01/15/2024
RIP
Love
Cory
The Mamou Cajun Music Festival association is shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of Cajun and Country music legend, Jo-El Sonnier. Mr. Jo-El had been in contact with our president several times over the past few months, with plans to play at our festival in the coming years. They had many great conversations, as Jo-El excitedly spoke of the collaborations he would present while on stage.
Jo-El Sonnier was born to French-speaking sharecroppers in Rayne, Louisiana, United States. 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. 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 10 on the country charts. He also enjoyed hits with “Come On Joe” “I’ve Been Around Enough To Know” and “Raining In My Heart.”
In the 1990s, Sonnier moved to Capitol Records. 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, Sonnier was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Sonnier made a brief cameo appearance as a member of a dance band in the third episode of the first season of the HBO crime series True Detective, which is set in southern Louisiana.
On December 10, 2013, The Legacy was released on Takau Records, and was the first traditional Cajun French album of his in over 13 years. Ten years of songwriting in the making, the 13-track album drew Sonnier his fifth Grammy nomination and won him his first, as the 2015 Regional Roots Music Album of the Year.
Grammy Award winning Cajun and Country Recording Artist Jo-El Sonnier passed away Saturday evening at the age of 77, while on tour in Texas.
“Jo-El Sonnier had just completed an incredible show at the Llano Country Opry in Llano, Texas,” Texas Country Music promoter Tracy Pitcox said. “He had entertained over an hour and ended with his signature ‘Tear Stained Letter’. He received a standing ovation and I asked him to do ‘Jambalaya’ as an encore. He performed a rousing rendition of that classic. Jo-El mentioned that he needed to rest for just a few minutes before signing autographs. Unfortunately, he suffered cardiac arrest and was air flighted to Austin where he was pronounced deceased. It is never easy to lose a legend, but he truly spent his final day doing what he loved-entertaining his fans with his loving wife Bobbye by his side.”
RIP to a great man who has made exemplary contributions to Cajun and Country music.
