Dolly Parton reveals why she declined Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination
Outspoken Christian country musician Dolly Parton has explained why she is bowing out of this year's nominations for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame even though she’s “flattered” by the honor.
“I’m extremely flattered and grateful to be nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I don’t feel that I’ve earned that right. I really don’t want votes to be split because of me so I must respectfully bow out,” the 76-year-old star wrote on Twitter Monday morning.
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The singer, who was among 17 nominees this year, implied that to receive such an honor, she should have a rock album under her belt.
“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,” the "Jolene" singer wrote.
She concluded her tweet by wishing all of the nominees good luck and thanking the Rock Hall for the compliment.
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) March 14, 2022
On its website, the Rock Hall praised Parton as a “living legend and a paragon of female empowerment,” adding that her “unapologetic femininity belied her shrewd business acumen, an asset in the male-dominated music industry.”
"Parton is beloved not only for her prolific body of work, quintessential style, and philanthropic efforts, but for the humor, wit, and self-deprecating grace that shine through everything she does. Her crossover success broadened the audience for country music and expanded the horizons for countless artists who followed," it said.
Parton was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame In 1999 and has won multiple awards throughout her decades-long career. Nevertheless, she often deflects praise.
In 2021, despite being named as one of People magazine's “People of The Year,” she insisted that she does not want to be idolized. The Tennessee native criticized the fact that some people worship celebrities more than God.
“Our people of the year cover stars have all led the way in their fields to help make the world a little bit better,” the People article stated.
“Dolly Parton has always done her part through efforts like her Imaginary Library which to date has given more than 160 million books to kids in need. Early in the pandemic, she saw another way to help, donating $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to support COVID research, which resulted in the Moderna vaccine that became widely available this year.”
In her interview with People, Parton said generosity should be done without looking for praise in return.
The self-described devout “spiritual” Christian, whose grandfather was a Pentecostal preacher, said her generosity comes from the Bible.
“I don’t want to be worshiped, because there’s a Scripture in my Bible that talks about idol worship,” Parton explained. “And I see that happening all the time with movie stars and these celebrities. People literally worship them more than they worship God. And I just — I cringe at it sometimes.”
“I have to honestly tell you, I was a little bit skeptical of being put on the cover as one of the people of the year because that’s a lot of pressure,” she continued. “But, if I can set an example, then that’s great.”
In a previous interview with The Christian Post, the "I Will Always Love You" singer shared how, as a young girl, a woman in her church told her she was "anointed."
“That,” the award-winning singer said, “triggered a faith in me because I believe that I was supposed to do something good. After she told me that, I thought, ‘Well then this is my responsibility. I'm going to do something good.'”
“So I kinda held that also in the back of my mind, whether that was predestined or not, or whether I just took that little grain of faith and made that so for myself,” she added.
“I never let go of that. I always felt responsible to God that I was supposed to be doing something for God. I still feel like that, and I'm still doing it, trying to. Sinning all the way, but trying my best, and asking forgiveness seventy times seven.”
Jeannie Ortega Law is a reporter for The Christian Post. Reach her at: [email protected] She's also the author of the book, What Is Happening to Me? How to Defeat Your Unseen Enemy Follow her on Twitter: @jlawcp Facebook: JeannieOMusic
