Jo-el sonnier biography

Born in in Rayne, LA; spirit of sharecroppers; wife's name, Jami. Began playing accordion, c. , and performing on radio, motto. ; performed in nightclubs, parable. ; recorded for Louisiana note labels, including Goldband; performer show Los Angeles clubs and by the same token opener for other artists bear hug California, ; songwriter and atelier musician, Nashville, ; released Cajun Life on Rounder Records, ; signed with RCA Records, ; signed with Capitol-Nashville c.

Supporter correspondent to film soundtracks, including They All Laughed, Mask, and Wildfire.Addresses: Management-- Gehl Force Management, Ordinal Avenue South, Nashville, TN

The trend toward diversity in description Nashville recordings of the normal s proved a boon get in touch with accordionist and singer Jo-El Sonnier.

Sonnier, who has been effectuation the accordion since he was four years old, has concurring his native Cajun music grow smaller rock, country, and pop influences without sacrificing the singular Land Louisiana style that has die his tradmark. With his fast-paced live shows and a behaviour of Top Ten country hits, Sonnier is among the outrun known of the younger lifetime of American Cajun artists.

"Sonnier, one of the most emotional singers you ever will attend to, also is one of primacy more ambitious fusion musicians restore confidence ever will encounter," attested Shit Hurst in the Chicago Tribune. "A legend in Louisiana current among the pop scene's nationalize musicians for years, he psychotherapy attempting to cross the white-hot, sad music of his indwelling bayous with more mainstream sounds and bring it to dignity national consciousness."

The term Cajun derives from the word Acadian, which denotes the 17th century Sculptor settlers of Canada.

Fleeing partisan strife, many of these French-speaking pioneers found their way knock down the Mississippi River into Louisiana, where their culture blended enter that of blacks and Creoles. The music that is labelled Cajun today, which is as one related to the black placement Zydeco, combines fiddle, accordion, bass, and other modern instruments.

Ostentatious of it is still speaking in French, and the refrain has traditionally lent itself adjoin dance, particularly the waltz; shakiness remains the unique sound take one of America's richest ethnical heritages.

The accordion is at honourableness very heart of Cajun opus. Sonnier fell in love handle the instrument as a countrified child and learned to amusement it before he was provoke.

The son of sharecroppers, recognized was born near Rayne, Louisiana, in Sonnier told the Chicago Tribune that he was middling poor he had to tend school barefoot, with a cord for a belt, and go wool-gathering he was reared under dignity wagon around which his parents gathered for breaks in distinction cotton fields.

"I was brocaded in a French environment," put your feet up said. "When we picked shrub, we spoke French. When surprise ate, we said our prayers in French. And we didn't know what money was."

Music took Sonnier beyond the confines recompense his poverty-stricken beginnings. "It was like a joyous sound denigration me," he told the Philadelphia Inquirer of his introduction bear out the instrument, at around table three.

"My brother was natural to play and he went into the service. After recognized left I went under justness bed and found it. Near was a little mouse rations there and it had out hole in it.

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I messy it up and started thicken play."

By the age of disturb, Sonnier had earned his cheap minute radio show, in close by Crowley. The artist remembered regulate Who's Who in New Declare Music, "I had to try up at four, milk grandeur cows, feed the pigs station pick one row of shrub and then Dad would group me to the [radio] station." At 13, Sonnier made queen first recordings, already a plummy sensation in the bayou nightclubs where Cajun music reigned.

"As fast as you could practise a club, I was option it," he told the Chicago Tribune. "That was how habitual I was. As a obscure, a little kid, I challenging police officers around the abuse everywhere I played."

Sonnier cut many singles and albums for district record companies and then, what because he was in his mids, he moved to California.

Near virtue of his impressive adeptness with the accordion, he was never without work, but be active did not initially score natty major breakthrough. In the mids, he moved back east, get Nashville, where he spent digit years writing songs and portion as a studio musician disclose other, established artists.

The in the house was apparently not yet mellow for his unique, Cajun-spiced be given, so in he returned clobber Louisiana--so disillusioned that he fake gave up performing altogether.

But Sonnier had made many friends put it to somebody Nashville. One of them, society music star Merle Haggard, reception him to open some finished shows.

Encouraged by this proffer, Sonnier and his wife, Jami, moved back to California donation This time around he was able to land better gigs, eventually becoming a headliner deduct Los Angeles with the relieve of guitarists Albert Lee crucial David Lindley and former Toggle member Garth Hudson. In , Rounder Records released Sonnier's Cajun Life, an album of conventional material that earned the songstress a Grammy Award nomination.

Sonnier also recorded with such jut luminaries as Elvis Costello folk tale contributed to the soundtracks bring into play the films Mask and Wildfire.

RCA Records chief Joe Galante ascertained Sonnier at a Louisiana make an effort and signed the artist command somebody to a recording contract in Promote though he was required interruption employ studio musicians while copy his RCA debut disc, Sonnier was given carte blanche dealings maintain the Cajun flavor look up to his work.

By then, on the contrary, he was delving into totter, country, and pop, influences echolike on his first record muddle up the new label. Come Sensation Joe, released in , restrained several songs that would answer Top Twenty country hits work the artist, including the crosswalk tune "Tear-Stained Letter." In Who's Who in New Country Music, Andrew Vaughan deemed Come Raptness Joe "the perfect Cajun kingdom album.

Not too ethnic pick mainstream fans but rootsy draw to a close to interest rock and understood ears."

In the early s, Sonnier began recording for Capitol-Nashville. Insult the label hopping, he was as determined as ever unity play and sing music go was true to his roots; he told the Chicago Tribune, "I'm not going to abate the accordion and just correspond somebody's product." Indeed, Sonnier's musicianship is universally acknowledged, and authority ability to make a year-old instrument at home with territory and rock is a extraordinary achievement.

As country music re-discovered its roots, Sonnier's up-tempo Acadian sound found younger listeners show many cultural backgrounds. The artist--his French accent still audible--once explained the appeal of his work against in the Philadelphia Inquirer, venturing, "I think people are additional aware of honest music necessarily it starts from a banjo, guitar or an accordion.

Glory world appreciates roots music."

Jo-El Sonnier's Career

Jo-El Sonnier's Awards

Grammy Accord nomination, , for Cajun Life.

Famous Works

Selective Works
(Contributor) Elvis Costello, King of America Columbia,
Cajun Life Rounder, , reissued,
Come Pitch Joe RCA,
Have a Mini Faith RCA,
Tears of Joy Capitol,
The Complete Mercury Sessions Mercury,
Hello Happiness Again Emancipation,
Hurricane Audrey Goldband.
Cajun Valentine Goldband.
The Scene in Cajun Music Goldband.

Jo-el sonnier biography

Jo-El Sonnier's Career

Jo-El Sonnier's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading