Gene Allison was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 R&B

Rhythm and blues

Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...

 singer.

Born Versie Eugene Allison in Pegram

Pegram, Tennessee

Pegram is a town in Cheatham County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,146 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Pegram is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....

, Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

, he grew up in Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

 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

The Fairfield Four is a gospel group that has existed for over 80 years. They started as a trio in Nashville, Tennessee's Fairfield Baptist Church in 1921. They were designated as National Heritage Fellows in 1989 by the National Endowment for the Arts. The group won the 1998 Grammy for Best...

 and, later, The Skylarks

The Skylarks

The Skylarks were a cult alternative rock band from Liverpool, England-History:The Skylarks formed in 1996 by Paul Molloy and Vinny McPoland. In 1997 they were joined by Dave Dutton and Michael Fitzgerald on drums. In 1999 Michael Fitzgerald left and was replaced by Dave Baker. The Skylarks gained...

. Record producer Ted Jarrett

Ted Jarrett

Theodore R. "Ted" Jarrett was an American singer-songwriter and producer of country, gospel, and soul music.-Early life:...

 signed Allison to Calvert Records to record secular music; soon after Jarrett got him a recording contract

Recording contract

A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...

 with Vee-Jay Records

Vee-Jay Records

Vee-Jay Records is a record label founded in the 1950s, specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. It was owned and operated by African Americans.-History:...

 along with Larry Birdsong. Allison's debut single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 was "You Can Make it If You Try", released in 1957; it became a hit

Hit record

A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...

 in the U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, where it entered the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 chart

Record chart

A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....

 in early 1959.

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

Soul food cuisine consists of a selection of foods traditional in the cuisine of African Americans. It is closely related to the cuisine of the Southern United States...

 restaurant called Gene's Drive-In in Nashville. Allison continued to perform well beyond his brief period of fame. He died of renal failure

Renal failure

Renal failure or kidney failure describes a medical condition in which the kidneys fail to adequately filter toxins and waste products from the blood...

, in Nashville, at age 69 in February 2004.

Singles

Year	Title	Chart Positions
		U.S. Pop Singles Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...	U.S. Black Singles Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
1958	"You Can Make it If You Try"	#36	#3
1958	"Everything Will Be Alright"	-	#19
1958	"Have Faith"	#73	#11