Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose was an R&B group from Dania Beach, Florida that consisted of siblings Carter (born on October 5, 1948), Eddie, Rose and Billie Jo Cornelius. The group formed in 1970 and their childhood friend, Cleveland E. Barrett was an original member of the group, but he was killed in a car accident before their chart success.
Prior to the group’s success, Rose had appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in June of 1967 and had been performing in Las Vegas, Nevada and worldwide, touring with a group in 1970 called the Gospel Jazz Singers. Rose returned home to Florida at her mother’s request to help form the group.
In 1971, Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose released their debut single, “Treat Her Like a Lady” which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #20 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 8 weeks. The song was certified Gold by the RIAA in August of that same year.
In July of 1972, the group released their self-titled debut album which peaked at #29 on the Billboard 200 and #12 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
Their follow-up single, “Too Late to Turn Back Now” peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart (staying on the chart for 13 weeks), making it their only highest-charting song to date.
It also peaked at #6 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart and sold over one million copies and was certified Gold a month later in August of 1972.
The third single from the album, “Don’t Ever Be Lonely (A Poor Little Fool Like Me)” peaked at #23 on the Billboard Hot 100, #28 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart (staying on the chart for 7 weeks) and #27 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart.
The last single released from the album, “I’m Never Gonna Be Alone Anymore” peaked at #37 on the Billboard Hot 100, #10 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart and #43 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart (staying on the chart for 3 weeks).
In 1973, Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose released their follow-up and last album, “Big Time Lover” which peaked at #32 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The lead single from the album, “Let Me Down Easy” peaked at #96 on the Billboard Hot 100, but failed to make the R&B charts. The follow-up single “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” peaked at #79 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart (staying on the chart for 5 weeks) and #4 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
The title song managed to peak at #88 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 4 weeks, but missed the Hot 100.
In 1974, the group released the single, “Since I Found My Baby” which peaked at #59 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 10 weeks, making it their last single to make the music charts.
In 1976, the group disbanded after Carter Cornelius joined a Black Hebrew sect called the Nation of Yahweh in Miami, Florida and changed his name to Prince Gideon Israel. During that same year, their greatest hits compliation album was released; the album peaked at #60 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
Carter built a recording studio where he wrote, recorded and mixed the music & videos for the Nation of Yahweh. On November 7, 1991, he died of a heart attack at the age of 43; according to his sister, Billie, Carter was working on a comeback song at the time of his death.
During the ’80s, Eddie Cornelius released two solo albums for the Audiograph record label. In later years, he became an ordained pastor and started the Blood of Lamb ministries church in South Florida in 1995; the church has since then relocated to the Metro Atlanta area.
In January of 2001, the surviving members of the group filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Capitol Records which was dismissed without prejudice three years later due to want of prosecution (which means that the plantiffs didn’t actively pursue the case).
According to research, it seems as if Rose Cornelius is still active in the music business as a solo artist. She currently resides in the Brevard County area in Florida, performing from time to time. In 2012, she released the album, “Everybody” (which is available on CD Baby).
It’s unknown what Billie Jo Cornelius is up to these days and it appears as if she has faded into obscurity.
To see a video for “Treat Her Like a Lady,” go to:
To see a video for “Too Late To Turn Back Now,” go to:
To see a video for “Don’t Ever Be Lonely (A Poor Little Fool Like Me)”, go to:
To see a video for “I’m Never Gonna Be Alone Anymore”, go to:
To see a video for “Let Me Down Easy”, go to:
To see a video for “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”, go to:
To see a video for “Big Time Lover,” go to:
To see a video for “Since I Found My Baby,” go to:
rareandobscuremusic 