Country Musicians Who Are In The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame
When the 2022 inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame were announced (via Rolling Stone), a good few people might have been surprised by some of the nominees. While names like singer-songwriter Lionel Richie and British heavy legends Judas Priest certainly seemed like fairly good fits for potential rock accolades, the shortlist for the class of '22 also included names like megastar rapper Eminem — and, of course, the one and only Dolly Parton.
For people who may be wondering what a country star like Parton is doing in this particular list, it's worth noting that she's not exactly the first representative of the genre to get inducted — though, in all fairness, she's the first country star in a while to enter the hallowed halls of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Let's take a look at some of the surprisingly numerous country musicians who share this honor with her.
Johnny Cash
For people who are familiar with Johnny Cash's career, it's probably no surprise that the Man in Black found his way into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Interestingly enough, the Hall's official website tells that Cash was inducted all the way back in 1992 — a couple of years before the star started collaborating with producer Rick Rubin and cemented his crossover star status with 1994's "American Recordings" (via Far Out Magazine).
Cash was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a performer, and though he was described as a legendary country artist, the induction specifically mentioned his talent at writing songs and using them to tell captivating stories — the kind of thing that can transcend genres. In his acceptance speech (via The Boot), Cash was appreciative of the honor, and while he was somewhat conflicted about his place among the rock legends, he was very open about his own rock 'n' roll influences, specifically naming folks like Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who herself was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2018 (via Rock & Roll Hall of Fame).
"I'm extremely proud of it," Cash said of his Hall of Fame place. "And whether I belong here or not, I'm going to ... show it off at home."
Dolly Parton
There's little denying that Dolly Parton, the most recent country music-oriented inductee in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (via The New York Times), is a music legend. As Biography tells us, Parton has been working in the music business since a young age, and she's been recording hits since the 1970s, which is the era where her arguably best-known song, "Jolene," hails from. She's also an award-winning actor (via IMDb) and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999.
With all these accolades under her belt, she's essentially played the entertainment industry through many times over — but her status as an all-around legend is such that even the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame eventually took note. Per Variety, Parton herself was so taken aback by the news that she'd be a nominee that her initial reaction was to back out of the whole situation. However, she later learned that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's choice to honor her isn't quite as shocking as a rock purist might initially assume, and she chose to accept it with grace.
Interestingly, Parton has revealed that she might want to add extra legitimacy to her newest accolade. In a 2022 interview with Billboard, the 76-year-old teased the possibility of releasing a proper rock album of her own ... and possibly recruiting a little-known group called the Rolling Stones as her backing band.
Jimmie Rodgers
Since the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has been known to induct country singers, it only makes sense that the man who started it all is present and accounted for. Jimmie Rodgers has been cited as an influence on legendary artists like Bob Dylan, and as Britannica tells us, he was known as the Singing Brakeman (because he worked a number of railroad jobs, including that of a brakeman) and America's Blue Yodeler (because he fused classic yodeling with traditional tunes and blues to create the basis of the country music sound). However, you don't really need to know those names to know what Rodgers was all about. All you need to know is his coolest moniker, the "Father of Country Music."
Inducted in 1986 in the early influences category of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Rodgers — who's not to be confused with the Jimmie Rodgers of "Kisses Sweeter than Wine" and "Honeycomb" fame, who came after (via People) — left the railroads to pursue an entertainment career after developing some health issues and became a distinctive and sought-after performer. He had a string of hit songs before his death in 1933. Though he was just 35 years old at the time of his death, he managed to sow the seeds of an entire genre and was quite understandably the very first inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961.
Hank Williams
In 1987, Hank Williams was inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. While his many famous country tunes may sonically be on the lighter end of the Hall of Famers' sliding scale of musical output, they're plenty weighty in their lyrical matter — and Williams' tragic real-life story only adds to the effect. The blueprint of a modern superstar, Williams brought an air of rock stardom to country music and blessed the genre with some of its most beloved songs, as well.
Williams' own country music accolades are considerable, and his family has kept the name alive after his passing. In fact, some of the younger Williams' have been stepping way closer to rock than Hank himself ever did, Hall of Famer or not. Per Alabama.com, William's grandson Hank Williams III has become known for his own brand of country that has elements of psychobilly, punk, and metal.
Bill Monroe
There are countless artists who go about their lives and careers without ever entering a single Hall of Fame. Then there's Bill Monroe, who has been in the Country Music Hall of Fame since 1970. Then, he became a member of the Bluegrass Hall of Fame's inaugural class of 1991, which befits the esteemed veteran's status as the "Father of Bluegrass Music."
Monroe's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in the early influences category came in 1997, which means the bluegrass bigshot is a member of no less than three major halls of fame. Ironically, Monroe would probably not have much enjoyed this particular honor since he didn't really appreciate rock music. However, he couldn't help but influence the genre in a pretty major way — his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame page names him as the man who composed the first rockabilly song: "Blue Moon of Kentucky." As the Los Angeles Times notes, a certain Elvis Presley later made waves by covering that very song in 1954.
With accolades like that, it doesn't really matter if you don't love rock music ... because rock music certainly loves you.
Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys sounds like a pretty decent name for an alt-rock band, but Wills and his band were actually firmly entrenched in the country category, and they had a sound like few others (via The Boot). Wills' band was pretty huge and, fittingly enough, could create an impressive, even jazzy soundscape. Wills was all too happy to venture outside his "home genre" and used all sorts of influences in his music, earning the cool nickname "King of Western Swing" in the process.
As befits a band that actually has a song called "Smoke on the Water" (no, not that one) in their repertoire, Wills and the band that was so instrumental to his sound were eventually inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The reason for their 1999 induction in the early influences category was the fact that the styles they so openly explored led to a sound that might not have been rock music as modern audiences know it, but their peculiar, genre-hopping "Texas fiddle music" very much paved the way for its arrival.
Chet Atkins
In 2001, famous Nashville music scene legend Chet Atkins died (per Britannica). In 2002, he was inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in the musical excellence category. Apart from the fact that Atkins is considered to be the man who created country music's invigorating, poppy Nashville Sound (via Mixdown) — which arguably makes him just about as influential as any country music bigshot you could name — there are many reasons that make him a pretty obvious inductee, both in this specific Hall of Fame and that particular category.
As an artist, Atkins was a particularly adept guitarist who used a style of playing that allowed him to play a melodic tune and a bass rhythm at the same time. He was also a notable behind-the-scenes player — he helmed a major studio in Nashville for over a decade and ushered in a string of innovations and improvements that allowed the genre to reach new heights. Oh, and if all of that wasn't enough to warrant a Hall of Fame position, he also recorded some rock music himself.
Floyd Cramer
Piano might not sound like the most rock n' roll instrument out there — at least until you remember that people like Jerry Lee Lewis and Elton John exist. Even then, some rock purists might have a hard time warranting a country pianist's inclusion in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ... yet, there Floyd Cramer is, and frankly, it's pretty hard to argue why he shouldn't be there. Inducted in the musical excellence category as part of the class of 2003, Cramer could count people like Michael Jackson among his fans.
Cramer was a popular session piano man in Nashville, and as The Independent notes, his famed "slip-note" sound backed everyone from country legends like Hank Williams to rock notables like the Everly Brothers and all-around legends like Elvis Presley. He was also a successful musician in his own right, enjoying the height of his record-selling fame in the early 1960s. He was also one of the more influential members of the Nashville Sound movement, which, among other things, has earned him a spot in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Brenda Lee
As a female country artist, Dolly Parton might be in a minority when it comes to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — but as Billboard notes, this just puts her in a very exclusive club where the company is excellent. In 2002, Brenda Lee became the first country artist woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In all fairness, she's one of the clearest examples of a multi-genre star on this list, so it's not exactly shocking that she was inducted as a performer. "She was such a crossover artist," Parton spoke of Lee's place in the Hall of Fame. "I love Brenda, she was a great, great artist. She should be in there."
So, how amazing was Brenda Lee? Per Biography, she was already the toast of the Grand Ole Opry and Las Vegas at 12 and had her first chart-topping single not long after. She went on to conquer bigger and bigger stages all around the world before she even hit her teens and continued a decades-long, highly successful career that gave the world songs like the Christmas staple "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree."