Dolly Parton ducks out of Rock Hall of Fame running
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Country music icon Dolly Parton said she felt she had not earned the right to be considered for the Hall of Fame.
PHOTO: AFP
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NEW YORK (AFP, NYTIMES) - American country music icon Dolly Parton on Monday (March 14) said she would withdraw her name from consideration for this year's class of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees.
In a statement, the 76-year-old said "even though I'm extremely flattered and grateful to be nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I don't feel that I have earned that right."
Artists including Beck, Kate Bush, Eminem, Carly Simon and Rage Against The Machine are among this year's crop of 17 nominees in the running for the coveted honor.
"I do hope the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will understand and will be willing to consider me again - if I'm ever worthy," Parton wrote.
"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!"
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."
Country stars are not foreign to the Cleveland-based Rock Hall, with Johnny Cash and Hank Williams among its ranks.
Acts can be inducted 25 years after their first commercial music release.
The Rock Hall asks its voters to consider an act's music influence and the "length and depth" of its career, in addition to "innovation and superiority in style and technique."
Ballots were sent in February to the more than 1,000 artists, historians and music industry professionals who choose their top five inductees each year, with the winners - typically between five and seven - scheduled to be announced in May. This year's induction ceremony was slated for the fall.
