Johnny Rebel (singer)

Johnny Rebel
Trahan as a junior in high school, 1955
Trahan as a junior in high school, 1955
Background information
Birth nameClifford Joseph Trahan
Also known as
  • Johnny "Pee Wee" Blaine
  • Jericho Jones
  • Jimmy "Pee Wee" Krebs
  • Tommy Todd
  • Johnny "Pee Wee" Trahan
  • Johnny "Pee Wee" Trayhan
Born(1938-09-25)September 25, 1938
Moss Bluff, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedSeptember 3, 2016(2016-09-03) (aged 77)
Rayne, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active1959–2003
Labels
  • AggWood
  • Flyright
  • Try It Man
  • Johnny Rebel
  • Reb Rebel
  • Todd
  • Master-Trak
  • Viking
  • Wildwood
  • Zynn

Clifford Joseph Trahan (September 25, 1938 – September 3, 2016), better known by the stage names Johnny Rebel and Pee Wee Trahan, was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who performed songs that were supportive of white supremacy.[1] He used the Johnny Rebel name for a series of recordings for J. D. "Jay" Miller's Reb Rebel label in the 1960s in response to the civil rights movement.[2] The 12 songs exhibit racial hatred marketed as "subtle, rib-tickling satire".[3][4] The songs frequently used the racial slur "nigger" and often voiced sympathy for racial segregation, the KKK, and the Confederacy.

After retiring in 2003, Trahan claimed that he "just did it for the money" and that he "didn't set out to spread hate or start trouble". He said, "At that time, there was a lot of resentment – whites toward blacks and blacks toward whites. So, everybody had their own feelings. Lots of people changed their feelings over the years. I basically changed my feelings over the years up to a point."[5]

  1. ^ Tsioulcas, Anastasia (September 14, 2017). "After Labels Object, White Nationalist Stormfront Radio Stops Using Johnny Cash". NPR. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  2. ^ Carpenter, Zoë (June 23, 2015). "A History of Hate Rock From Johnny Rebel to Dylann Roo". The Nation. Archived from the original on May 13, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  3. ^ Bernard, Shane K. (2003). The Cajuns: Americanization of a People. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. pp. 63–64. ISBN 9781604734966.
  4. ^ Broven, John (1983). South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous. Gretna, Louisiana: Pelican. pp. 252–253. ISBN 0-88289-608-3.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference theadvocate was invoked but never defined (see the help page).