McCoury, who holds nine International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Entertainer of the Year awards, expressed his disappointment personally. "Merle did everything in his power to make this record authentic except remove that unique Haggard sound--and that's something he's brought to every genre of music he's ever visited," McCoury said. "Merle Haggard could make a polka record, and there'd be no mistaking it's Merle Haggard."

Album producer Ronnie Reno, a bluegrass veteran who earned his spurs performing with two Bluegrass Hall of Fame artists--father Don Reno's Reno & Smiley and the legendary Osborne Brothers--before spending some eight years in Haggard's band, reacted in a more down to earth fashion: "that's pure b******t."

Recorded at Ricky Skaggs' Hendersonville, TN studio, The Bluegrass Sessions features Haggard backed by an all-star--and all-bluegrass--cast of musicians that includes such IBMA award winners as fiddler Aubrey Haynie, dobro player Rob Ickes, guitarist and harmony singer Carl Jackson and Alison Krauss.

As veteran mandolin player Marty Stuart, who got his own youthful career start with Hall of Famer Lester Flatt (Flatt & Scruggs) in the 1970s, wrote following the recording sessions, "Merle Haggard has put the blues back into bluegrass. I was honored to be there alongside of him when he did it."

On its release, The Bluegrass Sessions rocketed to the top of Billboard's bluegrass album chart, racking up the legend's highest first-week sales for a new release since 2000, and Merle's first #1 on any of Billboard's charts since 1984. Bluegrass Sessions is currently enjoying it's 4th consecutive week at the top of the chart. There has been solid support from the Bluegrass media, from the monthly magazines to the increasingly popular Bluegrass Blog, the winner of this year's IBMA Media Award, in addition to features in mainstream media such as TIME Magazine and major newspapers across the country,

"When I contacted NARAS, they would not identify the committee, their qualifications, or why they don't classify this album as bluegrass. Their stance just doesn't make sense. With that said, of course, we're grateful that members can at least vote for The Bluegrass Sessions in other country categories, including Country Album of the Year," Harris said. "But by every reasonable definition, this is a bluegrass album, and we--Merle, Ronnie, Del and everyone involved in the project--think that Academy voters ought to be able to consider it for Best Bluegrass Album."

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