Although for official purposes all inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are created equal, some will inevitably be taller than others when the gum hits the streets. And as much as hardcore fans of Duran Duran or Judas Priest might have flocked to Saturday night’s ceremony honoring the Class of 2022 at LA’s Microsoft Theater in Ordinates, it was always a foregone conclusion that the show’s all-star climax was about to happen to shoot the most culturally iconic of them all, Dolly Parton. That said, if she appeared to accept, but after initial uncertainty about her readiness earlier in the year, there was no doubt that she would not only appear, but be the belle of country rock ball.
Actually, the final moments of the five-and-a-half-hour show were dedicated to a duet between Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp from Jerry Lee Lewis’ Great Balls of Fire. But that was more of a brief epilogue after a long section devoted to Parton, featuring performances by the superstar and/or other recruits and guests of “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” “Coat of Many Colors,” and a brand new song, She wrote specifically for the occasion called “Rockin'”. Although other recruits noted on the bill that they had to summarize their careers in an eight-and-a-half-minute time slot, this rule was rarely strictly enforced for what amounted to a Dolly Fest before and after 12 p.m.
Dolly Parton and Rob Halford perform during the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on November 05, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Kane/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) Getty Images for The Rock and Ro
The influx of guests for what appeared to be the show’s finale — a group sing of “Jolene” — and the eclecticism of this year’s newcomers led to the sighting of some odd bedfellows. As in: Probably few people in history had considered the thought that Parton and Judas Priest singer Rob Halford would ever sing harmony together. And the idea of even Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon singing lines from “Jolene” probably hadn’t crossed the minds of as many as it should have in the run-up to the show (scheduled for its Nov. 19 broadcast premiere on HBO being processed).
Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran, P!nk and Dolly Parton perform onstage during the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on November 05, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) Getty Images for The Rock and Ro
Of course, less unusual suspects were also involved in the tribute segment, including Brandi Carlile, Sheryl Crow, the Zac Brown Bad and the woman who introduced Parton, Pink – before a “Jolene” who brought additional guests on stage like Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, and Halford and LeBon.
Sheryl Crow, Brandi Carlile, Dolly Parton, Olivia Rodrigo and P!nk attend the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on November 05, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) Getty Images for The Rock and Ro
In purely musical terms, the highlight of the tribute segment was also its simplest – a sublime duet between Carlile and Pink from one of Parton’s signature narrative ballads, “Coat of Many Colors”. The energy picked up a bit from there as Crow and the Zac Brown Band (who backed the entire sequence) teamed up for “9 to 5”.
As the clock ticked down on this cover, Parton was met with howls of approval as she reappeared on stage with an electric guitar in skintight black, clearly meant to read: Dolly Parton, once reluctant and now unabashedly enthusiastic rock chick. “And you thought I couldn’t rock!” she exclaimed. “I figured, if I get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I’ve got to earn it,” she explained, before releasing a new song with freshly-minted lyrics that contrasted her rural Tennessee upbringing with the early days des Rock: “I grew up with Elvis and the wild man Jerry Lee / Chuck Berry and Little Richard, they all put a spell on me / Carl Perkins in those blue suede shoes had no place on the farm / But they were better than these I wore around.” the barn.”
Dolly Parton performs onstage during the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on November 05, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) Getty Images for The Rock and Ro
The new “Rockin'” song also included lines about not doing what her country preacher said about “this devil music, it’s gonna send you straight to hell / It sent me straight to heaven.” The chorus vowed, “I’ve still got rock ‘n’ roll in my country soul / And I’ll rock it ’til the cows come home.” Of course, the biggest cheers came for the timely lines in the final stanza, which included, “Country’s in my ads / But since I heard the news, I’m not the same… / They’re gone and put me in the rock and roll.” Hall of Fame.”
Roger Taylor, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Dolly Parton and Simon Le Bon attend the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on November 05, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic) FilmMagic
In her introductory speech, Pink praised Parton, saying, “There are few better songwriters, male or female, that ever lived… She is one of the greatest storytellers of her time – of all time.” The speech cited her as a writer who it understood “what it’s like to be human and what it’s like to be a woman in America,” with specific themes and songs like “poverty, shame, the cruelty of bullying, and love for her mama” in “Coat of Many Colors, suicide on The Bridge, trauma over a stillborn child on Down From Dover, and of course writing “the best-selling female song of all time.” I will Always Love You.’ Apparently she wasn’t exhausted by this sheer genius, because that same night she wrote “Jolene”. Show off!” Pink spoke about her philanthropy, giving away 150 million books to children among other good works, but seemed particularly obsessed with other aspects of Parton’s personality. Like, “She plays the guitar with long, claw-like fingernails and never misses one Grade.” And, “Who here has a hologram of themselves at their theme park?” (Pink then added that she’d really like to elaborate on the Dolly hologram, but won’t.)
Newly inducted US singer-songwriter Dolly Parton speaks onstage alongside US singer-songwriter Pink during the 37th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on November 5, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images
Unsurprisingly, Parton spent much of her speech further explaining why she tried to no avail to have her nomination rejected after it was received, only to be told by the Rock Hall that voting was already underway and that she would get into the hall whether they liked it or not if the voters decided it. Of course they did, but long before the final verdict was reached, Parton changed her mind and said she really didn’t understand that the Hall of Fame already had many members from genres besides rock.
“I’m sure many of you knew that back when they said they would induct me into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I didn’t really feel like I did enough to deserve it. And I didn’t understand at the time that there was something more at stake,” she said. “But I’m just honored and so proud to be here tonight. … When I always thought of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I thought it was only for rock ‘n’ roll people!
“And I thought, well, if I want to be in it, I have to make a rock album because my husband has been a huge rock fan for 56 years. And throughout the house he has louder music than this at all times. He always said, “You should make a rock album.” And I’ve thought about it a few times, but timing is everything. And then when that all came up, I thought, well, since I’m going to be in the (hall), I’m going to write a song for tonight that I’m going to sing in a moment, to kind of tell my story as I’m doing it have felt. “
In anticipation of that promise to make such an album, she asked, “Will any of you rock stars help me with that?” Good, ’cause I’ll hold you to it. … I’m just honored to be a part of it and to have all the friends here tonight who are going into the Hall of Fame with me. So I’m just proud to be here, as Minnie Pearl would say.”
Olivia Rodrigo and Dolly Parton attend the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Celebration at Microsoft Theater on November 05, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) Getty Images for The Rock and Ro
Later, as much of the evening’s cast lined up for the cluster vocals of “Jolene,” Parton surveyed her immediate surroundings and continued to establish herself as both part of the recruit gang and as something separate and different. “We have a star-studded stage up here, don’t we? I feel like a hillbilly in the city.”
Dolly Parton at the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Red Carpet held at the Microsoft Theater on November 5, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Christopher Polk for a change