Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, the Eurythmics, Lionel Richie, and Pat Benatar are among the14 acts being inducted into the 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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Among the 2022 inductees list are Eminem, Carly Simon and other artists, including country music icon Parton, who initially requested to withdraw her nomination into the Hall of Fame earlier this year.
“Dolly here! Even though I am extremely flattered and grateful to be nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I don’t feel that I have earned that right,” shared Dolly in a statement on social media following her nomination. “I really do not want votes to be split because of me, so I must respectfully bow out.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame said that Dolly would remain on the ballot, and Parton soon came to accept the honor. “When I said that, it was always my belief that the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was for the people in rock music,” said Parton. “I have found out lately that it’s not necessarily that, but if they can’t go there to be recognized, where do they go? So I just felt like I would be taking away from someone that maybe deserved it — certainly more than me because I never considered myself a rock artist. But obviously, there’s more to it than that.”
Along with the main Performer Category inductees will also be given the Musical Excellence Award, Early Influence Award, and the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
“This diverse group of inductees each had a profound impact on the sound of youth culture and helped change the course of rock and roll,” said John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in a statement. “Their music moved generations and influenced so many artists that followed.”
This year, fan voting made a significant impact on the inductee choice with Duran Duran, Eminem, Pat Benatar, Eurythmics, and Dolly Parton topping the list of favorites.
“I’m very excited and pleased that we get to go in together,” said Pat Benatar, “It feels good. It’s just really nice for your children, for the legacy, for the fans.”
The Eurythmics’ Annie Lennox added, “We were in the zone. We created our own zone. To get that opportunity to create was what we wanted. That was what we did. It wasn’t about the end result. It wasn’t about the prizes. If you create something of value, maybe the prizes will come. But you can’t make anything because at the end of the day you are going to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. You have to do the journey. You have to take the steps.”
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees who will be honored at this year’s induction ceremony on Nov. 5 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, are:
PERFORMER CATEGORY
- Pat Benatar
- Duran Duran
- Eminem
- Eurythmics
- Dolly Parton
- Lionel Richie
- Carly Simon
“The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is the holy grail as far as I’m concerned, in terms of your peers, who you’re in there with, the history, what they all had to go through to get here. What I love about the Hall of Fame is that each artist has a story. It’s the music that came out of their stories,” he added. “It humbles me to think that I’m even in the list because I know what all of them went through. To be able to join this group, that was a bucket list check right there.” — Lionel Richie
“It’s an honor. You’ve got something to show for it in your dreams for the rest of your life. You’re going to be dreaming about it and you’re going to feel maybe silently proud. You pat yourself on the back.” — Carly Simon
MUSICAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
- Judas Priest
- Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
“This is such a beautiful moment, not only for Priest, but for heavy metal here in the USA and around the world. This is just the power and the reach that the Hall of Fame has, so it’s time to celebrate! Yes!” — Rob Halford, Judas Priest
EARLY INFLUENCE AWARD
- Harry Belafonte
- Elizabeth Cotten
AHMET ERTEGUN AWARD
- Allen Grubman
- Jimmy Iovine
- Sylvia Robinson
Photos: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
