Jo-El Sonnier

Jo-El Sonnier (; born Joel Sonnier; October 2, 1946 – January 13, 2024) was an American singer-songwriter and accordionist who performed 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 at the beginning of the 1990s, he continued recording music, releasing more than thirty albums primarily on independent labels.

Biography Jo-El Sonnier was born to French-speaking sharecroppers in Rayne, Louisiana, on October 2, 1946. At age three, he began to play his brother's accordion. By age six, Sonnier had performed on the radio; at age 11, he made his first recordings. He also released several independent singles and four albums as a teenager.

On February 8, 2015, Sonnier won a Grammy Award for Best Regional Roots Music Album.

Sonnier died of a heart attack on January 13, 2024, just after a performance at Llano Country Opry in Llano, Texas, where he had played for over an hour and received a standing ovation. His performance ended with his signature "Tear-Stained Letter" and an encore of "Jambalaya". He was 77.

Personal life In 2017, Sonnier self-published a book titled The Little Boy Under the Wagon, in which he revealed that he had been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome.

Discography Albums Year Album Chart Positions Label US Country 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 (with Eddy Raven) — 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 2013 The Legacy — Takau Records "—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

Guest singles Year Single Artist Album 1998 "Catahoula" The Bellamy Brothers (with Eddy Raven) Over the Line

Music videos Year Video Director1988 "Tear-Stained Letter" S. A. Baron "Rainin' in My Heart" Steve Boyle1989 "(Blue, Blue, Blue) Blue, Blue"Jim May "If Your Heart Should Ever Roll This Way Again" 1990 "The Scene of the Crime" 1996 "Fais Do Do" (with Eddy Raven) Bob Whitt 1997 "Sugar Bee" (with Eddy Raven) 1998 "Catahoula" (with The Bellamy Brothers and Eddy Raven) chris rogers

Awards and nominations Grammy Awards 2015 The Legacy Best Regional Roots Music Album Academy of Country Music Awards 1988 Jo-El Sonnier Top New Male Vocalist