Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose


Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose was a family soul singing group from Dania Beach, Florida, that was formed in 1970 and gained popularity in the early 1970s. It was composed of siblings Carter Cornelius, Eddie Cornelius, and Rose Cornelius, who were joined by sister Billie Jo Cornelius in 1972. Cleveland E. Barrett, an original member of the group, was killed in a car accident before their chart success.

Group career

Rose Cornelius had already appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in June 1967 and had been performing in Las Vegas and worldwide, touring in 1970 with a group called the Gospel Jazz Singers. She went home to Florida at her mother's request to help form the group. Rose wrote most of the background vocals while Eddie wrote most of the songs.
The group hit the pop chart in 1971 with the single "Treat Her Like a Lady". The record was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on 2 August 1971.

The act succeeded again in 1972 with "Too Late to Turn Back Now" ; both songs were written by Eddie Cornelius. This also sold over one million copies with a gold disc awarded in August 1972.
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 disbanded 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 of a heart attack on November 7, 1991.
Eddie Cornelius became a born-again Christian and later an ordained pastor who continued to sing, produce, and write music.
In June 2020, Eddie released an inspirational and revealing memoir book on Amazon titled It's Not Too Late To Turn Back Now .
On January 19, 2001, the surviving members of the group filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Capitol Records, Cornelius v. EMI Music, Inc., Case No. 2001-1350 CA-01, in the Miami Dade Circuit Court. The suit was dismissed without prejudice three years later for want of prosecution, meaning that the plaintiffs did not actively pursue the case.

Discography

Albums

Singles

**NOTE: "Got to Testify " reached #15 on the US Dance chart.