Festivals Acadiens discussion to celebrate spirit of Jo-El Sonnier: ‘Let’s try to do good’

I’ll never forget the Facebook message from David Faulk last January. It was one of those late-night surprises that I looked at three times to make sure I was reading it right.

Cajun music legend Jo-El Sonnier had died unexpectedly. I replied, “What??? No way! Was he sick?”

Faulk said Sonnier suffered a heart attack after a show in east Texas.

“I had to tell someone…,” Faulk said. “What a sweet man.”

Years earlier, Faulk connected me with this “sweet man” for an interview. Jo-El was quite a story, a French-speaking sharecropper from Rayne who became a Cajun accordion wizard and Top 10 country artist with “No More One More Time” and “Tear-Stained Letter.” “Come on Joe,” the 1987 album that gave birth to those hits, rose to No. 17 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

Jo-El became a friend who called me out of the blue for long conversations about music and people. He genuinely cared about both, with a near-childlike enthusiasm.

I was never sure how to take that quirky side of Jo-El. I really saw it when I invited him to be a guest on my old “Bayou Boogie” radio show on KRVS.

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I told him the show was only an hour. We might play four or five songs, but I wanted us to talk the rest of the time.

But he showed up, with his wife Bobbye, with two arms full of CDs. I reminded him about the song limit, yet he kept picking songs for us to play.

Even Mrs. Bobbye looked perplexed as my mind whispered, “What have I gotten myself into?”

But when the show started, a light bulb came on. Jo-El was informative, entertaining, funny, gracious and proud of his music and friendships with Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and other Nashville legends.

Our talk became my most popular show. Years later, people commented about it, even asked if I had a recording.

During a 2017 interview, Jo-El revealed the reason for his sometimes-eccentric behavior. He had Asperger syndrome,a developmental disorder that is on the autism spectrum. It can cause repetitive behavior, communication problems and social struggles.

Jo-El told his story in a children’s book,” The Little Boy Under the Wagon,” written by his sister-in-law, Shirley Strange-Allen. Sonnier recounted the ridicule he faced on his first day of school. He couldn’t speak English.

Jo-El’s mother, Eunice, gave him an accordion, which became his escape. At the age of 13, he recorded “Tes Yeux Bleu,” or “Little Blue Eyes,” a song he made up during the ride to a recording session in Ville Platte. A life of music and fame followed.

I’m privileged to moderate “The Legacy of Jo-El Sonnier,” a panel discussion that’s part of the 50th anniversary of Festivals Acadiens et Creoles at Girard Park in Lafayette. The session is set for 3:45 p.m. Oct. 13 at Scene Atelier.

We’ll get to celebrate Jo-El’s final words from our interview about his book.

“You want to leave something good behind and let somebody embrace that. When you’re gone, that’s it.

“One day, we won’t be here. While we are here, let’s try to do good.”

Herman Fuselier is executive director of the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission. A longtime journalist covering Louisiana music and culture, he lives in Opelousas. His “Zydeco Stomp” show airs at noon Saturdays on KRVS 88.7 FM.