Courtney Johnson (December 20, 1939 – June 6, 1996) was an American banjo player, best known for his work as an original member of the band
New Grass Revival. Influenced by
Ralph Stanley and his Clinch Mountain Boys, Johnson is often considered to be an inventor of the newgrass style of banjo playing, polished and improved later on by such personalities as
Béla Fleck,
Alison Brown, Scott Vestal of Sam Bush Band and Jens Krüger of
Kruger Brothers.