Everyone knows that Dolly Parton is the reigning Queen of country music.
That's a title that she has earned through hard work, sacrifice, and perseverance – and
no one can steal that crown away from her.
It's all hers, and she deserves it.
Parton put out her debut album, Hello, I'm Dolly, in 1967.
After that record received critical acclaim, she continued to enjoy commercial success
throughout the remainder of the decade as both a solo artist and collaborator with Porter
Wagoner.
Parton reached her career peak in terms of the Billboard charts and album sales in the
1970s into the 1980s.
In the 90s, Parton's albums didn't perform quite as well as some of her previous offerings,
but she achieved commercial success once again in the 21st century, releasing several newer
albums under various labels, including her own Dolly Records.
Parton has sold more than 100 million records globally– something that few recording artists
can claim.
She's won 9 CMA Awards, 13 ACM Awards, 10 Grammys, and even an Emmy.
But there is one nomination that the voluptuous septuagenarian refuses to accept at this time.
On March 14, 2022, Parton announced via a post on Instagram that she was withdrawing
from this year's Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame nominees list.
But why?
Isn't she a prime candidate for nomination into this exclusive club of elite music stars?
She certainly has put in the footwork and has managed to achieve heights that few musical
stars have been able to match.
So, why would she not want to accept this honor?
Join Facts Verse as we reveal the real reason why Dolly Parton keeps turning down awards.
Yes, you heard that right.
This isn't the first time that Parton has declined to accept a prestigious honor.
Keep watching to learn about the other times that Dolly has refused to be publicly recognized
for her achievements and why she doesn't think that she deserves them.
The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Nomination
In that March 14th Instagram post, Dolly started off by saying how "flattered and grateful"
she was to be nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
She went on to say, however, that she didn't feel like she had earned that honor.
Additionally, she said that she didn't want 'votes to be split' because of her, so she
felt the need to 'respectfully bow out'.
That doesn't mean, though, that Dolly wouldn't consider accepting the honor at a future date.
She wrapped up her post by saying that she hoped that the Hall of Fame would understand
her reasoning for declining the nomination and would be 'willing to consider' her again
in the future if she were 'ever worthy'.
The icing on the cake of that post came at the end when Parton speculated that her fans
might get some new music from the situation.
She said that she now felt re-inspired to put out a great rock & roll album at some
point in the near future, which she added was something that she had always wanted to
do.
In typically good spirit, Parton wrapped up her note by wishing all the nominees good
luck and thanked the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame once again for 'the compliment'.
Fittingly, she sounded off by saying 'Rock on!'.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced this year's nominees back in February.
In addition to Dolly, Duran Duran, Eminem, Beck, Devo, Pat Benatar, Rage Against the
Machine, Carly Simon and Judas Priest among others were nominated for induction.
To be eligible for the nomination, artists or bands had to have released their first
commercial albums at least 25 years before the year of their nomination.
If she had chosen to accept the nomination, Parton wouldn't have been the first country
star to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Jimmie Rodgers, Chet Atkins, and Johnny Cash have previously been inducted.
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The Tennessee State Capitol Statue
This isn't the first – nor will it likely be the last – time that Parton has refused
recognition.
In 2021, the Jolene singer, asked Tennessee Lawmakers to remove her name from consideration
in a bill that proposed the construction of a statue of her on state Capitol grounds.
She declined the honor by saying that given all that was going on in the world at the
time, she didn't feel like it was appropriate for her to be put on a pedestal.
The bill had been introduced to the Tennessee state legislature by John Mark Windle, a Democrat
state representative.
The wording of the piece of the legislation said that the statue's purpose was to honor
Parton for all that she had contributed to the state.
Speaking in support of the statue's erection, Windle expressed that he didn't think there
was a better example in the world of a leader that was as 'kind, decent, and passionate'
as Parton.
While it's true that Parton has devoted much of her life and finances to just causes, she
doesn't want to be remembered as someone who did good things just to have her name held
on high.
Dolly likely wants to do what she feels are the right things to do simply because they
need to be done – not because of what she can get out of it.
Dolly has spent years of her life and millions of dollars promoting child literacy.
Recently she has supported the efforts of the Black Lives Matter movement, and in 2020,
she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which helped fund research
that led to the development of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom
Not once, but twice did Dolly turn down the Presidential Medal of Freedom offered to her
from the Trump Administration.
The award, which is the highest civilian award in the United States, is bestowed by the President
to recognize people who have made significant contributions to the 'security and national
interests' of the nation.
It's also handed out to people that have made great strides in promoting world peace, or
in Dolly's case, those that have contributed greatly to culture.
Previous recipients of the award include former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Bill and
Melinda Gates, Cesar Chavez, and John Wayne.
The 9 to 5 singer said that she refused to accept the award because her husband was ill
at the time and she didn't want to travel during the pandemic.
When asked if she would accept the honor from Joe Biden, she expressed concern that such
an action would be interpreted as a political move.
Speaking to NBC's Today, Parton once again said that while she viewed the offer as a
'nice compliment', she didn't think that she deserved it.
Dolly Turned Down An Elvis Colab
For most musicians, the chance of getting to collaborate on a track with the King of
Rock & Roll, Elvis Presley, would have been seen as dream come true.
But when the Blue Suede Shoes singer asked Dolly if he could cover her 1974 hit single
'I Will Always Love You', she said no.
It was nothing personal, rather, the reason why Dolly turned The King down was purely
because of business concerns.
Parton recently spoke to UK press outlet The Big Issue about this chapter in musical history.
She said that when Elvis contacted her and invited her down to the studio, she considered
it to be one of the most exciting things that had ever happened to her.
Then Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker, informed Parton that Presley's team refused to record
anything without getting a 50% cut of the royalties.
That newscast a whole new light on the situation.
Parton then informed Parker that she wouldn't be able to give Presley half the publishing
rights.
After declining the offer, Parton says that she cried all night, because she knew how
good the song would have sounded performed by Elvis.
Presley was likewise disappointed because he had been such a big fan of the song.
Years later, Priscilla Presley told Parton that Elvis had sang the song to her when they
were walking down the courthouse steps after they had finalized their divorce.
Parton Refused To Get The COVID-19 Vaccine Early
As we already mentioned, Parton made headlines in 2020 when she donated that large sum of
money to COVID vaccine research.
However, when she was offered to receive the vaccine early, she told the AP that she wasn't
going to get the jab until more people had the chance to get theirs.
She went on to say that she didn't want it to look like she had jumped the line just
because of her donation.
Parton has always been one to be very cautious when it comes to how the public views her
actions.
She tries to remain as neutral as possible when it comes to politics and hardly ever
weighs in on hot-button issues.
That being said, she has been known to bend that personal rule when it comes to humanitarian
matters.
The country music legend finally got her first dose of the coronavirus vaccine that she helped
fund on Tuesday, March 2, 2021.
She got her second dose in April.
Reportedly Dolly had been on the waiting list to receive it since the previous December.
You've got to hand it to her.
Dolly Parton sure is humble.
If anyone deserves the awards and honors that have come her way, it's her.
But even with all that she has accomplished in her life and career, Parton still doesn't
feel like she has earned the recognition that so many of us think she receives.
At this point, it's hard to imagine achieving anything more than she has already done.
What could she possibly do next that would make her any more worthy of our praise?
What are your thoughts on Dolly Parton's recent decision to turn down the Rock & Roll Hall
of Fame nomination?
Do you think she made the right choice, or do you think she should have accepted the
nomination?
Let us know in the comments.
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