Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose

Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose was a family soul singing group from Dania Beach, Florida, that attained brief popularity in the early 1970s. The original members were the siblings Carter Cornelius, Eddie Cornelius, and Rose Cornelius. Another sister, Billie Jo Cornelius, was added later. The surviving members of the group recently^[when?] launched a multimillion dollar law suit against Capitol Records. They are still awaiting the resolution to this law suit.

Group career

The group hit the pop chart in 1971, with the single "Treat Her Like a Lady" (U.S. R&B Top 20, Billboard Hot 100 #3). The record was awarded a gold disc on 2 August 1971 for one million sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)^[1] The act succeeded again in 1972 with "Too Late to Turn Back Now" (U.S. R&B #5, Hot 100 #2); both songs were written by Eddie Cornelius.^[1] This also sold over one million copies with a gold disc awarded in August 1972.^[1]

While the group failed to find any further success on the scale of their first two singles, two releases, "Don't Ever Be Lonely" and "I'm Never Gonna Be Alone Anymore" reached the Billboard Top 40. Their final charting single was "Since I Found My Baby" in 1974, from their third and last album. Their records were all produced by Bob Archibald at the Music Factory in Miami.

Later careers

The group broke up in 1976 when Carter Cornelius joined a black Hebrew sect in Miami and adopted the name Prince Gideon Israel. He wrote, recorded, and mixed the sect's music and videos for the next 15 years. He died on November 7, 1991 as the result of a heart attack at the age of 43. Eddie Cornelius became a born-again Christian and later an ordained pastor. He still continues to sing, produce, and write music that reflects his faith in God.

Rose Cornelius appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in June 1967, and performed in Las Vegas and worldwide before joining her brothers. She came home to form CB&SR with her brothers at her mother's request. Rose Cornelius wrote most of the CB&SR background vocals. In 1970, she toured with another group called the Gospel Jazz Singers. She is working and living in Port Saint Lucie, Florida, and still performs with many groups.

Discography

Albums

Year	Album	Peak chart positions
		US 200	US R&B
July 1972	Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose	29	12
December 1973	Big Time Lover	—	32
March 1976	Greatest Hits	—	60

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions			Album
		US HOT	US R&B	US AC
1971	"Treat Her Like a Lady"	3	20	—	Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose
1972	"Too Late to Turn Back Now"	2	5	6
	Don't Ever Be Lonely (A Poor Little Fool Like Me)	23	28	27
	I'm Never Gonna Be Alone Anymore	37	43	10
1973	Let Me Down Easy	96	—	—
	I Just Can't Stop Loving You	104	79	—	Big Time Lover
1974	Big Time Lover	—	88	—
	Since I Found My Baby	—	59	—	Greatest Hits
	Got To Testify (Love)**	—	—	—

• • NOTE: Got To Testify (Love) reached #15 on the US Dance chart.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. pp. 291 and310. ISBN 0-214-20512-6. 

2. Whitburn, Joel (2011). Record Research Online Database. "Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose" Billboard Chart Discography. Retrieved March 17, 2011.

External links

• Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose page on oldies.com
• Eddie Cornelius website
• Eddie Cornelius at MySpace
• Eddie Cornelius interview with radio host Rob Schilling of The Schilling Show, April 18, 2011