Gene Allison (August 29, 1934 – February 28, 2004) – Almost Sundown (1970)
This hauntingly beautiful masterpiece was written by Ted Jarrett who also wrote and produced Allison's original R&B hit version of "You Can Make It If You Try."
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Gene Allison is best known for recording the original version of Sly and the Family Stone’s classic cover “You Can Make It If You Try.”
Born Versie Eugene Allison in small town Tennessee and raised in Nashville, Allison sang in his church’s choir. While he was in high school, established gospel group The Fairfield Four invited him to sing with them, but he declined the offer.
Allison began working with producer Ted Jarrett who owned multiple record labels throughout his career and helped create Nashville’s R&B scene. Jarrett got him a contract with Vee-Jay Records out of Chicago. His debut single was the flawless “You Can Make It If You Try,” released in 1957. Jarrett wrote and produced the record, which mixed gospel flavor with R&B, wrapped up in a hopeful lyrical message. It packed a mighty punch for a barely two-minute song thanks to Allison’s outstanding voice and heartfelt delivery.
In early 1958 the record hit #3 on the R&B charts, and crossed over to #36 on the Billboard Hot 100. With the royalties from its sales, Allison opened Gene’s Drive-In, a 24-hour Nashville soul food restaurant. He also released two more top-20 R&B singles that same year, “Everything Will Be Alright” and “Have Faith.”
Vee-Jay released his debut full-length album in 1959. He put out a string of singles over the next decade, but none matched the success of his initial hits. Most were written by Jarrett, who continued to produce him. A notable exception was the superb “I Wouldn’t Know Which Way To Turn” (1965) which Allison wrote himself, released as a B-side.
One of the final singles with new material Allison released before he stopped putting out records altogether was another great song written by Jarrett, “It’s Almost Sundown” (1969). The track was co-produced by Jarrett and his production partner Bob Holmes, who also arranged and conducted it.
Issued on Jarrett’s own label Ref-O-Ree, with a total track length of 2:45, it was then remixed and re-released the following year under the slightly different title “Almost Sundown” and extended to 2:58. Whatever studio magic Jarrett and Holmes performed, it worked, because the revised 1970 version polished an already superb track into a hauntingly beautiful masterpiece that was arguably Allison’s finest overlooked moment.
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