Her older brothers played in country bands, and she formed a singing trio with sisters Judy and Sharon.

[2] In 1976, she recorded a duet, "I Don't Want to Have to Marry You" with Jim Ed Brown;[1] it was a major success in America.

[2] Further solo singles failed to take off, but her next duet with Brown, "Saying Hello, Saying I Love You, Saying Goodbye", was another smash, and the pair began playing on the TV show, Nashville on the Road.

[2] Cornelius opened Nashville South in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in the 1990s, where she performed with a house band nightly.

Most recently, Cornelius has been an active participant in the Country's Family Reunion series, which airs on RFD-TV.