Gene Allison (August 29, 1934 – February 28, 2004) was an American R&B singer. 　　Born Versie Eugene Allison in Pegram, Tennessee, 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 him a recording contract with Vee-Jay Records along with Larry Birdsong. Allison's debut single was "You Can Make it If You Try", released in 1957; it became a hit in the U.S., where it entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1959.