David Ruffin
David Ruffin (born January 18, 1941 as Davis Eli Ruffin in Whynot , Mississippi , † June 1, 1991 in Philadelphia ) was an American soul singer who became famous as one of the lead voices of the Temptations . His powerful voice is still valued by many critics and musicians today. For example, Rolling Stone voted him 65th of the 100 best singers of all time .
biography
David Ruffin had great successes with Temptations like My Girl (1965) or Ain't Too Proud to Beg (1966). After separating from the Temptations in 1968, he tried his hand at being a soloist. But apart from My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me) (1969) and Walk Away from Love (1975), a Van McCoy production, it hardly had any commercial success. His longtime drug addiction eventually took its toll, and Ruffin died of an overdose in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania at age 50 . In 2001, his family sued NBC and Temptations bandleader Otis Williams: A TV mini-series based on Williams' memoir alleged that Ruffin was thrown from a moving car into a hospital driveway and his body was listed as John Doe for several days . Instead, however, Ruffin was taken to the hospital by his driver and clearly identified there. Ruffin was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Detroit .
Ruffin was held in high regard by many of his colleagues. Rod Stewart called him "the greatest rock singer of all time" in an interview. Marvin Gaye admired the power in Ruffin's rough voice: “It reminded me that a lot of women want to feel the power of a real man when they listen to music.” Daryl Hall , who worked with Ruffin in the 1980s, saw it similarly: “He had this one wonderful 'pain' in his voice that spoke to people on many emotional levels. "
Discography
Studio albums
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US | R&B | |||
1969 | My Whole World Ended |
US31 (17 weeks) US |
R&B1 (22 weeks) R&B |
Motown
|
Feelin 'good |
US148 (7 weeks) US |
R&B9 (19 weeks) R&B |
Motown
|
|
1970 | I am My Brother's Keeper |
US178 (2 weeks) US |
- |
Soul
with Jimmy Ruffin |
1973 | David Ruffin |
US160 (7 weeks) US |
R&B34 (6 weeks) R&B |
Motown
|
1974 | Me and Rock N Roll Are Here to Stay | - |
R&B37 (7 weeks) R&B |
Motown
|
1975 | Who I Am |
US31 (27 weeks) US |
R&B5 (23 weeks) R&B |
Motown
|
1976 | Everything's coming up love |
US51 (12 weeks) US |
R&B16 (12 weeks) R&B |
Motown
|
1977 | In My Stride | - |
R&B36 (8 weeks) R&B |
Motown
|
1979 | So soon we change | - |
R&B19 (14 weeks) R&B |
Warner
|
1980 | Gentleman Ruffin | - |
R&B66 (3 weeks) R&B |
Warner
|
1988 | Ruffin & Kendricks | - |
R&B60 (5 weeks) R&B |
RCA
with Eddie Kendricks |
More studio albums
- 2004: David (Motown / Hip-O, previously unreleased album from 1971)
Live albums
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US | R&B | |||
1985 | Live At The Apollo |
US21 (18 weeks) US |
R&B41 (12 weeks) R&B |
RCA
with Hall & Oates & Eddie Kendrick |
Compilations
- 1978: At His Best (Motown)
- 1998: The Ultimate Collection
- 2002: The Essential Collection
- 2005: The Great David Ruffin: The Motown Solo Albums, Vol. 1
- 2006: The Great David Ruffin: The Motown Solo Albums, Vol. 2
Singles
year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK | US | R&B | |||
1969 | My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me) My Whole World Ended |
- |
US9 (10 weeks) US |
R&B2 (11 weeks) R&B |
|
I Lost Everything I've Ever Loved My Whole World Ended |
- |
US58 (5 weeks) US |
R&B11 (8 weeks) R&B |
||
I'm So Glad I Fell for You Feelin 'Good |
- |
US53 (7 weeks) US |
R&B18 (7 weeks) R&B |
||
1970 | Stand By Me I Am My Brother's Keeper |
- |
US61 (7 weeks) US |
R&B24 (7 weeks) R&B |
with Jimmy Ruffin
|
1973 | Common Man David Ruffin |
- | - |
R&B84 (3 weeks) R&B |
|
1975 | Walk Away From Love Who I Am |
UK10 (8 weeks) UK |
US9 (15 weeks) US |
R&B1 (17 weeks) R&B |
|
1976 | Heavy Love Who I Am |
- |
US47 (7 weeks) US |
R&B8 (13 weeks) R&B |
|
Everything's Coming Up Love Everything’s Coming Up Love |
- |
US49 (9 weeks) US |
R&B8 (14 weeks) R&B |
||
On and Off Everything’s Coming Up Love |
- | - |
R&B48 (8 weeks) R&B |
||
1977 | Just Let Me Hold You For A Night In My Stride |
- | - |
R&B18 (16 weeks) R&B |
|
You're My Piece of Mind In My Stride |
- | - |
R&B71 (5 weeks) R&B |
||
1979 | Break My Heart So Soon We Change |
- | - |
R&B9 (17 weeks) R&B |
|
I Get Excited So Soon We Change |
- | - |
R&B79 (6 weeks) R&B |
||
1980 | Slow dance gentleman Ruffin |
- | - |
R&B63 (8 weeks) R&B |
|
1987 | I couldn't believe it Ruffin & Kendricks |
UK85 (1 week) UK |
- |
R&B14 (16 weeks) R&B |
with Eddie Kendricks
|
1988 | One More For The Lonely Hearts Club Ruffin & Kendricks |
- | - |
R&B43 (10 weeks) R&B |
with Eddie Kendricks
|
More singles
- 1970: Each Day is a Lifetime
- 1971: You Can Come Right Back to Me
- 1972: Little More Trust
- 1973: Blood Donors Needed (Give All You Can)
- 1974: Me and Rock & Roll
- 1975: Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are)
- 1977: I Can't Stop the Rain
- 1991: Hurt the One You Love
Web links
- David Ruffin at Allmusic (English)
- David Ruffin at Discogs (English)
- David Ruffin in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Sound carrier by David Ruffin in the catalog of the German National Library
- Image: The Temptations 1967, in the middle: David Ruffin
Individual evidence
- ^ Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone: 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. In: Rolling Stone. December 3, 2010, Retrieved November 29, 2019 (American English).
- ^ Billboard. November 16, 1974, ISSN 0006-2510 , Volume 86, No. 46, p. 14 ( limited preview in Google book search).
- ^ Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone: 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. In: Rolling Stone. December 3, 2010, Retrieved November 29, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ a b c Chart sources: UK US
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Ruffin, David |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ruffin, Davis Eli |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American gospel and soul singer |
DATE OF BIRTH | January 18, 1941 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Whynot , Mississippi, USA |
DATE OF DEATH | June 1, 1991 |
Place of death | Philadelphia |