Biography
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Years Active
1970 – 1976 (6 years)
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Founded In
Dania Beach, Broward County, Florida, United States
Singing themselves into soul music history with their huge hits "Too Late To Turn Back Now" and "Treat Her Like A Lady", they originally came out of sunny Dania Beach, Florida. Featuring brothers Edward (who wrote most of their songs) and Carter with sisters Billie Jo and Rose Cornelius, the soulful pop group started as an idea when they sung in church. She and her brothers formed "Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose" in 1969. Sister Rose already had experience playing on the road starting at age 14 with "Freddie Scott & The High Steppers", later also being in a mid-60s Vegas revue called "The Gospel Jazz Singers".
Managed initially by Dionne Warwick's father Speedy Warwick, they soon were recording for United Artists and scored hits from 1971 to 1974 with lushly orchestrated, million seller tunes such as "Treat Her Like a Lady" (1971), "Too Late to Turn Back Now" (1972), "I'm Never Gonna Be Alone Anymore" (1973), and "Don't Ever Be Lonely (A Poor Little Fool Like Me)" (1974). Sadly, though having early successes, their sweet soul sound (viewed by many fans as reminiscent of The Jackson 5 and The Supremes) did not gain much more attention as the decade came to a close. Still, their early hit singles are still heavily requested and frequently played on oldies format stations.
Carter, who died in 1991 at age 43, had changed his name in 1976 to Prince Gideon Israel, after joining a reclusive black supremacist religious religious sect in Miami, whose followers all adopt the name Israel. Sister Rose continued in show biz for a while, working with her husband Garvey playing R&B and reggae tunes around Florida. While the group is no more, their songs still receive considerable airplay.
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