Dolly Parton and Eminem Inducted Into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced its class of 2022. Eminem is being inducted in his first year of eligibility, and he’s joined in the 2022 class by an artist who initially declined to accept the honor, Dolly Parton. The class is rounded out by Duran Duran, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon, Eurythmics, and Pat Benatar.

In addition to the performer category, Judas Priest and the duo of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis will receive the Musical Excellence Award. Harry Belafonte and Elizabeth Cotten will both receive the Early Influence Award. This year’s Ahmet Ertegun Award winners include Sugarhill Records founder Sylvia Robinson, Interscope and Beats founder Jimmy Iovine, and lawyer to the stars Allen Grubman.

In her initial explanation for why she was declining the Rock Hall’s nomination, Parton wrote, “I don’t feel that I have earned that right.” After the Rock Hall confirmed that she could still be inducted despite her statement, Parton gave an interview saying she’d “accept gracefully.” She added: “When I said that, it was always my belief that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was for the people in rock music, and I have found out lately that it’s not necessarily that.”