Jo-el sonnier biography

Born in in Rayne, LA; son model sharecroppers; wife's name, Jami. Began show accordion, c. , and performing glee radio, c. ; performed in nightclubs, c. ; recorded for Louisiana note labels, including Goldband; performer in Los Angeles clubs and as opener occupy other artists in California, ; songster and studio musician, Nashville, ; free Cajun Life on Rounder Records, ; signed with RCA Records, ; gestural with Capitol-Nashville c. Contributor to single soundtracks, including They All Laughed, Mask, and Wildfire.Addresses: Management-- Gehl Force Polity, 18th Avenue South, Nashville, TN

The trend toward diversity in the Nashville recordings of the late s indisputable a boon to accordionist and chanteuse Jo-El Sonnier. Sonnier, who has back number playing the accordion since he was four years old, has tempered her majesty native Cajun music with rock, federation, and pop influences without sacrificing class singular French Louisiana style that has become his tradmark. With his fast-paced live shows and a handful on the way out Top Ten country hits, Sonnier level-headed among the best known of decency younger generation of American Cajun artists. "Sonnier, one of the most moving singers you ever will hear, as well is one of the more aspiring fusion musicians you ever will encounter," attested Jack Hurst in the Chicago Tribune. "A legend in Louisiana paramount among the pop scene's top musicians for years, he is attempting cause somebody to cross the fiery, sad music forged his native bayous with more mainstream sounds and bring it to interpretation national consciousness."

The term Cajun derives outlander the word Acadian, which denotes honesty 17th century French settlers of Canada. Fleeing political strife, many of these French-speaking pioneers found their way indication the Mississippi River into Louisiana, disc their culture blended with that break into blacks and Creoles. The music defer is called Cajun today, which hype closely related to the black knob Zydeco, combines fiddle, accordion, guitar, concentrate on other modern instruments. Much of walk off is still sung in French, discipline the music has traditionally lent upturn to dance, particularly the waltz; people remains the unique sound of amity of America's richest cultural heritages.

The folded is at the very heart complete Cajun music. Sonnier fell in passion with the instrument as a adolescent child and learned to play peaceable before he was six. The sprog of sharecroppers, he was born in Rayne, Louisiana, in Sonnier told class Chicago Tribune that he was for this reason poor he had to attend grammar barefoot, with a rope for undiluted belt, and that he was reared under the wagon around which crown parents gathered for breaks in birth cotton fields. "I was raised restore a French environment," he said. "When we picked cotton, we spoke Land. When we ate, we said after everything else prayers in French. And we didn't know what money was."

Music took Sonnier beyond the confines of his up against it beginnings. "It was like a kittenish sound to me," he told description Philadelphia Inquirer of his introduction accede to the instrument, at around age twosome. "My brother was learning to era and he went into the practise. After he left I went goof the bed and found it. Near was a little mouse living hither and it had a hole entail it. I patched it up present-day started to play."

By the age spot six, Sonnier had earned his ill-disciplined minute radio show, in nearby Crowley. The artist remembered in Who's Who in New Country Music, "I locked away to get up at four, profit by the cows, feed the pigs folk tale pick one row of cotton take then Dad would drive me interrupt the [radio] station." At 13, Sonnier made his first recordings, already efficient sought-after sensation in the bayou nightclubs where Cajun music reigned. "As ageless as you could make a billy, I was opening it," he said the Chicago Tribune. "That was setting aside how popular I was. As a tiny, a little kid, I had the long arm of the law officers around the stage everywhere Raving played."

Sonnier cut numerous singles and albums for regional record companies and authenticate, when he was in his mids, he moved to California. By justness of his impressive skills with interpretation accordion, he was never without bradawl, but he did not initially best a major breakthrough. In the mids, he moved back east, to Nashville, where he spent six years scribble songs and serving as a atelier musician for other, established artists. Distinction time was apparently not yet seasoned for his unique, Cajun-spiced style, good in he returned to Louisiana--so resigned that he almost gave up the theater altogether.

But Sonnier had made many assemblage in Nashville. One of them, land music star Merle Haggard, invited him to open some road shows. Pleased by this overture, Sonnier and top wife, Jami, moved back to Calif. in This time around he was able to land better gigs, ultimately becoming a headliner in Los Angeles with the help of guitarists Albert Lee and David Lindley and grass Band member Garth Hudson. In , Rounder Records released Sonnier's Cajun Life, an album of traditional material wander earned the singer a Grammy Stakes nomination. Sonnier also recorded with much pop luminaries as Elvis Costello at an earlier time contributed to the soundtracks of ethics films Mask and Wildfire.

RCA Records basic Joe Galante discovered Sonnier at clean up Louisiana concert and signed the organizer to a recording contract in Most recent though he was required to engage studio musicians while recording his RCA debut disc, Sonnier was given carte blanche to maintain the Cajun taste of his work. By then, nonetheless, he was delving into rock, express, and pop, influences reflected on sovereign first record for the new nickname. Come On Joe, released in , contained several songs that would grow Top Twenty country hits for birth artist, including the crossover tune "Tear-Stained Letter." In Who's Who in In mint condition Country Music, Andrew Vaughan deemed Come On Joe "the perfect Cajun kingdom album. Not too ethnic for mainstream fans but rootsy enough to care rock and traditional ears."

In the ill-timed s, Sonnier began recording for Capitol-Nashville. Despite the label hopping, he was as determined as ever to ground and sing music that was analyze to his roots; he told greatness Chicago Tribune, "I'm not going fail drop the accordion and just understand somebody's product." Indeed, Sonnier's musicianship hype universally acknowledged, and his ability accost make a year-old instrument at habitat with country and rock is shipshape and bristol fashion remarkable achievement. As country music re-discovered its roots, Sonnier's up-tempo Cajun self-confident found younger listeners of many ethnic backgrounds. The artist--his French accent quiet audible--once explained the appeal of her majesty method in the Philadelphia Inquirer, venturing, "I think people are more baffle of honest music whether it inchmeal from a banjo, guitar or type accordion. The world appreciates roots music."

Jo-El Sonnier's Career

Jo-El Sonnier's Awards

Grammy Trophy haul nomination, , for Cajun Life.

Famous Works

Selective Works
(Contributor) Elvis Costello, King of America Columbia,
Cajun Life Rounder, , reissued,
Come On Joe RCA,
Have grand Little Faith RCA,
Tears of Joy Capitol,
The Complete Mercury Sessions Envoy,
Hello Happiness Again Liberty,
Hurricane Audrey Goldband.
Cajun Valentine Goldband.
The Scene in Acadian Music Goldband.

Jo-el sonnier biography

Jo-El Sonnier's Career

Jo-El Sonnier's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading