Helen Cornelius
Encyclopedia
Helen Cornelius is an American country
singer-songwriter and actress, 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 '80s.
After completing high school
, Cornelius wed and became employed as a secretary
. She began touring again at the end of the 1960s and signed with Screen Gems Music as a songwriter in 1970. 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.
In 1976, she recorded a duet, "I Don't Want to Have to Marry You
" with Jim Ed Brown
; it was a major success in America. 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. 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". 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. In 1988, she and Brown reunited for a nationwide tour.
Cornelius opened Nashville South in Gatlinburg, Tennessee
in the 1990s, where she performed with a house band nightly. Early in the 2000s, she took a regular gig at the Jim Stafford Theater in Branson, Missouri
. Most recently, Cornelius has appeared in the Country's Family Reunion series.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer-songwriter and actress, best remembered for a series of hit duets with Jim Ed Brown
Jim Ed Brown
Jim Ed Brown is an American country music singer who achieved fame in the 1950s with his two sisters as a member of The Browns. He later had a successful solo career from 1965 to 1974, followed by a string of major duet hits with Helen Cornelius through 1981...
, many of which reached the U.S. country singles top ten during the late 1970s and early '80s.
Biography
Cornelius grew up on a farm in Missouri; her older brothers played in country bands, and she formed a singing trio with sisters Judy and Sharon, who toured locally with the blessing of their father. Subsequently, Helen began touring on her own with a backup band called The Crossroads.After completing high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, Cornelius wed and became employed as a secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
. She began touring again at the end of the 1960s and signed with Screen Gems Music as a songwriter in 1970. When the company went under, she sent a demo tape to Jerry Crutchfield, who offered her a contract with MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
; eventually she signed with Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, with whom she released two singles. In 1975, she signed with RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
; two further singles followed with little recognition.
In 1976, she recorded a duet, "I Don't Want to Have to Marry You
I Don't Want to Have to Marry You
" I Don't Want to Have to Marry You is a 1976 single by the duo of Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius. "I Don't Want to Have to Marry You" would be the most successful single for both Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius as both a duo and as solo artists...
" with Jim Ed Brown
Jim Ed Brown
Jim Ed Brown is an American country music singer who achieved fame in the 1950s with his two sisters as a member of The Browns. He later had a successful solo career from 1965 to 1974, followed by a string of major duet hits with Helen Cornelius through 1981...
; it was a major success in America. 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. 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". 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
Annie Get Your Gun (musical)
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley , who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.The 1946 Broadway production...
road show. In 1988, she and Brown reunited for a nationwide tour.
Cornelius opened Nashville South in Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Gatlinburg is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, Gatlinburg had a population of 3,828. The city is a popular vacation resort, as it rests on the border of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park along U.S...
in the 1990s, where she performed with a house band nightly. Early in the 2000s, she took a regular gig at the Jim Stafford Theater in Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
. Most recently, Cornelius has appeared in the Country's Family Reunion series.
Albums
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Helen Cornelius | Dot |
| 1985 | Helen Cornelius | MCA |
Albums with Jim Ed Brown
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | |||
| 1976 | I Don't Want to Have to Marry You | 7 | — | RCA Victor |
| 1977 | Born Believer | 17 | — | |
| 1978 | I'll Never Be Free | 29 | — | |
| 1979 | You Don't Bring Me Flowers | 20 | 2 | |
| 1980 | One Man, One Woman | 35 | — | |
| 1981 | Greatest Hits | 47 | — |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
CAN Country | |||
| 1976 | "There's Always a Goodbye" | 91 | — | I Don't Want to Have to Marry You |
| 1978 | "Whatcha Doin' After Midnight, Baby" | 30 | 68 | Singles only |
| 1979 | "It Started with a Smile" | 68 | — | |
| 1981 | "Love Never Comes Easy" | 42 | 40 | |
| 1983 | "If Your Heart's a Rollin' Stone" | 70 | — |
Singles with Jim Ed Brown
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | |||
| 1976 | "I Don't Want to Have to Marry You I Don't Want to Have to Marry You " I Don't Want to Have to Marry You is a 1976 single by the duo of Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius. "I Don't Want to Have to Marry You" would be the most successful single for both Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius as both a duo and as solo artists... " |
1 | 7 | I Don't Want to Have to Marry You |
| "Saying Hello, Saying I Love You, Saying Goodbye Saying Hello, Saying I Love You, Saying Goodbye "Saying Hello, Saying I Love You, Saying Goodbye" is a single by American country music artists Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius. Released in November 1976, it was the second single from their album I Don't Want to Have to Marry You. The song peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles... " |
2 | 1 | ||
| 1977 | "Born Believer" | 12 | 8 | Born Believer |
| "If It Ain't Love by Now" | 12 | 18 | ||
| "Fall Softly Snow" | 91 | — | Single only | |
| 1978 | "I'll Never Be Free" | 11 | 27 | I'll Never Be Free |
| "If the World Ran Out of Love Tonight" | 6 | 7 | You Don't Bring Me Flowers | |
| "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" | 10 | 8 | ||
| 1979 | "Lying in Love with You" | 2 | 3 | |
| "Fools" | 3 | 14 | One Man, One Woman | |
| 1980 | "Morning Comes Too Early" | 5 | 46 | |
| "The Bedroom" | 24 | 26 | Greatest Hits | |
| 1981 | "Don't Bother to Knock" | 13 | 48 |