Dolly Parton performs at the 2021 Kiss Breast Cancer Goodbye Concert at CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on October 24, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Jason Kempin/GIWhen the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced Dolly Parton as one of its Class of 2022 nominees on Wednesday (Feb. 2), surely the first thought for many was that Parton was an outlier. She’s a country music icon to be sure (and a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame), and while she’s covered songs by Led Zeppelin,The Beatles and Neil Young, she’s hardly thought of in rock and roll circles.
Maybe Parton, who had never been nominated before despite being eligible since 1992 (or even earlier if you include her first indie single as a 13-year-old out in 1959), appears to be as shocked as everyone else, since she has yet to comment on the honor. However, there’s something that feels indelibly right about Parton, who has been a pioneer and an innovator across all music for decades, possibly joining the Rock Hall’s august ranks. The five artists who get the most votes will be announced in May as the Class of 2022. Should she be inducted, she follows in the footsteps of some of country’s most legendary names.
Here are the country acts who have preceded Parton. (We limited the list to artists primarily known as country artists, so did not include trailblazers like Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Brenda Lee, Wanda Jackson or Ray Charles, who, despite their undisputed and vital ties to country music, left their biggest legacies in pop, rock, rockabilly or R&B.)
Chet Atkins (inducted in 2002): Known as the architect of the Nashville sound, Atkins went in the Hall under the musical excellence category, but the simple fact is, Atkins could do it all: His finger-picking guitar style that featured the melody and the bass line became world-renowned, he sold more than 35 million albums as an artist, he played on the Everly Brothers’ early hits, produced Presley’s first records for RCA Records and worked with such artists as Parton and Waylon Jennings.
Johnny Cash (1992): With his sonorous baritone, the Man in Black sounded like the voice of America, sharing stories of saints and sinners first as part of Memphis’ Sun Records roster, and then much more famously for Columbia Records in Nashville with such hits as “I Walk the Line,” “Ring of Fire” and “I’ve Been Everywhere.”
Floyd Cramer (2003): Nashville session pianist Cramer was inducted into the Rock Hall under the musical excellence category. His name is synonymous with the “slip note” technique of playing, which was an essential part of the Nashville sound starting in the 1950s. His playing can be heard on classic hits for Presley (“Heartbreak Hotel,” “Are You Lonesome Tonight”), Patsy Cline (“Crazy”), Eddy Arnold and more. Cramer also had a major pop hit with the instrumental single “Last Date” in 1960. Cramer was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2003.
Bill Monroe (1997): The Father of Bluegrass Music penned more than 500 compositions, including such bluegrass classics as “Blue Moon of Kentucky” and “Bluegrass Breakdown,” but he was as renowned for his Blue Grass Boys and their musical virtuosity on mandolin, guitar, fiddle, banjo and upright bass, as they brought the vibrant music of the Appalachian region to the world.
Jimmie Rodgers (1986): Known as the Father of Country Music, Mississippi native Rodgers went into the Rock Hall under the early influences category in the same inaugural class of honorees as Chuck Berry, James Brown, the Everly Brothers and Ray Charles. In 1927, Ralph Peer recorded Rodgers (as well as the Carter Family) in Bristol, Tenn., and Rodgers’ blend of yodeling and acoustic songs became the musical template for numerous country artists who followed. Rodgers, known for such recordings as “Blue Yodel No. 8 (Mule Skinner Blues),” “Waiting for a Train” and “In the Jailhouse Now,” was also the first performer inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, in 1961. Nicknamed The Singing Brakeman, he influenced legions of artists who followed, including Merle Haggard and Bob Dylan.
Hank Williams (1987): Williams was country’s first modern-day star. Though he died tragically at 29, his songs became classics thanks to his keen sense of melody and his piercing, expressive voice that felt like his heart could barely contain the pain. Among his 55 top 10 country songs were “Cold, Cold Heart,” “Your Cheatin’ Heart” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.”
Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys (1999): Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys were inducted into the Rock Hall in the early influences category. Wills and his bandmembers enjoyed their greatest successes in the 1930s and 1940s, and became known for standards including “Take Me Back to Texas,” “I’m Sitting on Top of the World” and “San Antonio Rose.” With ace musicianship, the group developed a unique sound that integrated elements of swing, fiddle music, blues, jazz and more.
Not for the first time, Moby is speaking out against Donald Trump’s administration with clear frustration.
“The U.S. is collapsing under a deeply corrupt and shockingly ineffective administration,” the longtime electronic musician shared on social media. “These are unbelievably dark times.”
Moby went deeper into his thoughts through a video message, where he explained that people outside the United States keep asking Americans what is actually happening in the country.
“So many of my friends outside the United States keep asking me, ‘what the hell is happening over there?’ And honestly, we don’t even know,” he said. “The country is being controlled by one of the most corrupt, dangerous and incompetent administrations imaginable. Nobody fully understands what’s happening right now. These are very dark times in America.”
Moby joins a growing list of artists publicly criticizing Trump and MAGA politics, including Bruce Springsteen, Jack White, Eminem and Billie Eilish.
Earlier this year, Moby uploaded another statement to social media where he addressed how people should respond following the killing of Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis. “The real question isn’t whether people should feel horrified or outraged by what’s happening in the United States,” Moby explained in the Jan. 26 clip. “The question is what are we actually going to do about it?”
The musician and activist also encouraged people to protest, saying demonstrations are a constitutional right and something he believes Trump’s administration is attempting to weaken.
In the end, he urged people to vote regularly, “not only during the upcoming midterms, even though those matter, but also in every special election throughout the year.” He also encouraged supporters to “stop giving money to the scumbag corporations backing Trump and ICE. We all know who they are. Boycott them.”
His newest remarks arrive as the U.S. Justice Department unveils a nearly $1.8 billion compensation fund for Trump allies who claim they were unfairly investigated. At the same time, the Strait of Hormuz remains shut down following military action launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran in late February without approval from Congress, leading to rising gas prices across the globe.
Throughout his independent music career, Moby has earned 10 entries on the Billboard 200 along with two songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and an enormous catalog of sync placements. Overseas, particularly in the United Kingdom, he is viewed as one of the defining artists of his era. He scored two No. 1 albums there with Play from 1999 and 18 from 2002, alongside 18 top 40 singles and two nominations for Best International Male at the BRIT Awards.
Check out Moby’s newest social media post below.
