Dolly Parton Inducted Into 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Watch

Dolly Parton took the stage at the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Los Angeles Saturday night (November 5). She opened her speech with a joke—“I’m a rock star now!”—before explaining how grateful she was to accept the award, as Rolling Stone reports.

“This is a very special night for me,” she reportedly said. “I’m sure a lot of you knew that back when they said they were gonna put me in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I didn’t really feel like I had done enough to deserve that. And I didn’t understand at the time that it’s about more than that. But I’m just honored and so proud to be here tonight.”

Afterwards, Dolly Parton performed “Rockin’ Years” as well as a star-studded version of “Jolene” in which she was joined by Pat Benatar, Eurythmics’ Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart, Simon Le Bon, Brandi Carlile, and Judas Priest’s Rob Halford.

A month after being nominated for Rock Hall consideration for the first time in February, Parton declined the nomination, to the surprise of her fans and Rock Hall voters. The singer-songwriter and country star had been eligible for Rock Hall entry for more than 30 years. “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,” she wrote in a statement about her choice.

Parton reversed her stance and decided to accept the nomination at the end of April, telling NPR’s Morning Edition, “I’ll accept gracefully. I would just say thanks and I’ll accept it because the fans vote.” She was inducted a few days later along with Carly Simon, Eminem, Lionel Richie, and Eurhythmics. Pat Benatar and Duran Duran are also among this year’s class of honorees, with Judas Priest and the production duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis receiving Musical Excellence honors.

Read Pitchfork’s feature “The Rock Hall Needs Dolly Parton More Than Dolly Parton Needs the Rock Hall” on the Pitch, and follow along with all of Pitchfork’s coverage of the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.