The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2022 nominees is in.
Dolly Parton is now one of 17 nominees for potential induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year.
That puts the Country Music Hall of Famer in the same category as fellow contenders Eminem, Lionel Richie, Dionne Warwick, Rage Against the Machine, Pat Benatar, Eurythmics, and Duran Duran, among others.
MORE: Watch Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton's new music video for their 'Does He Love You' duetThe #RockHall2022 Nominees are up and the Fan Vote is now open. Vote daily at https://t.co/keewGnGnnD pic.twitter.com/zrI7GejV8v
— Rock Hall (@rockhall) February 2, 2022
Of course, the superstar from East Tennessee is certainly not without cred in the pop and rock world. She made it to #3 with "Here You Come Again" as far back as 1977, following that with lesser crossover hits like "Two Doors Down" and "Baby I'm Burnin'." By 1980, she'd made it to the top with "9 to 5."
"Her songwriting transcends just maybe her home base, which is country," the Rock & Roll Hall's Jason Hanley pointed out. "And you've got Whitney Houston having one of the biggest selling songs ever with 'I Will Always Love You.'"
"You've got other bands recording 'Jolene,'" he added. "You know, she has hit singles with Kenny Rogers, 'Islands in the Stream.'"
Parton returned to the top of the pop charts in 1983 with "Islands," before Houston's cover smash in 1992. Rock duo The White Stripes covered "Jolene" in 2004, with Parton most recently winning a Grammy for guesting on the Pentatonix version in 2017.
MORE: How Dolly Parton continues to honor her late parents with Dollywood, charity workWe'll find out if Parton makes it into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame when the final inductees are revealed later this year.
More nominees up for induction include A Tribe Called Quest, Judas Priest, Carly Simon, Devo, Beck, Kate Bush, Fela Kuti, MC5 and New York Dolls.
A Tribe Called Quest is being nominated for the first time this year. Hanley pointed to the group’s “laid-back" and “almost philosophical" style -- which pioneered the alternative hip hop movement of the '90s -- as a reason for their nomination.
"They were talking about the African-American community in the United States and getting a message out that was important for them to talk about," Hanley said of the group's socially conscious songs.
As for Warwick, who’s seen a recent resurgence thanks to her social media presence, Hanley said, "Her legacy is fantastic."
"Here's a woman who was just so good year after year at interpreting songs," he added, noting that Warwick's performance on the 1964 top 10 hit "Walk On By" alone " "is probably enough to get her inducted into almost any Hall of Fame."
