Gene Allison

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

As a teenager, Allison was offered a chance to sing with The Fairfield Four and, later, The Skylarks.

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.

He died of kidney failure, in Nashville, at age 69 in February 2004.