Queensland country music artist Tom Busby, of Busby Marou, will supportJelly Roll at Townsville’s Sunburnt Country festival, alongside Shaboozey and Drew Baldridge.<\/p>\n
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A grass-roots campaign helped secure Jelly Roll’s Townsville show. (Supplied: Jelly Roll\/Facebook\u00a0)<\/p>\n
Busby said he’d long been aware of fan pressure and behind-the-scene negotiations to get Jelly Roll to visit northern Australia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said the artist had a compelling backstory.<\/p>\n
“He’s got this incredible story which is pretty uplifting,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“He’s been at the bottom depths of hell and he’s risen back up and he’s now on top of the world<\/p>\n
“He’s a big boy with facial tattoos and I think he spent a bit of time in prison.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“He’s got a good message for anyone who is struggling and getting through life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I think they were trying to make it happen for quite a while, \u00a0it was hush hush behind closed doors … for a minute there it wasn’t happening, then all of a sudden we are back on.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Tom Busby and Jeremy Marou from Busby Marou, who will be supporting Jelly Roll.\u00a0 (Image credit: Sean Gilligan)<\/p>\n
Acting Mayor Ann-Maree Greaney said the imminent visit was good news for Townsville, acknowledging she had become familiar with Jelly Roll’s work only recently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I got a text from my son in Cairns last night saying this is fantastic,” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“With two boys that are 19 and 21 and country music mad, you kind of have to add it to your [music streaming] list.”\u00a0<\/p>\n