Helen Cornelius

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Helen Cornelius
Helen Cornelius.jpg
Cornelius in 2012
Background information
Birth nameHelen Lorene Johnson
Born (1941-12-06) December 6, 1941 (age 81)
Origin Monroe City, Missouri
Genres Country
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Years active1975–present
Labels Dot
RCA Victor
MCA

Helen Cornelius (born Helen Lorene Johnson; December 6, 1941) [1] is an American country singer-songwriter, best remembered for a series of hit duets with Jim Ed Brown, many of which reached the U.S. country singles top ten during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Contents

Biography

Helen Cornelius was born in Monroe City, Missouri, [2] and was raised on a farm nearby. Her older brothers played in country bands, and she formed a singing trio with sisters Judy and Sharon. [2] Together they toured locally with the blessing of their father. [2] Subsequently, Helen began touring on her own with a backup band called The Crossroads. [2]

After completing high school, Cornelius wed and became employed as a secretary. [2] She began touring again at the end of the 1960s and signed with Screen Gems Music as a songwriter in 1970. [2] When the company went under, she sent a demo tape to Jerry Crutchfield, who offered her a contract with MCA Records; eventually she signed with Columbia Records, with whom she released two singles. In 1975, she signed with RCA Records; two further singles followed with little recognition. [2]

In 1976, she recorded a duet, "I Don't Want to Have to Marry You" with Jim Ed Brown; [1] it was a major success in America. [2] Further solo singles failed to take off, but her next duet with Brown, "Saying Hello, Saying I Love You, Saying Goodbye", was another smash, and the pair began playing on the TV show, Nashville on the Road. [2] She continued to record with Brown, releasing the hits "I'll Never Be Free", "If the World Ran Out of Love Tonight", "Don't Bother to Knock", "Lying in Love with You", and finally notching a solo hit with "Whatcha Doin' After Midnight Baby". [2] In 1981, after topping the U.S. country charts one last time with Brown with "Morning Comes too Early", Cornelius separated with Brown, and enjoyed moderate success as a solo artist, touring with The Statler Brothers and performing in an Annie Get Your Gun road show. [2] In 1988, she and Brown reunited for a nationwide tour. [2]

Cornelius opened Nashville South in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in the 1990s, where she performed with a house band nightly. [2] Early in the 2000s, she took a regular gig at the Jim Stafford Theater in Branson, Missouri. Most recently, Cornelius has been an active participant in the Country's Family Reunion series, which airs on RFD-TV.

Discography

Albums

YearAlbumLabel
1985Helen CorneliusDot

Albums with Jim Ed Brown

YearAlbumChart PositionsLabel
US Country CAN Country
1976I Don't Want to Have to Marry You7RCA Victor
1977Born Believer17
1978I'll Never Be Free29
1979You Don't Bring Me Flowers202
1980One Man, One Woman35
1981Greatest Hits47

Singles

YearSingleChart PositionsAlbum
US Country CAN Country
1976"There's Always a Goodbye"91I Don't Want to Have to Marry You
1978"Whatcha Doin' After Midnight, Baby"3068Singles only
1979"It Started with a Smile"68
1981"Love Never Comes Easy"4240
1983"If Your Heart's a Rollin' Stone"70

Singles with Jim Ed Brown

YearSingleChart PositionsAlbum
US CountryCAN Country
1976"I Don't Want to Have to Marry You"17I Don't Want to Have to Marry You
"Saying Hello, Saying I Love You, Saying Goodbye"21
1977"Born Believer"128Born Believer
"If It Ain't Love by Now"1218
"Fall Softly Snow"91Single only
1978"I'll Never Be Free"1127I'll Never Be Free
"If the World Ran Out of Love Tonight"67You Don't Bring Me Flowers
"You Don't Bring Me Flowers"108
1979"Lying in Love with You"23
"Fools"314One Man, One Woman
1980"Morning Comes Too Early"546
"The Bedroom"2426Greatest Hits
1981"Don't Bother to Knock"1348

Music videos

YearVideo
1990"Ask Any Woman"

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References

  1. 1 2 Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Country Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 95/6. ISBN   0-85112-726-6.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Helen Cornelius | Biography & History". AllMusic . Retrieved August 5, 2021.