Initially 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 by the late 1980s, he continued recording music releasing more than thirty albums primarily on independent labels.
Sonnier was born to French-speaking sharecroppers in Rayne, Louisiana. 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. 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 Ten on the country charts.
In the 1990s, Sonnier moved to Capitol Records, but his solo career faltered soon afterwards. 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, he was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
On 8 February 2015, Sonnier won a Grammy Award for Best Regional Roots Music Album.
Evangeline Special
Jo-El Sonnier Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tout partout y'où moi j'étais, pour te ‘joindre ma jolie cœur
Hé-y-yaille, la promesse tu m'avais fait
Elle a mieux aimé m'tourner l'dos, s'en aller en rejoindre un autre
Oh ‘tite fille, rappelle toi tout partout
Ton papa y'après s'en venir, viens me ‘joindre à la maison
Hé-y-yaille, Lui l'à venu, m'voulu cher
Solo
Hey ‘tite fille, rappelle toi moi j'connais
Moi j'après te dire asteure, la parole j'voulais pas t'dire
Hé-y-yaille, si tu m'aime mais blâme moi pas
Si les autres t'après donner, les conseils écoute les pas!
The lyrics to Jo-El Sonnier's song "Evangeline Special" are in Cajun French, a dialect spoken in Louisiana. The song tells the story of a man who is trying to reconnect with his lover (referred to as "ma jolie cœur" or "my pretty heart") after she left him for someone else. The man pleads with her to remember the promise she made to him and reminds her that her father is coming to take her home. He also apologizes for not telling her something he wanted to say and warns her not to listen to the advice of others if they give it regarding their relationship.
The lyrics are filled with emotion and a sense of nostalgia, as the man reflects on the past and tries to reconcile with his lost love. The use of colloquial language and regional dialect adds to the authenticity and charm of the song, giving it a unique and distinctive character.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh toi ti monde, moi j'connais hier au soir
Oh everyone, I know what happened last night
Tout partout y'où moi j'étais, pour te ‘joindre ma jolie cœur
Everywhere I was, trying to reach you, my pretty heart
Hé-y-yaille, la promesse tu m'avais fait
Oh my, the promise you made me
Elle a mieux aimé m'tourner l'dos, s'en aller en rejoindre un autre
You preferred to turn your back on me and go join someone else
Oh ‘tite fille, rappelle toi tout partout
Oh little girl, remember everything
Ton papa y'après s'en venir, viens me ‘joindre à la maison
Your father is coming, come join me at home
Hé-y-yaille, Lui l'à venu, m'voulu cher
Oh my, he came looking for me
pour m'demander d'me dire pardons, il connais il avait mal fait
To ask me to forgive him, he knows he did wrong
Hey ‘tite fille, rappelle toi moi j'connais
Hey little girl, remember I know
Moi j'après te dire asteure, la parole j'voulais pas t'dire
I'm going to tell you now, the words I didn't want to say
Hé-y-yaille, si tu m'aime mais blâme moi pas
Oh my, if you love me, don't blame me
Si les autres t'après donner, les conseils écoute les pas!
If others give you advice, don't listen to them!
Contributed by Cameron W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jonijenkins8006
Just saw the news of the passing of Jo - el due to a heart attack after performing. My heart is broken.The legacy he left behind,and what he did for Cajun and country music will never be forgotten. Godspeed Jo - el.
@setdrift
This cuts to the bone. The fact that Johnny Cash said he was his favorite musician is all you need to know...
@juliebrtek4506
I never knew this , sad breaking news. God Bless him up in heaven now
@eboooo
RIP to this man i dont speak even a goshdarn word of Cajun French but i love his passion
@dntamuu76
Rest in peace , Jo-El Sonnier. Great man, great music. He will be missed.
@JHargis68
RIP Jo-El Sonnier †.
@bikkk57
This video has brought me a lot of joy over the years! Rest in Peace, Jo-El
@calfan4life
Rest in Peace. No one will ever play like you again.
@hank6887
Opelousas child here, proud of my cajun heritage and love the music , reminds me of my younger days, crawl fish on the picnic tables was good times for sho .
@walters6628
No one sings Cajun like Jo El Sonnier.