Country music icon Dolly Parton was recently nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – an honor which she has chosen to decline. She explained her reasons why in a social media post stating that she doesn’t feel she has yet “earned that right,” but went on to say that the nomination has left her feeling inspired to “put out a hopefully great rock ‘n’ roll album at some point in the future.”
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) March 14, 2022
After her explanation, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame put out a post of their own explaining that they decline her choice to withdraw and pointed out that her nomination underwent the same process as all the other artists who were also nominated. They also stated that “Rock & Roll has had deep roots in Rhythm & Blues and Country Music.” It went on further saying that Rock & Roll is “not defined by any one genre, rather a sound that moves youth culture.”
Parton got into a little bit more detail during an appearance on Fox News Channels’ Fox and Friends:
“I didn’t feel exactly right about [being nominated] because my perception, and I think the perception of most of America, I just feel like that’s more for the people in rock music,” she explained. “I’ve been educated since then, saying that [the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame] is more than [just for people in rock music], but I didn’t still feel right about it.”
She finished her argument with a comparison saying, “It kind of would be like putting AC/DC in the Country Music Hall of Fame. That just felt a little out of place for me.”
As of now, Parton remains one of 17 nominees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022. Other nominees include Lionel Richie, Carly Simon, Pat Benatar, and more. The full list can be found here.
Inductees will be announced in May 2022 and the Induction Ceremony will take place this fall.