie Couric and more.
Throughout the telecast, viewers also heard from top SU2C-funded researchers about recent breakthroughs and the importance of ongoing support in the fight against cancer. From early detection to innovative treatments, survivor stories showcased the real-world impact of SU2C’s work and the hope it brought to patients and families.
Donate today to help fund cancer research aimed at finding cures. Your contribution supports Stand Up To Cancer and its collaborative research programs. You can donate by calling 1-800-90-STAND or online by visiting StandUpToCancer.org.
