Three days after Dolly Parton asked to be removed from consideration for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the organization has responded by saying that it’s too late to make that happen since the ballots are already out.
“Dolly’s nomination, along with the other 16 for the Class of 2022, was sent out earlier this month to our 1,100 general ballot voters, the majority of whom are artists themselves, for induction at our ceremony,” the Rock Hall said in a statement. “We are in awe of Dolly’s brilliant talent and pioneering spirit and are proud to have nominated her for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.”
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In a Thursday appearance on Fox News, Parton elaborated on her feelings about the Hall of Fame. “Well, I didn’t feel exactly right about that 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 said. “I’ve been educated since then, saying that it’s more than that, but I still didn’t feel right about it. 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.”
The Hall of Fame responded to this line of reasoning in their statement. “From its inception, Rock & Roll has had deep roots in Rhythm & Blues and Country music,” they wrote. “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 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.”
Parton is not the first artist to express ambivalence about the Hall of Fame. Kiss begrudgingly appeared at their 2014 induction despite Paul Stanley’s feelings that it was a “dog and pony show” where fans had little role in picking the artists. The Sex Pistols boycotted their own induction in 2006 and called the Hall of Fame “urine in wine” in an open letter that was read at the ceremony by co-founder Jann Wenner. And Axl Rose, Todd Rundgren, Levon Helm, Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, Van Morrison, Roger Waters, Eddie Van Halen, and several other inductees were no-shows on their big nights.
Parton isn’t approaching the situation with even hint of bitterness, and her fellow inductees Duran Duran and Devo have even thanked her for upping their odds of getting inducted. But judging by this new Hall of Fame statement, she may be getting in whether she likes it or not.
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