Rock ‘n’ roll and country music have long been linked — in fact, they share some common origins, including the blues and American roots music — so it makes sense that there are already some country greats in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Johnny Cash, Chet Akins and Hank Williams are some of the artists who have been inducted in the past.
More recently, country artists have a prominent spot in inductees groups, too.
In 2022, Dolly Parton made waves when she was nominated to join the Rock Hall, then, famously, declined the nomination on the grounds that she didn’t feel like she deserved it.
But the voting body disagreed, and Parton was sent into the Hall. She eventually accepted the accolade, and even put out her first-ever rock album, Rock Star, in its honor.
Her entrance reopened a conversation about what qualifies a singer to join the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which ultimately landed on a simple point: Good music is good music, and all genres, country included, can produce artists influential and wide-reaching enough to be eligible.
Willie Nelson‘s nomination and induction the following year only confirmed that sentiment. Once again, Nelson’s inclusion proved that country is jam-packed full of cross-genre legends who’ve more than earned their stripes.
As more country greats get the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame recognition they deserve, Taste of Country is rounding up the country superstars who are well overdue for induction. Flip through the gallery below to see 15 legends who deserve a spot in the Hall of Fame.
15 Country Artists Who Deserve to Be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
With Dolly Parton’s 2022 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — and, even more recently, Willie Nelson’s nomination for the 2023 class — it’s clearer than ever that country artists have a place in the Cleveland-based institution’s hallowed halls. But the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has always shown love to country performers, to a certain extent: Johnny Cash, Chet Akins, Brenda Lee, the Everly Brothers and Hank Williams are all past inductees.
Based on the criteria the Hall has set forth, that nominees should be acts who have had “a profound impact on youth culture,” there are still many more country artists who deserve their spot in the Hall. Flip through the gallery below to see Taste of Country’s top picks for who the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should induct next.
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