This month, several of the original members of New Grass Revival will gather, along with those they inspired, to celebrate the music genre they helped create at the world’s first newgrass festival. However, one member will be absent from the festivities.

Courtney Johnson was one of the original founding members of New Grass Revival along with Sam Bush, Ebo Walker, and Curtis Burch. Over his long and respected career, he came to be known as “Mr. Banjo” and was instrumental in the evolution of three finger style picking.

“Courtney was a true innovator of the five string banjo. He was a person who was well versed in the traditional style from Ralph Stanley and Earl Scruggs, but was really interested in a more progressive style.” Sam Bush, Courtney’s friend and bandmate said. “Once we started New Grass, he discovered a way he could improvise. He was his own man and, to this day, his playing still stands.”

Johnson was born in 1939 just outside of the small town of Hiseville in northeast Barren County. Even though Johnson would become famous for his banjo music, the guitar was the first instrument that he began playing when he was only seven. He only began playing the banjo in his twenties.

In a 1978 interview with Bluegrass Unlimited magazine, Johnson told interviewer Ronni Lundy about his musical roots, “I was influenced by country then a lot, because my dad was into it and played that. I heard a lot of frailing type banjo too, when I was growing up, because we always went to dances. But I never really got into banjo until I was 25 years old. My brother traded for one and I just started tooling with it — learned how to play it. I just quit playing guitar then. My first influence, what I learned to play, was Ralph Stanley type.”

Johnson worked as a mechanic in a service station in Hiseville until he could support himself as a musician. During this time, he played several local jamborees with his friends, Bill Hatfield on fiddle and Bill Logsdon on guitar in a group called the Rocky Road Boys.

In 1969, Johnson was recruited by a teenage Sam Bush to replace Alan Munde on banjo for his first recording, Poor Richard’s Almanac. The record also featured Wayne Stewart on guitar. The group played locally in Southern Kentucky and also did a brief tour in the West.

In 1970, Bush and Johnson would both move on to Louisville’s Bluegrass Alliance. The Alliance also added fiddler Lonnie Peerce, bassist Ebo Walker, and guitarist Curtis Burch. In 1971, Johnson, Walker, Bush, and Burch struck out on their own and New Grass Revival was born.

Hazel Johnson, Courtney’s wife and a talented musician in her own right, had briefly met Johnson and other future members of the band at a DJ convention and at WSM radio shows in the late 60’s. By the early 70s, she had emigrated from England, was living at Norman Blake’s house along with several other musicians, and working for George Gruhn at his famous Gruhn Guitar shop on Broadway in downtown Nashville.

“So one day, Courtney and the other guys came into the shop as they did regularly.” Hazel recalls. “And we were all hanging out and they mentioned they were going on tour in Florida. I said I had never been to Florida and they said ‘Would you like to come?’ and I said sure! Just like that!” Hazel began working for the band as stage manager, she and Courtney began dating, and they were eventually married.

Courtney Johnson was a core member of New Grass Revival for its first 10 years. After John Cowan joined the group in 1973, New Grass Revival began the development of the progressive style of bluegrass that would share their name.

When asked how he described his brand of music in a 1980 interview with Jan Meek in a Glasgow newspaper, Johnson said “We’ve been asked that a lot of times. It’s hard to categorize it, you know. We call it newgrass. Most traditional bluegrass people hate us, It’s too progressive for them. Rock and roll people don’t like us because we’re not progressive enough. It’s kind of a fusion-type music, I guess.”

Not only was there pushback from some bluegrass fans about what New Grass Revival was doing to the traditional bluegrass sound, there was even controversy in the way they looked. Hazel Johnson remembers, “In the early 70s, we’d be on the road at the bluegrass festivals and the traditionalists didn’t like New Grass Revival because they didn’t dress up in the little suits and bolo ties. They had t-shirts and long hair! I even remember there was a quote in a magazine from a person who said that New Grass Revival got their long hair and beards all caught up in their strings!” Hazel laughed. “But the guys overcame it. Their music took them past all that nonsense.”

In addition to recording several albums on the Flying Fish label, New Grass Revival toured extensively across the United States as well as international engagements including a groundbreaking tour in Japan in 1976. “The Japanese people just loved it.” Hazel Johnson said. “This music has a sound that people all over the world just love.”

Johnson was instrumental in the development of the bluegrass sound with his banjo jams. He is described as a melodic banjo player and his freeform banjo jams were legendary, traversing bluegrass, blues, and rock. Bob Artis wrote in the 1975 book “Bluegrass” that Johnson would take “five-minute ad lib banjo breaks that nearly exhaust the mathematical possibilities of the three-octave modal-chromatic runs.”

Fan Tribute in Memory Of Courtney Johnson-Banjo Player-1939-1996

Courtney’s banjo shadow still stands over the newgrass sound. “Even to this day, when the Sam Bush Band is playing and we do one of the old New Grass Revival songs, my banjo player, Scott Vestal, tries to play it like Courtney did because that’s the way he thinks it ought to be done!” Sam Bush said.

Soon after New Grass Revival began playing with Leon Russell, Johnson and Burch left the group in 1981. During the 80’s, Hazel and Courtney Johnson started and/or played with several local bands including the Courtney Johnson Band, one called Barren County, and BJT, which stood for Burch, Johnson, and Timberlake.

Hazel Johnson remembers one of their first gigs after leaving the Revival when their new band consisted of Hazel, Courtney, Curtis, and Eric Albany. “We were going to play someplace in Nashville. And Eric had been studying John’s methods. We go onstage and who’s sitting in the front row? Sam Bush and John Cowan!”

Courtney and Hazel also played with Rollin Sullivan (Oscar of “Lonzo and Oscar“) for a short time. But, there were differences in style. “He wanted us to wear really thick hot long sleeved shirts even when we were playing outdoors in summer! And we weren’t allowed to smile or laugh onstage. Curtis and Courtney would stand behind him and make all sorts of faces while we were on stage— just for some relief!” Hazel laughed.

In addition to playing in organized bands, Courtney and Hazel would invite their musical friends from all over the country to their Hiseville farm for fun days of food, picking, and jamming that could be classified as mini bluegrass festivals. Both the Johnsons also played every day at home in Hiseville together with Courtney on banjo or occasionally the fiddle, which he rarely played publicly, and Hazel playing either the guitar or the mandolin.

Mr. Banjo doing a banjo workshop at “The Pickin’ Parlor” in Flatwoods, KY November 8th, 1986 with Tom Timberlake on Guitar and Hazel Johnson on Mandolin.

Johnson did several freelance gigs in the early 90’s appearing on Doc Watson’s Memories collection and jamming with his New Grass Revival banjo replacement, Bela Fleck, at the 1992 Tennessee Banjo Institute.

Courtney Johnson passed away in Glasgow from lung cancer in June of 1996. That September, several of his friends and newgrass legends came together for a star-studded charity benefit tribute that was held at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. (see pictures from the show at http://techpublishing.com/johnson/)

Johnson is not the most famous member of New Grass Revival, but he helped establish the foundation of the newgrass genre. “Courtney was a picking buddy of mine for over 25 years and he was a great person to lay down music with and he helped to establish the newgrass style.” Curtis Burch said. “He was a little unorthodox in his playing, but that’s what made it great.”

ABOUT THE NEWGRASS FESTIVAL

The world’s first International Newgrass Festival will take place August 21, 22, and 23 at Ballance MotoX, north of Bowling Green on 31-W.

If you’re not familiar with the sound of newgrass, newgrass innovator Sam Bush said music fans would find something they would like. “It’s going to be a really well rounded program and really show off what you can do with bluegrass instruments.” Bush said. “People will get to hear both the old and progressive styles.”

Several of the legends of newgrass will perform including members of New Grass Revival; Sam Bush, John Cowan and Curtis Burch will each perform with their bands. Also performing in the festival will be The Greencards, The Grascals, IIIrd Tyme Out, Infamous Stringdusters, Larry Keel and Natural Bridge, Cadillac Sky, Duckbutter, Act of Congress, Farewell Drifters, Safire Sun, Kentucky School of Bluegrass and Traditional Music Ensemble, James Dewdney and Eleanor Cross, Michael Gough. Courtney Johnson’s widow, Hazel, will also play on Sunday.

Sam Bush is excited about the festival. “I’m excited about getting back to the Bowling Green area.” Sam said. “I’m hoping to see a lot of old pals and to get to play and jam together.”

Find an updated list of performers, schedule, and other festival information at www.newgrassfestival.com. Single day tickets cost $40 for Friday, $55 for Saturday, and $35 for Sunday. A three-day ticket is available for $99 with RV and tent camping passes available. Tickets can be purchased online at www.newgrassfestival.com and at the gate.

Like Courtney Johnson, Chris Houchens is a native of Barren County, but can’t play the banjo. Chris does appear on stage as a marketing speaker and writes a marketing blog at www.ShotgunConcepts.com. Find more about his speaking and writing at www.ChrisHouchens.com.  You can also follow him at www.twitter.com/shotgunconcepts.

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