Haggard was one of the 60s' most influential country music stars

Last week Bakersfield planners voted to name a stretch of road Merle Haggard Way after the Grammy award winner.

But Tom Clark, from Oildale, appealed against the decision, saying Haggard grew up in Oildale so it should be the first place to honour him.

"Our goal is to get an honour for Merle while he's alive," Bakersfield Convention and Visitors Bureau said.

Driving tour

Haggard, 68, was one of the most influential country artists to emerge in the 1960s.

While his music remained hardcore country, he pushed its boundaries by introducing elements of jazz, blues and folk.

He won Grammys in 1984 for the song That's the Way Love Goes and in 1998 for Same Old Train.

Bakersfield wants to honour Haggard as part of a driving tour of city sites relevant to the history of Bakersfield music.

"If there is a better plan then we'd sure like to see it," the bureau's Don Jaeger added.

He said representatives from both communities would meet before Bakersfield City Council took up Mr Clark's appeal.