Gene Allison (born Versie Eugene Allison; August 29, 1934 – February 28, 2004) was an American R&B singer. Allison was born in Pegram,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, and he grew up in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

singing in the church choir with his brother Leevert. As a teenager, Allison was offered a chance to sing with

The Fairfield Four The Fairfield Four is an American gospel group that has existed for over 100 years, starting as a trio in the Fairfield Baptist Church, Nashville, Tennessee, in 1921. They were designated as National Heritage Fellows in 1989 by the National End ...

and, later, The Skylarks. Record producer Ted Jarrett signed Allison to Calvert Records to record

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...

music; soon after Jarrett got a recording contract for him with

Vee-Jay Records Vee-Jay Records is an American record label founded in the 1950s, located in Chicago and specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. The label was founded in Gary, Indiana in 1953 by Vivian Carter and James C. Bracken, a ...

along with

Larry Birdsong Lawrence E. Birdsong (June 15, 1934 – August 7, 1990) was an American R&B singer who recorded between the 1950s and 1970s. His biggest hit was "Pleadin' For Love", which reached the '' Billboard'' R&B chart in 1956. Life and career He wa ...

. Allison's debut

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

was "

You Can Make It If You Try "You Can Make It If You Try" is a song written by Ted Jarrett and recorded by Gene Allison in 1957. In 1958, Allison's recording peaked at No. 3 on the U.S. R&B singles chart, and at No. 36 or at No. 37 (sources differ) on the U.S. pop singles ...

", written by Jarrett and released in 1957; it became a

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, 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, and the success of "You Can Make It If You Try" allowed him to open a 24-hour

soul food Soul food is an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared and eaten by African Americans, originating in the Southern United States.Soul Food originated with the foods that were given to enslaved Black people by their white owners on Souther ...

restaurant called Gene's Drive-In in Nashville.

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AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

Allison continued to perform well beyond his brief period of fame. He died of

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...

, in Nashville, at age 69 in February 2004.

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allison, Gene 1934 births 2004 deaths People from Cheatham County, Tennessee American soul musicians American rhythm and blues singers Singers from Tennessee Vee-Jay Records artists Deaths from kidney failure 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers