Gene Allison (August 29, 1934 – February 28, 2004) was an American pioneer of the Nashville R&B sound in the 50’s.
Gene Allison was born Versie Eugene Allison on August 29, 1934 in Pegram, Tennesee and he grew up in Nashville singing in the church choir with his brother Leevert (later a professional gospel singer). As a teenager, Allison was offered a chance to sing with The Fairfield Four and, later, The Skylarks. In the latter group, Allison would often fill in for lead vocalist Sam McCrary which brought him to the attention of songwriter and producer Ted Jarrett, who convinced him to sign to his Calvert label and pursue a career in secular music. He also recorded for Jarrett’s Champion and Cherokee labels.
It wasn’t long before Jarrett got him a recording contract with Vee-Jay Records along with Larry Birdsong. Allison's debut single was "You Can Make It If You Try", written by Ted Jarrett and released in 1957; it became a hit in the U.S., where it
![]()
entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1958. Jarrett's evangelical composition and the swelling organ accompaniment would later be copied on countless soul recordings. This early fusion of secular and sacred sounds on a pop record helped start a trend that persists today.
Mr. Allison was a singer's singer. Sam Cooke, another early soul stylist, once said, ''I wish I could sing like Gene Allison.'' The record was such a success that Allison was able to open his own Nashville restaurant, a 24-hour soul food joint called Gene's Drive-In -- his mother was even installed as manager. He returned to the R&B charts with two more Top 20 hits, "Have Faith" and "Everything Will Be Alright," You Can Make It If You Try’ was covered by The Rolling Stones’ in 1964.
In the 60s after he left Vee Jay, his releases appeared on a variety of labels, and although his gospel phrasing and timing were ideally suited to the emerging southern soul styles he never really made it as a soul singer. Some of these later 45s he cut reprised earlier material for Jarrett’s Ref-O-Ree, but “Almost Sundown” from ’65 is a quite superb blues ballad. Probably the pick of his later work is the spare, stark “If I Ever Needed Your Love” which features a pleading, tortured vocal, his most intense performance on wax, only accompanied by a small rhythm section. This side originally appeared on the Ohio based S & H 205 but is more readily available on Del Neita. Although the raw, soulful power of his voice remained undiminished in the years to follow, he never again matched his initial success.
A shy man, he rarely gave interviews; however, he had considered returning to the recording studio just before he died from liver and kidney failure on February 28, 2004, at the Vanderbilt University Medical Centre in Nashville, Tennessee.He was 69 years old.
(Edited from Wikipedia, SirShambling.com & NY Times)