Artists:Gene Operle

Gene Operle likes to tell people that he has been rode hard, but never put away wet.

A collection of lyrics from his own pop-infused country, folk, and soft-rock tunes could quite possibly support that sentiment.

He has survived cancer twice, open-heart surgery, and the loss of a son. Still; he has an upbeat outlook on life, which he does not take for granted.

He writes about real-life experiences; i.e., love, loss, and lessons learned, from a Christian perspective, in a style of Dan Fogelberg meets Phil Vassar.

Fans say that Gene's voice and singing style calls to mind those of B.J. Thomas, Gordon Lightfoot, and Marty Robbins. Of course; Gene does not try to sound like anyone other than himself, but he's alright with the comparisons.

He was born and raised, the oldest of eight children, in Ste. Genevieve, MO.

His first musical role model was his father, who sang and played guitar, banjo, and harmonica. Other influences included artists who appeared on the Grand Ole Opry, as well as any musical entertainer who had their own TV show, regardless of genre.

Gene started singing and playing guitar around age 12 and joined a local country music band, "The Missouri Travelers" when he was 15.

At age 17, he started the "Keys West", which performed throughout Missouri and Illinois for the next 20 years. In that group, the repertoire included top-of-the-chart songs from not only the country genre, but pop-rock, rock & roll, and disco as well. read more.