Gene Allison

Gene Allison (born Versle Eugene Allison, Pegram, Tennessee, August 29, 1934 - d. Nashville, Tennessee, February 8, 2004) was an American R&B singer.

Allison grew up in `ville, singing in the church choir with his brother Leevert. As a teen, Allison was offered a chance to sing with The Fairfield Four and, later, The Skylarks. Producer Ted Jarrett signed Allison to Calvert Records to record secular music; soon after Jarrett got him a deal with Vee-Jay Records along with Larry Birdsong. His debut single was "You Can Make it If You Try", released in 1957; it became a hit in the U.S., even cracking the pop charts in early 1959.