Photo by Dean Budnick

Dolly Parton wrote a short statement on Twitter requesting her name be removed from the list of nominees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2022. She stated that despite being grateful and flattered to be nominated, she feels she has not yet earned the right to be nominated. She went on to say, “I really do not want votes to be split because of me, so I must respectfully bow out.”

Parton went on to say that she does hope the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will consider her again if she is “ever worthy.” She added that the nomination inspired her to hopefully create a rock-and-roll album of her own and that her husband is a total rock-and-roll freak. She closed the statement by saying, “I wish all of the nominees good luck and thank you again for the compliment. Rock on!”

Though the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame does have a specific genre in its name, it is by no means exclusive to rock-and-roll artists alone. Its inductees include Jay-Z, N.W.A., Billie Holiday, Witney Houston, Kraftwerk and many more across all genres. This year’s class of nominees include Eminem, Rage Against the Machine, Duran Duran, A Tribe Called Quest, Lionel Richie, Kate Bush, Devo, Beck, Judas Priest, Pat Benatar, Eurythmics, Fela Kuti, MC5, Dionne Warwick and New York Dolls.

Parton is known for her reluctance to laurels: in 2021, she requested that Tennessee ceases plans in erecting a statue of her. She wrote, “Given all that is going on in the world, I don’t think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time.”

Read Parton’s complete statement below: