"I love the wee hours of the night, so did Gene. Well, here goes... Gene Ugene......mmm, mmm, mmm. Gene was my friend and considering that I only have a few stands as a testimony to his unconditional love. When a person is special, there is something about them that you can't quite put a finger on except that knowing them fills an emptiness in your soul. And when a person such as Gene suddenly leaves our presence out of season or before they're time, so to speak, they leave behind what seems to be a mystery or riddle because it really takes a lifetime to reveal the depth of who they really are. Being a white kid who grew up in the 1970's, mean streets of San Francisco and the cold realities of Eastside San Jose, Gene's legacy is really not a mystery to me at all. And if I were to attempt to solve such a mystery, it would go something like this; Gene was as much of a Negro from the hood as he was a White Boy from the Inland Empire! How many white musicians do you know put Stevie Wonder's "Songs In The Key of Life" at the top of their musical influences, a record that some of the greatest musical geniuses of our time refer to as "The University of Stevie Wonder"? And, I know what I'm talking about because I had the privilege to work with Mr. Stevie Wonder twice within a decade. My best records to date were made with Gene at the helm. My album "Jesus love's Ya" in which Gene co-produced but refused to take credit for not only rendered 3 no.#1 CCM hits, but made it into TIME/LIFE's "100 Greatest Christian Albums of All Time" and the single "Jesus love's Ya" still to date, holds the record as the longest playing no.#1 single in CCM history, 18 and ½ weeks! Awe….I still remember arguing with Gene about "Jesus love's Ya"; Gene! We've got to do something about this song and Gene replying "Dude, it's perfect, I would just leave it alone". Gene was a rocker with an admiration of Pop genius and a deep understanding of Funk and Soul. He was not a closed minded, alternative redneck although he so poetically tolerated the mindset because he saw passed it all and into the greater need. The cause, the sense of duty, the mission to provide assistance to the voiceless who had something say but were not being heard! Gene was a Supernatural Nerd who is now a Free Bird and every time I think of him, I just smile and say "See you in the hereinafter my friend, see you in the hereinafter." Love Jon Gibson"