Jo-El Sonnier
Encyclopedia
Jo-El Sonnier is an American singer-songwriter
and accordionist who performs country music
and Cajun music
. Originally signed to Mercury Nashville Records, Sonnier charted several minor singles on the Billboard
country charts in the late 1970s. By the late 1980s, he had signed to RCA Records, breaking through with the Top Ten hits "No More One More Time" and a cover of Richard Thompson's "Tear Stained Letter". Although his chart success waned by the late 1980s, he has continued recording music. He has recorded more than twenty albums, primarily on independent labels.
-speaking sharecroppers in Rayne, Louisiana
. At age three, he began to play his brother's accordion
. By age six, Sonnier had performed on the radio; at age eleven, he made his first recordings. He also released several independent singles and four albums as a teenager. By the 1970s, he was signed to Mercury Nashville Records, but without much success in the country music field.
Sonnier temporarily abandoned his pursuit of a country music career in favor of recording Cajun music on the independent Rounder Records
label. Although his independent album did not produce much commercial success, it was nominated for a Grammy Award
. After being signed as Merle Haggard
's opening act, Sonnier later decided to return to country music; he was signed to RCA Records
in the 1980s, where his biggest successes came in the singles "No More One More Time" and a cover of British singer Richard Thompson's "Tear Stained Letter", songs which landed in the Top Ten on the country charts.
In the 1990s, Sonnier moved to Capitol Records
, but his solo career faltered soon afterwards. He continued to find success as a session musician, and briefly took up acting as well. In the late 1990s, he returned to Rounder Records to record Cajun music once more, occasionally collaborating with Michael Doucet
of Beausoleil
. Sonnier also saw his second Grammy nomination, for the 1997 album Cajun Pride; a third soon followed with 2001's Cajun Blood being nominated for Best Traditional Folk Album.
In 2009, he was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame
.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and accordionist who performs country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and Cajun music
Cajun music
Cajun music, an emblematic music of Louisiana, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem with the Creole-based, Cajun-influenced zydeco form, both of Acadiana origin...
. Originally signed to Mercury Nashville Records, Sonnier charted several minor singles on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
country charts in the late 1970s. By the late 1980s, he had signed to RCA Records, breaking through with the Top Ten hits "No More One More Time" and a cover of Richard Thompson's "Tear Stained Letter". Although his chart success waned by the late 1980s, he has continued recording music. He has recorded more than twenty albums, primarily on independent labels.
Biography
Sonnier was born to FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
-speaking sharecroppers in Rayne, Louisiana
Rayne, Louisiana
Rayne is a city in Acadia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,552 at the 2000 census. It is nicknamed the "Frog Capital of the World", as well as the "Louisiana City of Murals".Rayne is part of the Crowley Micropolitan Statistical Area....
. At age three, he began to play his brother's accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
. By age six, Sonnier had performed on the radio; at age eleven, he made his first recordings. He also released several independent singles and four albums as a teenager. By the 1970s, he was signed to Mercury Nashville Records, but without much success in the country music field.
Sonnier temporarily abandoned his pursuit of a country music career in favor of recording Cajun music on the independent Rounder Records
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
label. Although his independent album did not produce much commercial success, it was nominated for a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
. After being signed as Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
's opening act, Sonnier later decided to return to country music; he was signed to RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
in the 1980s, where his biggest successes came in the singles "No More One More Time" and a cover of British singer Richard Thompson's "Tear Stained Letter", songs which landed in the Top Ten on the country charts.
In the 1990s, Sonnier moved to Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, but his solo career faltered soon afterwards. He continued to find success as a session musician, and briefly took up acting as well. In the late 1990s, he returned to Rounder Records to record Cajun music once more, occasionally collaborating with Michael Doucet
Michael Doucet
Michael Doucet is a Cajun fiddler, singer and songwriter who founded the Cajun band BeauSoleil from Lafayette, Louisiana.In 2005 Doucet was one of 12 recipients of the National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts. The NEA award, which recognizes artistic excellence, cultural...
of Beausoleil
Beausoleil
BeauSoleil is an American musical group specializing in Cajun music. Based in Lafayette, Louisiana, the group members are brothers Michael Doucet and David Doucet , Jimmy Breaux , Billy Ware , Tommy Alesi , and Mitchell Reed .-Band history:Founded in 1975, BeauSoleil BeauSoleil (French, beautiful...
. Sonnier also saw his second Grammy nomination, for the 1997 album Cajun Pride; a third soon followed with 2001's Cajun Blood being nominated for Best Traditional Folk Album.
In 2009, he was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame
Louisiana Music Hall of Fame
The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame is an IRS certified 501 non-profit organization based in the state capitol of Baton Rouge, La., that seeks to preserve Louisiana's rich music culture and heritage and to further educate its citizens and people worldwide about the state’s unique role contributing...
.
Albums
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Hurricane Audry | Goldband | |
| 1968 | The Scene Today in Cajun Music | ||
| 1969 | The Cajun Valentino | ||
| 1980 | Cajun Life | Rounder | |
| 1987 | Come On Joe | 17 | RCA |
| 1989 | Right Next Door to Texas | Goldband | |
| The Cajun Troubadour | |||
| 1990 | Have a Little Faith | 45 | RCA |
| 1991 | Tears of Joy | Capitol | |
| 1992 | Hello Happiness Again | Liberty | |
| Complete Mercury Session | Mercury | ||
| 1994 | Cajun Roots | Rounder | |
| 1995 | Cajun Kids | Little Morganville | |
| 1996 | Live in Canada | Stony Plain | |
| Cookin Cajun | K-Tel | ||
| 1997 | Cajun Young Blood | Ace | |
| Cajun Pride | Rounder | ||
| 1998 | Here to Stay | Intersound | |
| Cajun Memories | Green Hill | ||
| 1999 | Cajun Blood | Musique de' Jo-El | |
| 2000 | Cajun Tradition | Green Hill | |
| 2001 | The L.A. Sessions | Musique de' Jo-El | |
| 2004 | Yesterdays with Jo-El Sonnier | Green Hill | |
| Cajun Christmas | |||
| Cajun Hymns | |||
| Cajun Mardis Gras | |||
| 2005 | Back by Request | Musique de' Jo-El |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
CAN Country | |||
| 1975 | "I've Been Around Enough to Know" | 78 | — | Single only |
| 1976 | "Always Late (With Your Kisses)" | 99 | — | |
| "He's Still All Over You" | 100 | — | ||
| 1987 | "Come On Joe" | 39 | — | Come On Joe |
| 1988 | "No More One More Time No More One More Time "No More One More Time" is the title of a song written by Troy Seals and Dave Kirby, and recorded by American country music artist Jo-El Sonnier. It was released in February 1988 as the second single from the album Come On Joe. The reached #7 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks... " |
7 | 2 | |
| "Tear-Stained Letter" | 9 | 6 | ||
| 1989 | "Rainin' in My Heart" | 35 | * | Single only |
| "(Blue, Blue, Blue) Blue, Blue" | 47 | 50 | ||
| 1990 | "If Your Heart Should Ever Roll This Way Again" | 24 | 26 | Have a Little Faith |
| "The Scene of the Crime" | 65 | 46 |
Guest singles
| Year | Single | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "Catahoula" | The Bellamy Brothers (with Eddy Raven Eddy Raven Edward Garvin Futch is an American country music artist known professionally as Eddy Raven. Known for his Cajun-influenced country music, Raven has been a recording artist since 1962... ) |
Over the Line |