Dolly Parton has had a change of heart about her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination, now saying that she'll "accept gracefully" if inducted.
The country music legend told Rachel Martin of NPR's Morning Edition that she'll "say 'thanks' and accept that," conceding that she wasn't fully aware of the induction process when she asked to be removed from consideration in March.
"I'll accept it because the fans vote," Parton said, adding that she was worried that she would have been "taking away from someone that maybe deserved it, certainly more than me because I never considered myself a rock artist. But obviously, there's more to it than that."
Said Parton: "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. But if they can't go there to be recognized, where do they go?"
Parton was nominated for induction to the Rock Hall in February and asked to drop out about a month later, stating that she didn't feel she had "earned that right" as a country artist.
The foundation responded shortly after with a public statement, standing firm on Parton's nomination while addressing the artist's concerns about genre, and noting that "her humility is another reason Dolly is a beloved icon by millions of fans around the world."
"Dolly Parton's music impacted a generation of young fans and influenced countless artists that followed," the statement read. "Her nomination to be considered for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame followed the same process as all other artists who have been considered."
For what it's worth, before she asked to be removed from consideration, Parton promised that she would release a rock album if inducted. "If I do, I'll immediately, next year, have to put out a great rock and roll album," she said. "Which I've wanted to do for years, like a Linda Ronstadt or Heart kind of thing. So this may have been just a God-wink for me to go ahead and do that. It's just nice to be nominated."
This year's nominations also include (in order of running as of press time) Duran Duran, Eminem, Pat Benatar, Eurythmics and more, with Parton currently sitting in fifth place with just over 390,000. Voting — which you can do here — ends today.
The country music legend told Rachel Martin of NPR's Morning Edition that she'll "say 'thanks' and accept that," conceding that she wasn't fully aware of the induction process when she asked to be removed from consideration in March.
"I'll accept it because the fans vote," Parton said, adding that she was worried that she would have been "taking away from someone that maybe deserved it, certainly more than me because I never considered myself a rock artist. But obviously, there's more to it than that."
Said Parton: "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. But if they can't go there to be recognized, where do they go?"
Parton was nominated for induction to the Rock Hall in February and asked to drop out about a month later, stating that she didn't feel she had "earned that right" as a country artist.
The foundation responded shortly after with a public statement, standing firm on Parton's nomination while addressing the artist's concerns about genre, and noting that "her humility is another reason Dolly is a beloved icon by millions of fans around the world."
"Dolly Parton's music impacted a generation of young fans and influenced countless artists that followed," the statement read. "Her nomination to be considered for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame followed the same process as all other artists who have been considered."
For what it's worth, before she asked to be removed from consideration, Parton promised that she would release a rock album if inducted. "If I do, I'll immediately, next year, have to put out a great rock and roll album," she said. "Which I've wanted to do for years, like a Linda Ronstadt or Heart kind of thing. So this may have been just a God-wink for me to go ahead and do that. It's just nice to be nominated."
This year's nominations also include (in order of running as of press time) Duran Duran, Eminem, Pat Benatar, Eurythmics and more, with Parton currently sitting in fifth place with just over 390,000. Voting — which you can do here — ends today.
