James Elbert Raney (20 August 1927 – 9 May 1995) was an American jazz guitarist born in Louisville, Kentucky, most notable for his work from 1951 to 1952 and then from 1953 to 1954 with the Red Norvo trio (replacing Tal Farlow) and later, 1962 to 1963, with Stan Getz just as the Bossa Nova breaks out of Brazil. In 1954 and 1955 he won the Down Beat critics poll for guitar.