Dolly Parton is one of the 17 nominees eligible to be added to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year. The committee had announced her nomination to praise and excitement by fans. She, on the other hand, thought differently.
Last week, Dolly made headlines for asking the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to rescind her nomination because she didn't feel worthy of it as she doesn't consider herself very Rock and Roll. “I really do not want votes to be split because of me, so I must respectfully bow out," she wrote on social media.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has now responded. Apparently ballots have already been sent and she is still in contention to win one of the five slots.
"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," the statement said. On the fact that she doesn't consider herself a rock & roll artist, they said that "from its inception, Rock & Roll has deep roots in Rhythm & Blues and Country music. It is not defined by any one genre..." and added that Parton's music "impacted a generation of young fans and influenced countless artists that followed."
Since then Parton has said, “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. 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.”