( KLFY )– Well-known Cajun musician and songwriter Johnny Sonnier, also known as the “The Chere Alice Man” , was hospitalized after an accident May 24, and now, he’s in need of help during his recovery journey.

Sonnier ended up trapped and pinned down underneath a car he was working on after a ramp that was holding the vehicle moved. After passing out under the vehicle, between the tire and running boards, Sonnier was pulled out.

Known for his remake of the Charlie Daniel’s song ” The Devil Went Down to New Iberia”, the 64-year-old singer plays the diatonic accordion, drums and steel guitar, and even builds accordions for a living. His song ” Chere Alice” was  the number 1 song of the year on KBON 101.1 Radio.

Sonnier fell in love with Cajun music at an early age, eventually getting his first set of makeshift drums at the age of 9. Sonnier was determined to take music seriously, especially selling fruits on the corner of Opelousas to buy his first set of drums valued at $100. Growing up, Sonnier learned to play every instrument, ultimately developing a special love for the accordion.

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Sonnier started playing with Gordon Lalonde as a drummer at the age of 13, and he got the opportunity to play the accordion during some of the sets, leading to him forming his band “Cajun Fugitive.” After hustling to make a 189-mile commute every weekend to perform with band after relocating to Mississippi, Sonnier came home and started playing with Howard Noel and the Cajun Ramblers.

In 1988, Sonnier formed Cajun Heritage and released his first album “Tous Les Dimanche Apris Medi”, which proved to be a huge success for the artist; he shared his second album, “Oh! Pour Les Memoirs”, with the world in 1990. Sonnier continues to keep his authentic and original music style, while always looking for ways to innovate the genre and keep it alive. The Opelousas-native currently resides in Scott with his wife of 41 years, Winnie Sonnier.

Sonnier remains in the hospital with broken ribs, a broken nose, a broken cheekbone and now pneumonia; he’s also on oxygen with fluid buildup in his lungs and cannot currently move his right arm and shoulder. According to his wife, Sonnier has a long road of recovery ahead of him and won’t be able to work on making accordions or do just about anything since he will be in pain for a while.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help Sonnier while he’s focusing on his health.

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