It’s official. Dolly Parton, the undisputed Queen of Country has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022.
"I want to thank the Hall of Fame and all the people out there through all of these years," Parton said. "I've been doing it all my life and I do love it. I'm very humbled by this."
The iconic singer was inducted by pop star Pink, who highlighted Parton’s tenacity in channeling her poverty-stricken, rural Tennessee upbringing into "heartbreaking and soul-stirring songs."
"There are few finer songwriters, male or female, that ever lived,” Pink said. “She writes about things that others would prefer to be swept under the rug."
As the newest Hall of Fame inductee, Parton then took the stage for a show-stopping all-star performance of her signature 1973 hit Jolene, joined by an all-star cast of legends that included fellow inductees Pat Benatar, Eurythmics’ Annie Lennox, Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon and more. Brandi Carlile, Sheryl Crow, and, of course, Pink were also on hand to trade lines with the country icon. But it was Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford who led the stellar performance with Dolly, who matched perfectly to the Metal God in her bejeweled leather jumpsuit.
Watch the incredible performance below.
‘Jolene’ | Dolly Parton and Friends at Rock Hall 2022 Induction
In true form, Parton cracked jokes from the podium at the ceremony in Los Angeles, proclaiming, "I'm a rock star now!" – Which, for those who have been following this story as it has unfolded this year, was a particularly poignant statement from the country icon.
Earlier this year, when it was first announced that Dolly had been nominated for induction into the hallowed Rock Hall, the country icon made headlines by choosing not to accept the nomination because she didn’t feel that she had contributed significantly to the genre. However, upon further reflection, she embraced the process with grace and gusto, saying that she would not only accept if voted in but furthermore, would be inspired “to put out a hopefully great rock ‘n’ roll album at some point in the future, which I have always wanted to do!”
"I’m not expecting that I’ll get in," she said, "but if I do, I'll immediately, next year, have to put out a great rock 'n' roll album – which I've wanted to do for years … So this may have been just a God-wink for me to go ahead and do that."
Unsurprisingly, Dolly is staying true to her word, announcing last week that she is currently working on reuniting Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and Jimmy Page for a cover of Stairway to Heaven for her new rock album.
Congratulations Dolly!
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