Helen grew up on a farm in Missouri, where she listened to The Grand Ole Opry and sang with her sisters. Since her musical debut at the age of five, HELEN has won numerous talent contests, including three winning appearances on The Ted Mack Amateur Hour in 1970.
While it was her writing that first won her major credibility, it was the voice that RCA Record executives heard that won HELEN CORNELIUS her first major recording contract in 1975. With it, history was about to be made.
HELEN’S teaming on record with Jim Ed Brown was further crowned with success by her individual nomination as "Most Promising Female vocalist" by Music City News in 1977. Following this win, the West Coast based Academy of Country Music gave her their prestigious nod in the "Best New Female Vocalist" category. Also in 1977, Jim Ed Brown and HELEN CORNELIUS won the coveted CMA Award for "Vocal Duo Of The Year", Single Of The Year", and "Album Of The Year".
For four and a half years HELEN was an integral part of the Jim Ed Brown Show, and was seen weekly by seven million viewers as a regular on the Nashville On The Road syndicated television shows.
But there was always the desire to do more than just stand in front of a microphone and sing her half of a duet. She was capable of much more, and anyone who has seen her perform lately knows just how much!
October 1980 HELEN assembled a five piece band and immediately began touring with Conway Twitty for the next year and a half. HELEN and her band, Southern Spirit, toured year round and developed a reputation as one of the most dependable acts in the business.
January 1984 HELEN played the lead in a road show revival of Irving Berlin’s "Annie Get Your Gun".
On the heels of closing in "Annie Get Your Gun", HELEN shifted gears to tour with The Statler Brothers on their sellout concert series for the next two years along with the demands of her own individual concert dates.
March 1998, two sold-out performances for the much heralded re-teaming in concert of Jim Ed Brown and HELEN CORNELIUS in a flurry of media attention, country music’s award winning duo launched a reunion tour that emblazoned a clear message... Brown and CORNELIUS still possessed that certain magic to ignite a song and an audience when they walked on-stage together.
In 1991, ready for a new challenge HELEN opened a dinner theater in Gatlinburg, TN. She performed nightly at "Nashville South" through December 1996.
In 1997, HELEN joined with Jim Ed Brown to perform in the Eagle Mountain Theater In Pigeon Forge, TN., along with Con Hunley.
HELEN performed in Branson, MO at the 76 Music Hall with the Grand Ladies of Country Music show until May of 2003. At that time, HELEN began
accepting road dates and started touring the country again.
HELEN continues to perform with Jim Ed Brown periodically on the Grand Ole Opry, as well as county and state fairs, in addition to her own solo appearances. "I feel so blessed to be able to make a living doing something I love so much".
In May of 2005, HELEN was honored by the State of Missouri when she was inducted into the Missouri Country Music Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Springfield, MO.
With her present day country music honors and accomplishments, many feel HELEN has done as much as Mark Twain to put their mutual hometown of Hannibal, MO in the mental map of America!
Just stopping by to say hi and send words of encouragement. Hope that all is going well and your weekend is the best ever!
Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities...always see them, for they're always there. ~Norman Vincent Peale~
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