Versie Eugene Allison (August 29, 1934 - February 28, 2004)[1] was an American R&B singer.
Allison was born in Pegram, Tennessee, and he grew up in Nashville, Tennessee singing in the church choir with his brother Leevert. As a teenager, Allison was offered a chance to sing with The Fairfield Four and, later, The Skylarks. Record producer Ted Jarrett signed Allison to Calvert Records to record secular music; soon after Jarrett got a recording contract for him with Vee-Jay Records along with Larry Birdsong. 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.,[2] 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,[2] 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.[3] Allison continued to perform well beyond his brief period of fame. He died of kidney failure, in Nashville, at age 69 in February 2004.[3]
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Pop | U.S. R&B | |||
| 1958 | "You Can Make It If You Try" | 36 | 3 | |
| 1958 | "Everything Will Be Alright" | - | 19 | |
| 1958 | "Have Faith" | 73 | 11 | |