Versie Eugene Allison (August 29, 1934[1] – February 28, 2004)[2] was an American R&B singer.

Allison was born in Pegram, Tennessee, and he grew up in Nashville, Tennessee singing in the church choir with his brother Leevert. As a teenager, Allison was offered a chance to sing with The Fairfield Four and, later, The Skylarks.[1] Record producer Ted Jarrett signed Allison to Calvert Records to record secular music; soon after Jarrett got a recording contract for him with Vee-Jay Records along with Larry Birdsong. Allison's debut single was "You Can Make It If You Try", written by Jarrett and released in 1957; it became a hit in the U.S.,[1] where it entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1958.

Allison would go on to score two more hit singles at the end of the 1950s,[1] and the success of "You Can Make It If You Try" allowed him to open a 24-hour soul food restaurant called Gene's Drive-In in Nashville.[3] Allison continued to perform well beyond his brief period of fame. He died of kidney failure, in Nashville, at age 69 in February 2004.[3]

Singles

Year Title Chart Positions
U.S. Pop U.S. R&B
1958 "You Can Make It If You Try" 36 3
1958 "Everything Will Be Alright" - 19
1958 "Have Faith" 73 11

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Soul Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 9. ISBN 0-85112-733-9.
  2. ↑ Sweetland, Phil (14 March 2004). "Gene Allison, 69, Soul Singer Who Fused Sacred to Secular". The New York Times. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Biography, AllMusic
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