Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Tells Dolly Parton Sorry, The Ballots Have Already Been Sent Out

Dolly Parton country music

Well, I guess there’s still a chance Dolly Parton will be inducted into 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.

And earlier this week, Dolly issued a lengthy statement, saying in part that she was electing to bow out of consideration because she didn’t feel like she had earned it:

“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.”

And now, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is responding with their own lengthy statement, singing Dolly’s praises and essentially saying that it’s too late for her to withdrawal her consideration because ballots were already sent out earlier this month:

“All of us in the music community have seen Dolly Parton’s thoughtful note expressing her feeling that she has not earned the right to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In addition to her incredible talent as an artist, her humility is another reason Dolly is a beloved icon by millions of fans.

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. Dolly Parton’s music impacted a generation of young fans and influenced countless other artists that followed. Her nomination to be considered for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame followed the same process as all other artists who have been considered.

Dolly’s nomination, along with the other 16 for the class of 2022 was sent out earlier this month to our 1,200 general ballot voters, the majority of whom are artists themselves, for consideration at our induction ceremony.

We are in awe of Dolly’s brilliant talent and pioneering spirit and are proud to have nominated her for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”

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, so we’ll see soon if Dolly ends up with a spot in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame after all.

Now, after her classy and humble move in saying she wanted to put a rock album out before she is nominated again so she can really earn it (which I really hope she still does), I want her in the HOF even more now.

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