Dolly Parton Has Change of Heart on Rock Hall

'I'll accept gracefully' if inducted, country music legend says
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 29, 2022 12:21 PM CDT
Dolly Parton Has Change of Heart on Rock Hall
Dolly Parton performs at the South by Southwest Music Festival on March 18, 2022, in Austin, Texas.   (Photo by Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP)

Dolly Parton may not have initially wanted her name on the ballot for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but she won't put up a stink if she wins a spot. The country music legend tells NPR that she will "accept gracefully" if chosen by some 1,200 voters. "I'll say 'thanks' and accept that." The 10-time Grammy winner wouldn't be the first country star inducted. Still, she previously argued that, having never put out a rock album, she hadn't "earned that right." "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, and I have found out lately that it's not necessarily that," Parton says.

In deciding to keep Parton on the ballot for the Class of 2022, despite her objections, the Rock Hall noted that "from its inception, Rock & Roll has had deep roots in Rhythm & Blues and Country music. It is not defined by any one genre, rather a sound that moves youth culture," per Billboard. And "Dolly Parton's music impacted a generation of young fans and influenced countless artists that followed."

Though it's possible Parton's initial statement cost her some votes, per Rolling Stone, she has nabbed at least one for sure. Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh tells NME that he voted for Parton, who "has every right" to stand alongside Devo and other 2022 nominees, including Beck, Kate Bush, Duran Duran, Eminem, Rage Against the Machine, A Tribe Called Quest, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, and Carly Simon. "Her music, whether she knows it or not, has a lot of rock elements in it," Mothersbaugh says. Voting wrapped up earlier this week, with the results to be revealed next month. (More Dolly Parton stories.)

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