Dolly Parton also expressed doubts about her choice after being nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. On November 5, she was formally admitted, but the debates have continued. Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top discussed Dolly Parton’s influence on the rock scene in a recent interview with Pollstar.
“Just look at her! She’s country music’s version of Keith Richards,” Gibbons said when asked what merited Dolly Parton a nomination. “She certainly has the look, the longevity, the attitude, the talent, and, as a performer, songwriter, and singer, DP endures. To paraphrase the late James Brown, ‘Mama don’t take no mess.’”
The musician went on,
“At heart, she’s a rocker in all those ways and holds her own with just about anybody out there. One of her first single releases was ‘What Do You Think About Loving;’ it has a kind of Brenda Lee party feel with a June Carter growl and is pretty much a rockin’ rave-up.”
Billy Gibbons believes Dolly Parton’s exceptional composing and vocal talents merit her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Because of her commitment to the music business and her core rock & roll mindset, the guitarist thinks Parton ought to be included.
At the Los Angeles Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2022, Parton ascended the stage. After giving her acceptance speech, the country singer performed “Jolene” and “Rockin’ Years,” for which she was joined by Pat Benatar, Annie Lennox of the Eurythmics, Dave Stewart, Brandi Carlile, Simon Le Bon, and Rob Halford of Judas Priest.