1. David Ruffin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 for his work with the Temptations.
58 Facts About David Ruffin
1. 2.
David Ruffin was born Davis Eli David Ruffin on January 18,1941, in the rural unincorporated community of Whynot, Mississippi, 15 miles southeast of Meridian.
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David Ruffin was the third born son of Elias "Eli" Ruffin, a Baptist minister, and Ophelia Ruffin.
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David Ruffin's siblings were Quincy B Ruffin, Rita Mae Ruffin, and Jimmy Lee Ruffin.
5.
John David Ruffin was a Civil War Veteran, fighting with the 14th United States Colored Heavy Artillery Regiment.
6.
David Ruffin's mother died from complications of childbirth 10 months after he was born; and his father later married Earline, a schoolteacher, in 1942.
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David Ruffin sang in the choir at Mount Salem Methodist Church, talent shows and wherever else he could.
8.
In 1955, at age 14, David Ruffin left home under the guardianship of a minister, Eddie Bush, and went to Memphis, Tennessee, with the purpose of pursuing the ministry.
9.
At age 15, David Ruffin went to Hot Springs, Arkansas, with the jazz musician Phineas Newborn, Sr.
10.
David Ruffin sang with The Soul Stirrers briefly after the departure of Johnnie Taylor.
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David Ruffin lived with Gordy's father, a contractor, and helped "Pops" Gordy do construction work on the building that would become Hitsville USA, the headquarters for Gordy's Tamla Records label.
12.
David Ruffin worked alongside another ambitious singer, Marvin Gaye, as an apprentice at Anna Records, a Chess-distributed label run by Gordy's sister Gwen Gordy Fuqua and his songwriting partner Billy Davis.
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David Ruffin did sign to Anna Records as a solo artist, but his work in that time was unsuccessful.
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David Ruffin eventually met an up-and-coming local group by the name of the Temptations.
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David Ruffin shared his interest in joining the group with Otis Williams, who lived in Detroit.
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In January 1964, David Ruffin became a member of the Temptations after founding member Elbridge "Al" Bryant was fired from the group.
17.
David Ruffin's first recording session with the group was January 9,1964.
18.
David Ruffin did sing a few lead parts, both on stage and in the studio, during his first year with the group, but his leads on these studio tracks would not be released for over a year, as they were not considered good enough to showcase his vocals.
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David Ruffin shared lead vocals on the 1967 hit single "You're My Everything" with Eddie Kendricks.
20.
However, by 1967, difficulties with David Ruffin became an issue for the group.
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David Ruffin became addicted to cocaine and began missing rehearsals and performances.
22.
In June 1968, the Temptations agreed that David Ruffin had finally crossed the line when he missed a June 22 Cleveland, Ohio, date with the Temptations in order to attend a performance by his new girlfriend, Barbara Gail Martin.
23.
David Ruffin was fired five days later and was replaced with Dennis Edwards, a former member of the Contours, who had been a friend of David Ruffin and the group as a whole beforehand.
24.
However, Otis Williams has always maintained that David Ruffin's firing was permanent, and he was never considered for rehiring.
25.
In October 1968, David Ruffin filed suit against Motown Records, seeking a release from the label and an accounting of his money.
26.
The settlement required David Ruffin to remain with Motown to finish out his initial contract.
27.
David Ruffin's first solo single was a song originally intended for the Temptations, "My Whole World Ended ".
28.
In 1970, David Ruffin recorded an album with his brother Jimmy, I Am My Brother's Keeper, for which they had minor hits with "When My Love Hand " and "Your Love Was Worth Waiting For".
29.
David Ruffin then signed with RCA Records and formed a duo with fellow Temptation Eddie Kendricks, who had recently departed from the group under his own set of difficulties, including the weakening power of his voice after years of chain-smoking.
30.
However, the reunion tour was short-lived since David Ruffin repeatedly failed to show up for concerts while using cocaine, leading the group to be fined thousands of dollars.
31.
David Ruffin started touring with Kendricks as a duo act in 1985 when he was dismissed for his poor singing.
32.
David Ruffin's final recording in his lifetime was "Hurt the One You Love", which was released as a solo record for Motorcity Records.
33.
David Ruffin had a son with his long-term girlfriend, Genna Sapia, whom he met in 1964.
34.
David Ruffin named their son David E Sapia, but Ruffin later changed his name to David Eli Ruffin, Jr.
35.
In 1966, David Ruffin began dating Tammi Terrell after she joined the Motortown Revue opening for the Temptations.
36.
David Ruffin became increasingly violent towards Terrell as his drug abuse worsened.
37.
Terrell ended their relationship after David Ruffin hit her in the head with his motorcycle helmet in 1967.
38.
At the time of his death, David Ruffin had been living in Philadelphia since 1989 with his girlfriend Diane Showers, who met him as a 14-year-old fan.
39.
David Ruffin first sought treatment for his drug addiction in 1967.
40.
In 1978, David Ruffin was arrested at a birthday party in Memphis.
41.
David Ruffin was charged with disorderly conduct "for refusing several requests" to leave the area after he allegedly made threats against some policemen and their families while being transported to jail.
42.
David Ruffin denied making threats and was released on his own recognizance.
43.
In 1982, David Ruffin was charged $5,000 and sentenced to six months in a low-security prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, for failing to pay taxes amounting to more than $310,000 over two years.
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David Ruffin served four months and was released early for good behavior.
45.
In July 1987, David Ruffin spent a night in jail after he was arrested after a raid at a Detroit house.
46.
David Ruffin was charged with cocaine possession with intent to distribute less than 20 grams of cocaine.
47.
David Ruffin was found not guilty of possession, but was found guilty of using the drug.
48.
David Ruffin was sentenced to two years' probation and 50 days of community service.
49.
David Ruffin completed a 28-day drug treatment program at the Areba Casriel Institute in New York.
50.
David Ruffin had reportedly collapsed at a West Philadelphia crack house, where he had gone with his friend Donald Brown, according to authorities.
51.
David Ruffin's estate lost the lawsuit, and the ruling against it was upheld on appeal.
52.
David Ruffin's funeral was held at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit.
53.
David Ruffin is buried in section three at Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit.
54.
David Ruffin is inducted as a solo artist and member of the Temptations.
55.
David Ruffin is inducted into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame.
56.
David Ruffin's family was in attendance for honor and the unveiling of his star on Mississippi's Arts + Entertainment Experience's walk of fame.
57.
On November 1 and 2,1998, NBC aired The Temptations, a four-hour television miniseries about the group's career, David Ruffin was portrayed by Leon Robinson, who won high praise for his performance, but David Ruffin's family was upset with the way the series portrayed him, and filed a lawsuit against the series' producers and Otis Williams, whose memoir had been the source material.
58.
David Ruffin was portrayed in the Broadway musical, Ain't Too Proud, by Ephraim Sykes.