David Ruffin

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David Ruffin
Background information
Birth name	Davis Eli Ruffin
Also known as	David Bush
Born	January 18, 1941;
Origin	Whynot, Mississippi
Died	June 1, 1991; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Genre(s)	R&B, pop, soul, disco
Occupation(s)	Singer, dancer
Instrument(s)	Singing
Years active	1959 - 1991
Label(s)	Motown, Wanrer Bros., RCA
Associated acts	The Temptations, Eddie Kendricks, Jimmy Ruffin

David Ruffin (Davis Eli Ruffin) (January 18, 1941 – June 1, 1991) was an American soul singer most famous for his work as lead singer of The Temptations from 1964 to 1968.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early years and The Temptations 1.2 Solo years 1.3 Personal Life 2 Solo discography 2.1 Albums 3 Notes 4 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early years and The Temptations

Born in Whynot, Mississippi, David Ruffin and his older brother Jimmy Ruffin moved first to Memphis, Tennessee, and later to Detroit, Michigan in the 1950s, both pursuing careers in music. Both Ruffins were eventually signed to the local Anna label as solo artists; the label was absorbed by Motown Records in 1961. In January 1964 David Ruffin became a member of Motown singing group the Temptations after founding member Elbridge "Al" Bryant was fired from the group. Jimmy Ruffin was initially offered to sing with the group, but Jimmy politely declined in favor of David. The Ruffins were distant cousins of Temptation bass singer Melvin Franklin.

The bespectacled Ruffin initially sang backgrounds on the Temptations' records while the role of lead singer generally alternated between Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams until November 1964, when songwriter/producer Smokey Robinson wrote a single especially for Ruffin to sing lead on. That song, "My Girl", became the group's first #1 single and its signature song, and elevated Ruffin to the role of lead singer and front man for the group.

The follow-ups to "My Girl" were also extremely successful singles, including "Since I Lost My Baby" (1965), "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" (1966), "All I Need" (1967), and "I Wish It Would Rain" (1967). The lanky, 6'3" Ruffin's passionate and dramatic performances endeared him to the Temptations' audiences and fans. According to Otis Williams, Ruffin, playfully nicknamed "Ruff" by the group, was initially a natural comedian and a hard working singer when he first joined the group. Ruffin's most notable non-vocal contribution to the Temptations was the masterminding of their trademark four-headed microphone stand.

By 1967, however, ego problems with Ruffin became an issue for the Temptations. Ruffin became addicted to cocaine, and began regularly missing group meetings, rehearsals, and performances. Refusing to travel with the other Temptations, Ruffin and his then-girlfriend Tammi Terrell traveled in a custom limo (with the image of his trademark black rimmed glasses painted on the door no less). After Motown group The Supremes had their name changed to Diana Ross & the Supremes in early-1967, Ruffin, as the front man who's singing of My Girl had propelled the Temptations to stardom, felt that he should become the focal point of the Temptations, just as Diana Ross was for her group, and began demanding that the group name be changed to David Ruffin & the Temptations. This led to a number of fights between Ruffin and the group's de facto leader Otis Williams, who insists that he gave Ruffin fair warning that if he did not change his attitude, he would be fired.

In mid-1968, the Temptations decided they could no longer put up with Ruffin's behavior, and, after agreeing that he'd finally crossed the line when he missed a 1968 concert to instead attend a concert being performed by his then new girlfriend Gail Martin (daughter of Dean Martin), they replaced him with former Contour Dennis Edwards. Bitter and upset that he had been fired from the group that he believed owed him their success, Ruffin began turning up at Temptations concerts. When the group started to perform a Ruffin-era song such as "My Girl" or "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", he would appear on the stage, grab the microphone from Dennis Edwards and start singing, stealing the show, embarrassing the band but delighting the fans. The Temptations hired extra security to prevent Ruffin from attending their shows, and Ruffin in return filed suit against Motown Records, seeking a release from the label. Motown attempted to settle with Ruffin by offering him a solo recording contract, which he at first balked at, but later accepted.

[edit] Solo years

Ruffin's first solo single was a song originally intended for the Temptations, "My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)". The single reached the US pop & R&B Top Ten, and Ruffin continued releasing solo material into the 1970s, with his final Top Ten hit being 1975's "Walk Away From Love", produced by Van McCoy. He also recorded an album with his brother Jimmy during this period, in which they did a popular cover of the Ben E. King song Stand By Me. While his solo career initially showed promise, it reportedly went into decline in part because of his cocaine addiction, which he tried unsuccessfully to break. After leaving Motown in 1977, Ruffin recorded for Warner Brothers, and later signed with RCA, accompanied by former Temptations bandmate Eddie Kendricks, who chose to rekindle their friendship when Kendricks started experiencing problems within the group. In 1982, Ruffin joined the Temptations reunion tour, and, in 1985, Ruffin started touring with Eddie Kendricks. What reportedly happened was that one night, Ruffin went to watch Kendricks perform in a nightclub, where Kendricks spotted him in the crowd, pointed him out and invited him to come up and perform on stage. Afterwards they talked about touring on their own as a duo.

After being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 with the other Temptations, Ruffin, Kendrick, and Dennis Edwards began touring and recording as Ruffin/Kendrick/Edwards: former leads of the Temptations. The project was cut short, however, when David Ruffin, age 50, died of a drug overdose on June 1, 1991 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Contrary to what Temptation Otis Williams claimed in his autobiography (later adapted into the Temptations television miniseries), Ruffin's body was not randomly found in the middle of the street, nor did it lay unclaimed in a morgue for over a week. Instead, Ruffin's chauffeur drove him to the hospital, identifying him as "David Ruffin of the Temptations". A few days later, Ruffin's children claimed his body. ^[1]

Ruffin was portrayed by actor Leon Robinson in the 1998 television miniseries The Temptations. Leon won high praise for his portrayal of Ruffin, but Ruffin's family was upset by the way the miniseries portrayed Ruffin, and filed a lawsuit against the producers of the miniseries and also Otis Williams, whose memoirs had been the source material for the miniseries. The case was dismissed in favor of the defendents, with Williams later claiming that he had no control over the presentation of the material.

[edit] Personal Life

Ruffin had a stormy relationship with singer Tammi Terrell, and later had a relationship with Gail Martin. Ruffin was married three times and had four children: Cheryl, Nedra, David Jr. and Mone. His ex-wives were Joy Hamilton, Sandra Ruffin and Genna Ruffin. Sandra said of Ruffin "He always tried and always struggled with drugs. He was a wonderful person, but he was just outmatched by his addictions."

Correction: David Ruffin was only maried twice - to Saundra Ruffin and Joy Hamilton, respectively. Out of the union with his first wife, Saundra, he had three daughters. He also had a son, but the mother was never married to David Ruffin and never used the last name "Ruffin" until after his death. Her name is Genna Sapia.

[edit] Solo discography

[edit] Albums

David Ruffin

The Ruffin Brothers

• 1971: I Am (with Jimmy Ruffin)

David Ruffin

• 1973: David Ruffin
• 1975: Who I Am
• 1976: Everything's Coming Up Love
• 1977: In My Stride
• 1979: So Soon We Change
• 1980: Gentleman Ruffin

Ruffin & Kendrick

• 1988: Ruffin & Kendrick

[edit] Notes

1. ^ * Cheryl Ruffin-Steinback, et al. v. Suzanne De Passe, et al. Appeal filed Sept 28, 2001 in United States Court of Appeals. Text available here.

[edit] External links

• David Ruffin's Gravesite