Dolly Parton defends the CMAs after Beyoncé’s shocking ‘Cowboy Carter’ snub

nypost.com:

Variety in an interview published Tuesday and reacted to Bey’s chart-topping country album, “Cowboy Carter,” being excluded from this year’s CMA Awards nominations list.“Well, you never know,” said Parton. “There’s so many wonderful country artists that, I guess probably the country music field, they probably thought, well, we can’t really leave out some of the ones that spend their whole life doing that.

But I didn’t even realize that until somebody asked me that question.”Parton gave Bey, 43, her blessing to cover her hit song “Jolene” on ““Cowboy Carter.” She’s also featured on the album in the 30-second interlude, “Dolly P.”Calling Beyoncé’s latest work “a wonderful album,” Parton said the “Halo” singer should “be very, very proud” of making “Cowboy Carter.”“And I think everybody in country music welcomed her and thought that, that was good,” Parton continued. “So I don’t think it was a matter of shutting out, like doing that on purpose.

I think it was just more of what the country charts and the country artists were doing, that do that all the time, not just a specialty album,” she added.Parton further praised Beyoncé’s historic country album and noted she was “fortunate” to be on it.“Well, ‘Jolene’ was in Beyoncé’s, and I thought that was a great album,” Parton said. “She’s a country girl in Texas and Louisiana, so she grew up with that base.

It wasn’t like she just appeared out of nowhere.”When asked if she’d duet “Jolene” with Bey, Parton replied, “Oh yeah. I’m open to anything.”“Cowboy Carter” spent four weeks at No.