Cajun and country music singer, songwriter, and accordionist Jo-El Sonnier was
born Joel Sonnier on October 2, 1946. Although he began recording in the 1960s,
he didn’t come to commercial prominence until 1988 when he scored two Top 10
singles in the US and Canada. His musical journey began at the age of three when
he began playing his brother’s accordion. Three years later, he was performing
on the radio and would start his recording career at the age of 11. He issued
his first single, “Bayou Beauf Waltz,” in 1960 but didn’t return to recording
until the late 1960s with albums s...