Helen Cornelius has died. The country music legend died the morning of July 18, according to a post by her official fan page. She was 83.
Cornelius was born on December 6, 1941, to Joseph and Lu Elsie Johnson. She and her seven siblings grew up on a farm in Missouri, according to her official biography.
Cornelius made her music debut at age 5 and went on to win several talent contests. Professionally, it was Cornelius’ songwriting that first got her noticed. Artists including The Oak Ridge Boys and Reba McEntire recorded her songs.
In 1975, Cornelius signed her first major recording contract with RCA Records. She is best known for her duets with Jim Ed Brown.
The pair even won the CMA Award for Vocal Duo of the Year in 1977, following the success of their No. 1 hit, “I Don’t Want to Have to Marry You.”
Two years later, the duo was nominated for a GRAMMY Award in the Best Country Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group for their song, “If the World Ran Out of Love Tonight.”
Helen Cornelius’ Country Music Career
Cornelius appeared on Brown’s radio show for four years. She was also a regular on
Nashville On The Road, a syndicated television program.
Cornelius set off on her own in 1980 with her band, Southern Spirit. During her career, she toured with country stars including Conway Twitty and The Statler Brothers.
In 1991, Cornelius opened a dinner theater in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. She performed there nightly for five years.
“I loved getting to sing different songs each night, take requests, and do such a variety of music,” she once said. “I also loved hiking the mountains and becoming a part of the beautiful Smoky Mountains.”
Cornelius, who was inducted into the Missouri Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005, continued touring through the early 2000s.
“Belief in oneself is probably the most important ingredient to success that there is, because if you believe in yourself, then nothing is gonna knock you down,” she once said. “… I feel so blessed to be able to make a living doing something I love so much.”
Photo by fhm via Getty Images
