Jo-El Sonnier
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| Jo-El Sonnier | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Joel Sonnier |
| Born | October 2, 1946 |
| Origin | Rayne, Louisiana, United States |
| Genre(s) | Country, Cajun |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals Accordion Guitar Harmonica |
| Years active | 1967-present |
| Label(s) | Goldband Mercury Rounder RCA Capitol Liberty Musique de Jo-El |
| Associated acts | Eddy Raven Beausoleil |
| Website | http://www.jo-elsonnier.com/ |
Jo-El Sonnier (IPA: /dʒoʊˌɛl sɒnˈjeɪ/) (born October 2, 1946 in Rayne, Louisiana) 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 U.S. 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 "Tear Stained Letter". Although his chart success waned by the late 1980s, he has continued recording music. To date, he has recorded more than twenty albums, primarily on independent labels.
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[edit] Biography
Sonnier was born to French-speaking sharecroppers in Rayne, Louisiana.[1] 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.[2][3] He also released several independent singles and four albums as a teenager.[2] 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.[1] Although his independent album did not produce much commercial success, it was nominated for a Grammy.[2] 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 success came in a cover of British singer Richard Thompson's "Tear Stained Letter".[2][3]
In the 1990s, Sonnier moved to Capitol Records, but his solo career faltered soon afterwards.[3] He did, however, find success as a session musician, and briefly took up acting as well.[2][4] 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.[2]
[edit] Albums
- Hurricane Audry (1967, Goldband Records)
- The Scene Today In Cajun Music (1968, Goldband Records)
- The Cajun Valentino (1969, Goldband Records)
- Cajun Life (1980, Rounder Records)
- Come On Joe (1987, RCA Records)
- Right Next Door To Texas (1989, Goldband Records)
- The Cajun Troubadour (1989, Goldband Records)
- Have A Little Faith (1990, RCA Records)
- Tears of Joy (1991, Capitol Records)
- Hello Happiness Again (1992, Liberty Records)
- Complete Mercury Session (1992, Mercury Nashville Records)
- Cajun Roots (1994, Rounder Records)
- Cajun Kids (1995, Little Morganville Records)
- Live in Canada (1996, Stony Plain Records)
- Cookin Cajun (1996, KTEL Records)
- Cajun Young Blood (1997, Ace Records)
- Cajun Pride (1997, Rounder Records)
- Here to Stay (1998, Intersound Country)
- Cajun Memories (1998, Green Hill Music Records)
- Cajun Blood (1999, Musique de' Jo-El)
- Cajun Tradition (2000, Green Hill Music Records)
- The L.A. Sessions (2001, Musique de' Jo-El)
- Yesterdays with Jo-El Sonnier (2004, Ace Records)
- Cajun Christmas (2004, Green Hill Music Records)
- Cajun Hymns (2004, Green Hill Music Records)
- Cajun Mardis Gras (2004, Green Hill Music Records)
- Back By Request (2005, Musique de' Jo-El)
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | US Country | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | "I've Been Around Enough to Know" | 78 | |
| 1976 | "Always Late (With Your Kisses)" | 99 | |
| 1976 | "He's Still All Over You" | 100 | |
| 1987 | "Come On Joe" | 39 | Come On Joe |
| 1988 | "No More One More Time" | 7 | Come On Joe |
| 1988 | "Tear Stained Letter" | 8 | Come On Joe |
| 1989 | "Rainin' in My Heart" | 35 | |
| 1989 | "(Blue, Blue, Blue) Blue, Blue" | 47 | |
| 1990 | "If Your Heart Should Ever Roll This Way Again" | 24 | Have a Little Faith |
| 1990 | "The Scene of the Crime" | 65 | Have a Little Faith |
| 1998 | "Catahoula" (The Bellamy Brothers w/ Eddy Raven and Jo-El Sonnier) | Over the Line (Bellamy Brothers album) |
