Helen Cornelius, a country singer-songwriter best known for the Jim Ed Brown duet “I Don’t Want to Have to Marry You,” was born on this day in Hannibal, Missouri. Cornelius passed away earlier this year on July 18, 2025, at age 83.
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Raised as the second youngest of eight children on a farm outside Monroe City, Missouri, Helen Cornelius taught herself to play piano at a young age. She often performed locally as part of a trio with sisters Judy and Sharon.
Eventually, Cornelius struck out on her own and began touring with a band called the Crossroads. After graduating from high school, she found work as a secretary and married Lewis Cornelius, with whom she had three children. She juggled marriage, motherhood and career with songwriting, mailing her songs to publishers in New York and Nashville. Eventually, she scored a writing deal with ScreenGems in 1970.
Unfortunately, that company folded, but a determined Cornelius sent a tape to Jerry Crutchfield and began working for MCA Music. Later, he helped her land a deal with Columbia Records.
Helen Cornelius Teamed Up With Jim Ed Brown
Initially finding little chart success as a solo artist, Helen Cornelius joined forces with country singer Jim Ed Brown to record the duet “I Don’t Want to Have to Marry You” in 1976. That pairing proved to be magical, with the song spending two weeks atop Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart.
“I Don’t Want to Have to Marry You” was the sole career No. 1 for both artists, but they didn’t stop making music together there. Their next duet, “Saying Hello, Saying I Love You, Saying Goodbye,” nearly repeated the feat, peaking at No. 2 on the same chart. The duo became regulars on the TV series Nashville on the Road and recorded several more Top 20 hits, including “I’ll Never Be Free” and “If the World Ran Out of Love Tonight.”
Feeling she was losing her identity as a performer, Cornelius broke up the duo in 1981. In the ’90s, she opened the dinner theater Helen Cornelius’ Nashville South in Gatlinburg, where she performed 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.”
On top of being a music hitmaker, Cornelius also acted in projects such as A Belle for Christmas, Dolly, and Nashville on the Road.
Featured image via X/Twitter
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