Country legend Dolly Parton is thinking about making a rock album.
Whether Parton actually follows through on this unexpected, but very welcome, idea, she says, depends on whether or not she gets into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Set to take place in May, this year's ceremony sees the legendary singer/songwriter up against some similarly huge names from an array of genres, including Judas Priest, Rage Against The Machine, Pat Benatar, Kate Bush, Duran Duran, MC5, the New York Dolls, Devo, Carly Simon, Beck, Dionne Warwick, Lionel Richie, the Eurythmics, Eminem, Fela Kuti and A Tribe Called Quest.
Speaking of her Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination in a recent interview with Billboard, Parton says, "I was absolutely floored when I heard that. 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. 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 ’n’ 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."
Voters, you know what to do.
Elsewhere, when Parton was asked about how she feels about country music's surprising representation at 2022's Super Bowl, with Mickey Guyton singing the national anthem, she responded, "I’m always tickled to death when country music is given the respect that I really think it deserves, and country music is so hot right now. We have so many great new artists — and to get to sing on the biggest show of the year, and for it to be one of our own, I feel like a proud parent."
