Dolly Parton has announced that she will be bowing out of consideration for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
She was nominated for the first time last month, along with Eminem, Lionel Richie, A Tribe Called Quest and Duran Duran, all as first-time nominees, which also included 17 other artists up for induction like Rage Against the Machine, Pat Benatar and Dionne Warwick. Eminem earned his nomination in his first year of eligibility.
Dolly released a lengthy statement on her social platforms this morning, saying that she didn’t feel she had earned the right to be nominated within the rock & roll genre yet, and that she didn’t want to take votes away from other true rock & roll artists who have put in the work to be inducted in their genre.
She also noted that she (partially at the request of her husband Carl Dean) hoped to put out a real deal rock & roll record one day in order to contribute more and possibly earn another nomination one day:
“Dolly here! 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.
I do hope that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will understand and be willing to consider me again – if I’m ever worthy. This has, however, inspired me to put out a hopefully great rock ‘n’ roll album at some point in the future, which I have always wanted to do!
My husband is a total rock ‘n’ roll freak, and has always wanted me to do one. I wish all of the nominees good luck and thank you again for the compliment. Rock on!”
I don’t think there’s a better example of class and decency than Dolly Parton. As if I didn’t already respect her enough, the fact that she would bow out of voting for a genre she’s not technically apart of because she didn’t feel like the truly earned it is just so incredible to me.
It’s just another example of Dolly being a national treasure and someone we should all look up to for her class and humility.
This year’s final class will be officially announced in May, and artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before they’re eligible for induction.
The induction ceremony is currently planned for the fall, with date and venue announcements coming in the future. The Hall of Fame has yet to respond to Dolly’s statement.
