'Redemption Song'
Horace Trahan leaves behing the big-butted women to bone up on the Bible.

When some musicians land a number one song on the radio, they often throw a party, go on tour or do an in-studio performance to help boost its sales. But Horace Trahan wants nothing to do with his number one song, "That Butt Thing."

The 26-year-old, 10-year accordion veteran, who was once hailed by many as the young savior of traditional Cajun music and would later shock his fans by switching over to playing Zydeco with a racially integrated band, has officially put down his music and opted for a divine path. The change came around five months ago, just before his song "That Butt Thing" began to receive airplay on KSMB 94.5's morning show Jan. 28. The station now reports that during the first week of March the song took off and is now their number one song, beating out tracks by Christina Aguilera and 50 Cent.

"The main thing that happened was I accepted Jesus as my savior, and I admitted that I am nothing without him," Trahan says with conviction. "I just asked him to come into my life, and I started getting more into the Bible. The more and more I read, the more I feel he gave me the talent to play music, not to be singing about chasing big-butted women and misleading other people. They have enough other people doing stuff like that. The more and more I read, it just looks like I need to get a closer relationship with Jesus than singing about chasing big-butt women. The big-butt women aren't going to save me on the last day."

For Trahan, his spiritual revelation came along after a friend kept telling him that he needed to get his life right with the Lord. Trahan says that he would protest that he knew Jesus died for his sins. But, it just wasn't good enough for him.

"He said knowing and accepting are two different things. I have accepted him as my lord and savior and asked him to come into my life and admit that he is the king of kings and the lord of lords, conquering lion of Judah."

Also, Trahan says that he was helped along to his new way of life by what he saw in the bars and clubs where he plied his craft for years.

"It started convicting me on the inside," he said. "You know, we play the big-butt women (song). I'd see them women with their butts up in the air and stuff. And I am a man, and you are going to look. It's like he (his friend) kept telling me, 'If you died today and you were looking at the good Lord, and he would say, "I gave you the ability to play music, to play the accordion, and all you can come up with is big-butt women?"'"

Trahan says he is now completely focused on living a blessed life and studying the Bible. During the week, he works as a maintenance man with the school board, and during the weekends - instead of carousing at the club - he spends time with his girlfriend and her children, relating that his old way of life was no way to raise a family. After being born again, he told the news to his band, The New Ossun Express, and expressed that he wanted to disband. They said they understood his feelings and remained open to starting over with him if he ever wants to regroup. But, when and if he does come back, he says he'll mix his Zydeco and Cajun music with a gospel message. And, if he comes back, Trahan says he will have a new and unlikely influence - Bob Marley.

"A lot of his words came straight out of the Bible," he says. "So, I mean I would like to do positive music, not only positive, but words straight out of the Bible ... the truth. Stories like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who got thrown in the fire and never got burned. Just to show people, that it's not me saying it or any other body saying this. That's straight out the Bible. That's God saying this.

"But, I can't come back right now. This butt thing's gotta die down. If I come back now, they are all going to want that, and I don't want anything to do with that."



KSMB's Bobby Novosad says that the station gets dozens of requests every day for the song, which is currently number one on the station's charts by a long shot. He also says that the station, not the first to play it but the first to put it on heavy rotation, broadcasts the track about eight or nine times a day. According to him, he hasn't seen a local song blow up like this since Rockin' Sidney's Grammy-winning "My Toot Toot" in 1985. Recently, the radio station had "The Wanderer" by another local singer, Marc Broussard, take off, but it pales in comparison to the volume of feedback that their audience has given to "That Butt Thing."

"That's a song we made happen here on the morning show, and it took off the rest of the day and now it's by far, beating out songs by Christina Aguilera, Three Doors Down, 50 Cent - all the big boys and ladies," says Novosad. "A lot of songs you play on the chart sound great, but you don't always get calls for them. People like them, but a song that you get calls for is going to be around a long time. I DJ parties, and I had the CD and listened to it. I said, 'Wow, put it on the radio,' because it kind of reminded me of 'My Toot Toot.' When that came out, we did the same thing. We play to the masses on KSMB, so I said 'why not?' one morning, and the phones just went bananas."

Asked about the song's popularity, Novosad relates that its light-hearted subject matter is what wins over fans.

"Its just one of those fun songs," he says. "It takes you away from some of the lyrics out there (that) are kind of harsh, especially in hip-hop. Plus, it has to be one of the most relatable (sic) songs in southwest Louisiana. I mean anybody from 8 to 80 can get into the song."

Trahan, however, has a little different take on why the song has caught on with KSMB's listeners.

"Anything right now that comes out talking about money, the woman's body, cars, possessions, anything of the world, right now is going to be popular," says Trahan. "You know that with rap music, rock 'n' roll, they have all of these beautiful women in the videos with you, they have the big chains and all the women. It is going to sell."

Helping to ensure the track's success is the recent re-release of the CD by Eunice's Zydeco Hound Records. The new disc features a new title, which was changed from the original Reach out and Touch a Hand to That Butt Thing. To Trahan, the developments came as a surprise, being that he now has nothing to do with the record and has even signed over all rights and royalties to Zydeco Hound. Asked about the royalties, Fred Charlie of Zydeco Hound offered no comment. When told of the new repackaging, Trahan shrugged it off, saying, "Whatever he wants to do ... I am finished with all that."

The CD's reissue was a collaborative effort between Zydeco Hound and Flat Town Music of Ville Platte. Chris Soileau of Flat Town says his company is not involved with the actual product, but with just getting it into stores, which had been a problem for fans who couldn't find it. Neither Soileau nor Charlie could speculate on the number of copies sold. Currently, Toys Music Center, Tunz, Louisiana Heritage and Gifts and other mom-and-pop stores around town have it in stock. Soileau says that it will soon be in Louisiana's Wal-Mart stores and Sound Shop and that they are working on stocking it at Best Buy.

On the topic of renaming the disc, Soileau says, "It's tough nowadays especially in the independent market, because we don't have the revenue and the resources to cut singles and put singles out. So, if you have an album, (and) you want a DJ to play a particular tune, you had better put some type of information with your press pack to where you are trying to push a certain individual cut."

When the original CD came out, the record company wanted to name it That Butt Thing, but Trahan asked them not to, stating that he would rather the CD be remembered for something other than that particular song.

"I know what I wrote and what I didn't write. A clear conscience is a soft pillow," says Trahan.

While some might say that Trahan should come back because of his success, he sees it another way.

"That just kind of tripped me out because I am just getting out of the Zydeco music game and all of a sudden ... Some people think I am crazy when I talk to them like this, but it is hard to describe the natural and the supernatural," he says. "The way I describe that is the devil trying to make it more tempting for me to come back. (He is) saying, 'Look man, I got plans for you.' Cause see, I was about to come out and start singing music about wanting to legalize herb and stuff on my accordion. I had all kind of ideas. But, I am glad I caught my head."

Despite the song being all over KSMB, including rotation on its late night high energy dance show Club 9-4-5, and being played in bars and clubs across town, Trahan was completely unaware of the song's success until he heard it blaring off a float in Scott's Mardi Gras parade. He now says that he has only heard it once on the radio.

When the song first began to break, Novasad says he thought about trying to get him to play it on the radio, but quickly learned of Trahan's new direction in life. Even if he had contacted him, Novosad wouldn't have had much luck.

"What will a man gain to gain the whole world but lose his soul?" questions Trahan. "If they asked me to play a concert singing some songs praising God and giving him thanks and praise, I would do that for free. Right now, I have some songs I have been working on the accordion in my head. If, and when, I do come back I'm not going to be trying to build a crowd for Horace Trahan. It's going to be trying to build a crowd to praise God. With the same style we had, we could still cut up. If I want to lay down and kick my feet in the air, I can lay down, but it is going to be a different style."