In February, Dolly Parton had the prestigious and deserved honor of being nominated for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. The next month, though, she shared a statement that began, “Even though I am extremely flattered and grateful to be nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I don’t feel that I have earned that right. I really do not want votes to be split because of me, so I must respectfully bow out.”
The Rock Hall ultimately decided to keep Parton on their ballot and now Parton has had a change of heart about the situation, saying that due to her newfound understanding of how the Rock Hall honors artists in multiple genres, she would accept her induction should she get voted in.
In a new interview on NPR’s Morning Edition, Parton was asked what she would do if she ended up getting inducted despite what she’s said. She responded, “Well, I’ll accept gracefully. I would just say thanks and I would accept it because the fans vote. But when I said that, it was always my belief that the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was for the people in rock music. I have found out lately that it’s not necessarily that, but if they can’t go there to be recognized, where do they go? So I just felt like I would be taking away from someone that maybe deserved it, certainly more than me, since I never considered myself a rock artist. But obviously, there’s more to it than that.”
BREAKING: A month after asking to be removed from the ballot, Dolly Parton now says if she is inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame she will “accept gracefully.” @MorningEdition #RockHall2022 pic.twitter.com/7syDdg6TBo
— Future Rock Legends (@futurerocklgnds) April 29, 2022
Parton isn’t the only non-rock artist up for consideration this year, as her fellow nominees include Eminem and A Tribe Called Quest.