Dolly Parton has been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, and while she admits she has never considered herself to be a rock star, she has stated that if she is inducted, she will record a rock album.
The rock and metal nominations this year include Judas Priest, Rage Against the Machine, New York Dolls, Pat Benatar, MC5, Beck, and Duran Duran, but the list also includes renowned musicians from other genres, such as Dolly Parton. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999, and she told Billboard she was “was absolutely floored” when she learned she’d been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well.
“I’ve never thought of myself as being rock ‘n’ roll in any sense of the word — but I guess they judge it on the music and the influence certain songs have had, and I guess I’ve had songs with other people in that realm. But I don’t know how they judge that,” the singer said.
“I’m not expecting that I’ll get in. But if I do, I’ll immediately, next year, have to put out a great rock and roll album — 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.”
Parton may not consider herself a rock ‘n’ roll fan, but she is well-versed in the music. Halestorm has covered songs by bands ranging from Led Zeppelin to Bon Jovi, and if you haven’t heard her version of “I Will Always Love You,” you should.
Fans have until April 29 to vote for who they want to see inducted into the Hall of Fame later this year — cast your ballot here.