Dolly Parton isn’t the first person most of us think of when we count the world’s greatest rock stars. But in 2022, the country singer was nonetheless inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – a controversial move which even Dolly tried to take a stand against.
After the Hall refused to remove her from consideration, Dolly relented, telling NPR, “I’ll accept gracefully.” Little did she know, once nestled in the audience at the star-studded event, she was about to receive the ultimate serenade by two pop-rock queens – one which stood as a testament to her illustrious career.
Music Man readers can watch the moment P!nk, Brandi Carlile, and the Zac Brown Band led the Hall of Fame into a Dolly Parton sing-along in the viral clip above. This performance has topped 518,000 views to date!
P!nk, who earlier that night had named Dolly Parton as being “one of the greatest storytellers of our time… of all time,” takes to the stage with Brandi to cover a song that perfectly crystallizes Dolly’s ‘storytelling’ skills: her 1971 single, “Coat of Many Colors.”
Their voices blend in stunning balance as P!nk and Brandi each lace country tones into their vocals; raspy flavors mix with rich harmonies as their lightweight acoustic duet unfolds. They hold the crowd speechless, aside from a few brief whoops and claps between verses, with even internet viewers falling in love with their rendition; one top commenter writing, “I literally got a full body shiver when P!nk and Brandi’s voices melded together for the chorus. My god, they sound amazing! I want them to record an entire album together.”
This isn’t the only time P!nk and Brandi have joined forces, by the way. The year after Dolly’s Hall of Fame induction, the pair paid tribute to Sinead O’Connor singing “Nothing Compares 2 U” at a New York concert.
Fellow Hall of Fame inductees that night included Eminem, Duran Duran, Eurythmics, Lionel Richie, and Carly Simon, amongst more. This was also the night when Judas Priest picked up the Award for Musical Excellence – and, as the night drew to a close, frontman Rob Halford joined Dolly on stage with countless other stars for one of the most unexpected, genre-crossing sing-alongs you can imagine. Check it out in our second clip above!