Helen Cornelius
Cornelius in 2012
Background information
Birth name	Helen Lorene Johnson
Born	(1941-12-06)December 6, 1941 (age 83)
Origin	Monroe City, Missouri
Genres	Country
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1975–present
Labels	Dot RCA Victor MCA

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

Helen Cornelius was born inMonroe 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 ademo tape toJerry Crutchfield, who offered her a contract withMCA Records; eventually she signed withColumbia Records, with whom she released two singles. In 1975, she signed withRCA Records; two further singles followed with little recognition.^[2]

In 1976, she recorded a duet, "I Don't Want to Have to Marry You" withJim 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 withThe Statler Brothers and performing in anAnnie Get Your Gun road show.^[2] In 1988, she and Brown reunited for a nationwide tour.^[2]

Cornelius opened Nashville South inGatlinburg, 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 inBranson, Missouri. Most recently, Cornelius has been an active participant in theCountry's Family Reunion series, which airs onRFD-TV.

• 1941 births
• American women country singers
• American country singer-songwriters
• Living people
• Singer-songwriters from Missouri
• Country musicians from Missouri
• People from Monroe City, Missouri
• 21st-century American women

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