Davis Eli "David" Ruffin (January 18, 1941 – June 1, 1991) was an American … Read Full Bio ↴Davis Eli "David" Ruffin (January 18, 1941 – June 1, 1991) was an American soul singer and musician most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations from 1964 to 1968 (or the group's "Classic Five" period as it was later known). He was the lead voice on such famous songs as "My Girl" and "Ain't Too Proud to Beg."
Known for his unique raspy and anguished tenor vocals, Ruffin was ranked as one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2008. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 for his work with the Temptations. Fellow Motown recording artist Marvin Gaye once said admiringly of Ruffin that, "I heard [in his voice] a strength my own voice lacked."
Ruffin was born Davis Eli Ruffin in the rural unincorporated community of Whynot, Mississippi, fifteen miles from Meridian, Mississippi. He was the third born son of Elias "Eli" Ruffin, a Baptist minister, and Ophelia Ruffin (née Davis). His siblings were Quincy B. Ruffin, Rita Ruffin, and Jimmy L. Ruffin. His parents were both natives of Mississippi. His father Eli worked as a truck driver at a lumber mill and his mother Ophelia worked out of their home. As far as the ancestry of the Ruffin family, Eli's parents had moved from Alabama to Mississippi, due to the harsh circumstances of living after the American Civil War. Prior to living in Alabama, David Ruffin's great grandparents, John Ruffin and Clara Ruffin, had moved from Bertie County, North Carolina. John Ruffin was a Civil War Veteran, fighting with the 14th United States Colored Heavy Artillery Regiment.
Ruffin's father was strict and at times violently abusive. Ruffin's mother died just months after his birth and his father married a schoolteacher, Earline, in 1942. As a young child, Ruffin, along with his other siblings (older brothers Quincy and Jimmy, and sister Rita Mae), traveled with their father and their stepmother as a family gospel group, opening shows for Mahalia Jackson and The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, among others. Ruffin sang in the choir at Mount Salem Methodist Church, talent shows, and wherever else he could. In 1955, at the age of fourteen, he left home under the guardianship of a minister and went to Memphis, Tennessee with the purpose of pursuing the ministry.
At age 15, Ruffin went to Hot Springs, Arkansas with the jazz musician Phineas Newborn, Sr. There they played at the Fifty Grand Ballroom and Casino. Ruffin continued to sing at talent shows, worked with horses at a jockey club and eventually became a member of the Dixie Nightingales. He also sang with the Soul Stirrers briefly after the departure of Johnnie Taylor. It was in Ruffin's travels as a teenager that he met such later popular personalities as Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Frankie Lymon, Bobby Womack, the Staple Singers, the Swan Silvertones and the Dixie Hummingbirds.
After some of his singing idols like Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson had left gospel music and gone secular, Ruffin also turned in that direction. The 16-year-old Ruffin met and came under the guardianship of Eddie Bush and his wife Dorothy Helen, who took the teenager to Detroit, Michigan, where his brother Jimmy was pursuing a career in music while working at the Ford Motor Company.
After moving to Detroit with the Bushes, Ruffin recorded his first released records with the songs "You and I" (1958) b/w "Believe Me" (1958) and the original version of "Statue of a Fool." These songs were recorded at Vega Records and released under the name "Little David Bush", using the last name of the man he was living with at the time, Eddie Bush. Ruffin would later recall how he initially recorded "a different kind of music", strongly influenced by the smoother pop and R&B of the time, when he first recorded in Detroit for Vega.
In 1957, Ruffin met Berry Gordy, Jr., then a songwriter with ambitions of running his own label. 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 (later Motown Records) label. Ruffin's brother Jimmy would eventually be signed to Tamla's Miracle Records label as an artist.
Ruffin also 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. Asked about Ruffin in the Detroit Free Press in 1988, Gordy Fuqua said, "He was very much a gentleman, yes ma'am and no ma'am, but the thing that really impressed me about David was that he was one of the only artists I've seen who rehearsed like he was on stage."
Eventually, Ruffin started recording at Anna Records, and recorded the song "I'm in Love" b/w "One of These Days" (1961), with the Voice Masters, which included future Motown producer Lamont Dozier and members of the singing group the Originals Ty Hunter, C.P. Spencer, Hank Dixon and Voice Masters and The Originals founder Walter Gaines (and, at one time, it also had another future Temptations member, Melvin Franklin, one of numerous people David would claim as a cousin).
Ruffin eventually met an up-and-coming local group by the name of The Temptations. His older brother Jimmy Ruffin went on a Motortown Revue tour with the Temptations, and he told David that they needed someone to sing tenor in their group. Ruffin showed interest in joining the group to Otis Williams whom he lived very close to in Detroit. In January 1964, Ruffin became a member of the Temptations after founding member Elbridge "Al" Bryant was fired from the group (Ruffin's first recording session with the group was January 9, 1964). Though both David and his brother Jimmy were considered, David was given an edge over Jimmy thanks to his performance skills, which David displayed when he joined the Temptations on-stage during the New Year's Eve party in 1963.
The bespectacled Ruffin initially sang backgrounds, while the role of lead singer mostly alternated between Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams. He 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 considered not good enough to showcase Ruffin's vocals. Smokey Robinson, who produced and co-wrote most of the Temptations' material at this point, saw Ruffin during this period as a "sleeping giant" in the group with a unique voice that was, "mellow," yet, "gruff." Robinson thought that if he could write just the perfect song for Ruffin's voice, then he could have a smash hit. The song was to be something that Ruffin could "belt out" yet something that was also "melodic and sweet". That song, "My Girl", was recorded in November 1964 and released a month later, became the group's first number-one single in 1965. "My Girl" became the Temptations' signature song and elevated Ruffin to the role of lead singer and front man.
The follow-ups to "My Girl" were also extremely successful singles, including the Ruffin-led hits "It's Growing" (1965), "Since I Lost My Baby" (1965), "My Baby" (1965), "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" (1966), "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep" (1966), "(I Know) I'm Losing You" (1966), "All I Need" (1967), "(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need" (1967), "I Wish It Would Rain" (1967), and "I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)" (1968). Ruffin also shared lead vocals on the 1967 hit single "You're My Everything" with Eddie Kendricks. The tall, 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 group. He became addicted to cocaine and began missing 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). After the Supremes had their name changed to Diana Ross & the Supremes in early 1967, Ruffin 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 disagreements between Ruffin and the group's de facto leader, Otis Williams. In addition to the group's problems with Ruffin's ego, he began inquiring into the Temptations' financial records, demanding an accounting of the group's money. This caused friction between Ruffin and Gordy.
In June 1968, the Temptations agreed that Ruffin had finally crossed the line when he missed a June 22 Cleveland, Ohio date with the Temptations to instead attend a performance by his new girlfriend, Barbara Gail Martin (Dean Martin's daughter). Ruffin was fired on June 27 and replaced with Dennis Edwards, a former member of The Contours who had been a friend of Ruffin and the group as a whole beforehand. Though Ruffin himself personally encouraged Edwards to take his place, Ruffin began turning up unannounced at Temptations' concerts during Edwards' first few dates with the group. When the group started to perform a Ruffin-era song such as "My Girl" or "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", Ruffin would suddenly walk on to the stage, take the microphone from Edwards' hands, and steal the show, embarrassing the group but entertaining the fans. According to Edwards, the adulation and Ruffin's pleas convinced the other four Temptations to give Ruffin a second chance, but when he arrived late to what was to be his return show with the group in Gaithersburg, Maryland, The Temptations decided to keep Edwards and drop considerations of rehiring Ruffin.
In October 1968, Ruffin filed suit against Motown Records, seeking a release from the label and an accounting of his money. Motown counter-sued to keep the singer from leaving the label and eventually the case was settled. The settlement required Ruffin to remain with Motown to finish out his initial contract (Ruffin joined Motown as a solo artist and always had a separate contract from the other Temptations, which some felt caused a lot of the in-fighting within the group).
Ruffin's first solo single was a song originally intended for the Temptations, "My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)". The single from the album entitled My Whole World Ended was released in 1969 followed soon by the album Feelin' Good. The single reached the US Pop & R&B "Top Ten." A third album, titled David, was recorded in 1970-71, but was shelved by Motown and did not see a commercial release until 2004; his next official release for Motown did not arrive until 1973, when David Ruffin was released. His final Top Ten hit was 1975's "Walk Away from Love", produced by Van McCoy, which reached number nine on the Pop chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in February 1976. Other notable recordings from Ruffin's solo career include "I Lost Everything I've Ever Loved" (1969); the gospel-inflected "I'm So Glad I Fell For You" (1970); "Blood Donors Needed (Give All You Can)" (1973); "Common Man" (1973) (which was sampled on the 2001 Jay-Z song "Never Change"); "No Matter Where" (1974); "Who I Am" (1975); "Statue of a Fool" (1975); and cover versions of the Jackson Five's "I Want You Back", "Rainy Night in Georgia" popularized by Brook Benton (both recorded for the shelved 1970 album); and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' "I Miss You", featuring Eddie Kendrick (1973).
In 1970 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 (Comes Tumbling Down)" and "Your Love Was Worth Waiting For". While his solo career initially showed promise, Ruffin reportedly went into decline in part because of his cocaine addiction and the lack of support from Motown.
After leaving Motown in 1977, Ruffin recorded for Warner Bros. Records releasing the albums So Soon We Change (1979) and Gentleman Ruffin (1980), and later signed with RCA Records, accompanied by former Temptations band-mate Eddie Kendrick, who chose to rekindle their friendship when Kendrick himself started experiencing problems with the Temptations.
In 1982, Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks re-joined the Temptations for the recording of their album Reunion and the tour to promote the album. Reunion included the R&B hit "Standing on the Top" with Rick James. The reunion tour, however, was short lived as Ruffin started to miss shows due to his cocaine addiction, leading the group to be fined thousands of dollars. Otis Williams fired Ruffin for the second and final time from the group along with Kendricks (whose voice was weakened due to heavy chain smoking) by Christmas 1982. Ruffin started touring with Kendrick (who dropped the "s" from his last name at this time) as a duo act in 1985.
In 1982, Ruffin was sentenced to six months in a low-security prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, for failing to pay taxes during the mid-1970s. On May 19, 1986, he pleaded no contest to a charge of receiving and concealing stolen property worth less than $100 (a Colt .32-caliber handgun) and was fined $50 plus $100 in court costs. Charges of assault and battery and receiving stolen property worth more than $100 were dropped. A 1987 cocaine arrest landed him in jail for repeated parole violations.
In 1985, longtime Temptations fans Hall & Oates teamed up with Ruffin and Kendrick to perform at the re-opening of the Apollo Theater in New York. Their performance was released as a relatively successful live album and single. The four singers also sang a medley of Temptations hits at Live Aid on July 13, 1985. John Oates later wrote a minor hit single for Ruffin and Kendrick, but the two duos fell out, allegedly due to Daryl Hall's objections to Ruffin's heavy drug use. 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". On August 17, 2013 in Cleveland, Ohio The Official R&B Music Hall of Fame inducted David Ruffin as a solo artist and also a member of The Temptations. His family was on hand for this great honor.
Ruffin was married twice. His first marriage was to Sandra Ruffin in 1961 with whom he had three daughters, Cheryl, Nedra and Kimberly. In 1976, Ruffin married Joy Hamilton. He also had one son he named David Ruffin Junior with his former girlfriend Genna Sapia, who--after his death--would add "Ruffin" to her last name in tribute to their long-term relationship, as well as to the fact that they had a son together. The two lived as husband and wife, but were never legally married.
Ruffin also had a well publicized relationship with Motown label mate and Marvin Gaye duet partner, singer Tammi Terrell.
After a successful month-long tour of England with Kendrick and Edwards, Ruffin died on June 1, 1991, in a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, hospital of "an adverse reaction to drugs" - namely cocaine. Although the cause of death was ruled an accident, Ruffin's family and friends suspected foul play, claiming that a money belt containing the proceeds from the tour ($300,000) was missing from his body. He had just finished recording the single "Hurt the One You Love" for Motorcity Records.
In The Temptations television miniseries, Ruffin's beaten body is depicted as being thrown from a moving car in front of a hospital, where he dies. Also stated in the mini-series was that his body remained unclaimed in a morgue for a week after his death. As a result, Ruffin's estate filed suit against NBC and other major players involved in the making of the series, claiming defamation. According to the plaintiffs in the case, Ruffin was actually taken to the hospital by a limousine and was escorted to the waiting area by his driver, who informed the attendants of his identity. The Ruffin children further state that his body was claimed by one of them within a few days after his death. (Ruffin's estate lost the lawsuit; the ruling against them was upheld on appeal.)
Ruffin had many admirers among his fellow artists, mainly for the emotive power he brought to every song he sang. "Nobody could sing like David Ruffin," said his close friend and colleague Martha Reeves (of Martha and the Vandellas fame). His contemporary, label-mate, and long-time acquaintance Marvin Gaye was particularly impressed with the virility of Ruffin's voice. Gaye said Ruffin's work "made me remember that when a lot of women listen to music, they want to feel the power of a real man."
Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates, one of Ruffin's biggest fans, said, "His voice had a certain glorious anguish that spoke to people on many emotional levels". Ruffin himself said, "I don't know what kind of voice I have, I really don't"...it's just about "the feeling I get for the song."
The raspy-voiced Rod Stewart fell in love with Ruffin's voice after he heard "I Wish It Would Rain". "It jumped out of the speakers and ravished my soul," Stewart exclaimed. Stewart would later become friends with Ruffin. "His voice was so powerful -- like a foghorn on the Queen Mary," Stewart told Rolling Stone magazine.
For all of his nearly forty years in the music business, much of it with modest success, Ruffin is remembered almost exclusively for his relatively brief stint in the Temptations. The cover art of his last album Gentleman Ruffin was the inspiration on the art of rapper Wiz Khalifa's mixtape Kush and Orange Juice.
In 1998, NBC aired The Temptations, a four-hour television miniseries about the group's career. Ruffin was portrayed by Leon Robinson (who uses the professional name "Leon"). The actor 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 memoir had been the source material for the miniseries. The case was dismissed in favor of the defendants, with Williams later claiming that he had no real control over the presentation of the material.
Grand Puba of Brand Nubian referenced the singer on the 1990 single "All for One", stating: "I hit a beat and swing a note as if my name was David Ruffin".
Rapper Machine Gun Kelly also referenced the singer on his 2013 song "See My Tears" stating:"Fought every temptation shit, I guess I’m David Ruffin huh?"
The first song on Fall Out Boy's 2005 CD From Under the Cork Tree was to have been titled "My Name is David Ruffin...and These are The Temptations" but for legal reasons, the name was changed (to "Our Lawyer Made Us Change the Name of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued").
Hotstylz used Ruffin's song and referred his name on their hip-hop single "Lookin' Boy".
American rap rock group Gym Class Heroes references Ruffin in the 2008 song "Like Father, Like Son (Papa's Song)" from their album The Quilt stating: "I never understood temptation. But I guess we both got a little David Ruffin in us."
Known for his unique raspy and anguished tenor vocals, Ruffin was ranked as one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2008. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 for his work with the Temptations. Fellow Motown recording artist Marvin Gaye once said admiringly of Ruffin that, "I heard [in his voice] a strength my own voice lacked."
Ruffin was born Davis Eli Ruffin in the rural unincorporated community of Whynot, Mississippi, fifteen miles from Meridian, Mississippi. He was the third born son of Elias "Eli" Ruffin, a Baptist minister, and Ophelia Ruffin (née Davis). His siblings were Quincy B. Ruffin, Rita Ruffin, and Jimmy L. Ruffin. His parents were both natives of Mississippi. His father Eli worked as a truck driver at a lumber mill and his mother Ophelia worked out of their home. As far as the ancestry of the Ruffin family, Eli's parents had moved from Alabama to Mississippi, due to the harsh circumstances of living after the American Civil War. Prior to living in Alabama, David Ruffin's great grandparents, John Ruffin and Clara Ruffin, had moved from Bertie County, North Carolina. John Ruffin was a Civil War Veteran, fighting with the 14th United States Colored Heavy Artillery Regiment.
Ruffin's father was strict and at times violently abusive. Ruffin's mother died just months after his birth and his father married a schoolteacher, Earline, in 1942. As a young child, Ruffin, along with his other siblings (older brothers Quincy and Jimmy, and sister Rita Mae), traveled with their father and their stepmother as a family gospel group, opening shows for Mahalia Jackson and The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, among others. Ruffin sang in the choir at Mount Salem Methodist Church, talent shows, and wherever else he could. In 1955, at the age of fourteen, he left home under the guardianship of a minister and went to Memphis, Tennessee with the purpose of pursuing the ministry.
At age 15, Ruffin went to Hot Springs, Arkansas with the jazz musician Phineas Newborn, Sr. There they played at the Fifty Grand Ballroom and Casino. Ruffin continued to sing at talent shows, worked with horses at a jockey club and eventually became a member of the Dixie Nightingales. He also sang with the Soul Stirrers briefly after the departure of Johnnie Taylor. It was in Ruffin's travels as a teenager that he met such later popular personalities as Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Frankie Lymon, Bobby Womack, the Staple Singers, the Swan Silvertones and the Dixie Hummingbirds.
After some of his singing idols like Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson had left gospel music and gone secular, Ruffin also turned in that direction. The 16-year-old Ruffin met and came under the guardianship of Eddie Bush and his wife Dorothy Helen, who took the teenager to Detroit, Michigan, where his brother Jimmy was pursuing a career in music while working at the Ford Motor Company.
After moving to Detroit with the Bushes, Ruffin recorded his first released records with the songs "You and I" (1958) b/w "Believe Me" (1958) and the original version of "Statue of a Fool." These songs were recorded at Vega Records and released under the name "Little David Bush", using the last name of the man he was living with at the time, Eddie Bush. Ruffin would later recall how he initially recorded "a different kind of music", strongly influenced by the smoother pop and R&B of the time, when he first recorded in Detroit for Vega.
In 1957, Ruffin met Berry Gordy, Jr., then a songwriter with ambitions of running his own label. 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 (later Motown Records) label. Ruffin's brother Jimmy would eventually be signed to Tamla's Miracle Records label as an artist.
Ruffin also 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. Asked about Ruffin in the Detroit Free Press in 1988, Gordy Fuqua said, "He was very much a gentleman, yes ma'am and no ma'am, but the thing that really impressed me about David was that he was one of the only artists I've seen who rehearsed like he was on stage."
Eventually, Ruffin started recording at Anna Records, and recorded the song "I'm in Love" b/w "One of These Days" (1961), with the Voice Masters, which included future Motown producer Lamont Dozier and members of the singing group the Originals Ty Hunter, C.P. Spencer, Hank Dixon and Voice Masters and The Originals founder Walter Gaines (and, at one time, it also had another future Temptations member, Melvin Franklin, one of numerous people David would claim as a cousin).
Ruffin eventually met an up-and-coming local group by the name of The Temptations. His older brother Jimmy Ruffin went on a Motortown Revue tour with the Temptations, and he told David that they needed someone to sing tenor in their group. Ruffin showed interest in joining the group to Otis Williams whom he lived very close to in Detroit. In January 1964, Ruffin became a member of the Temptations after founding member Elbridge "Al" Bryant was fired from the group (Ruffin's first recording session with the group was January 9, 1964). Though both David and his brother Jimmy were considered, David was given an edge over Jimmy thanks to his performance skills, which David displayed when he joined the Temptations on-stage during the New Year's Eve party in 1963.
The bespectacled Ruffin initially sang backgrounds, while the role of lead singer mostly alternated between Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams. He 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 considered not good enough to showcase Ruffin's vocals. Smokey Robinson, who produced and co-wrote most of the Temptations' material at this point, saw Ruffin during this period as a "sleeping giant" in the group with a unique voice that was, "mellow," yet, "gruff." Robinson thought that if he could write just the perfect song for Ruffin's voice, then he could have a smash hit. The song was to be something that Ruffin could "belt out" yet something that was also "melodic and sweet". That song, "My Girl", was recorded in November 1964 and released a month later, became the group's first number-one single in 1965. "My Girl" became the Temptations' signature song and elevated Ruffin to the role of lead singer and front man.
The follow-ups to "My Girl" were also extremely successful singles, including the Ruffin-led hits "It's Growing" (1965), "Since I Lost My Baby" (1965), "My Baby" (1965), "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" (1966), "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep" (1966), "(I Know) I'm Losing You" (1966), "All I Need" (1967), "(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need" (1967), "I Wish It Would Rain" (1967), and "I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)" (1968). Ruffin also shared lead vocals on the 1967 hit single "You're My Everything" with Eddie Kendricks. The tall, 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 group. He became addicted to cocaine and began missing 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). After the Supremes had their name changed to Diana Ross & the Supremes in early 1967, Ruffin 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 disagreements between Ruffin and the group's de facto leader, Otis Williams. In addition to the group's problems with Ruffin's ego, he began inquiring into the Temptations' financial records, demanding an accounting of the group's money. This caused friction between Ruffin and Gordy.
In June 1968, the Temptations agreed that Ruffin had finally crossed the line when he missed a June 22 Cleveland, Ohio date with the Temptations to instead attend a performance by his new girlfriend, Barbara Gail Martin (Dean Martin's daughter). Ruffin was fired on June 27 and replaced with Dennis Edwards, a former member of The Contours who had been a friend of Ruffin and the group as a whole beforehand. Though Ruffin himself personally encouraged Edwards to take his place, Ruffin began turning up unannounced at Temptations' concerts during Edwards' first few dates with the group. When the group started to perform a Ruffin-era song such as "My Girl" or "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", Ruffin would suddenly walk on to the stage, take the microphone from Edwards' hands, and steal the show, embarrassing the group but entertaining the fans. According to Edwards, the adulation and Ruffin's pleas convinced the other four Temptations to give Ruffin a second chance, but when he arrived late to what was to be his return show with the group in Gaithersburg, Maryland, The Temptations decided to keep Edwards and drop considerations of rehiring Ruffin.
In October 1968, Ruffin filed suit against Motown Records, seeking a release from the label and an accounting of his money. Motown counter-sued to keep the singer from leaving the label and eventually the case was settled. The settlement required Ruffin to remain with Motown to finish out his initial contract (Ruffin joined Motown as a solo artist and always had a separate contract from the other Temptations, which some felt caused a lot of the in-fighting within the group).
Ruffin's first solo single was a song originally intended for the Temptations, "My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)". The single from the album entitled My Whole World Ended was released in 1969 followed soon by the album Feelin' Good. The single reached the US Pop & R&B "Top Ten." A third album, titled David, was recorded in 1970-71, but was shelved by Motown and did not see a commercial release until 2004; his next official release for Motown did not arrive until 1973, when David Ruffin was released. His final Top Ten hit was 1975's "Walk Away from Love", produced by Van McCoy, which reached number nine on the Pop chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in February 1976. Other notable recordings from Ruffin's solo career include "I Lost Everything I've Ever Loved" (1969); the gospel-inflected "I'm So Glad I Fell For You" (1970); "Blood Donors Needed (Give All You Can)" (1973); "Common Man" (1973) (which was sampled on the 2001 Jay-Z song "Never Change"); "No Matter Where" (1974); "Who I Am" (1975); "Statue of a Fool" (1975); and cover versions of the Jackson Five's "I Want You Back", "Rainy Night in Georgia" popularized by Brook Benton (both recorded for the shelved 1970 album); and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' "I Miss You", featuring Eddie Kendrick (1973).
In 1970 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 (Comes Tumbling Down)" and "Your Love Was Worth Waiting For". While his solo career initially showed promise, Ruffin reportedly went into decline in part because of his cocaine addiction and the lack of support from Motown.
After leaving Motown in 1977, Ruffin recorded for Warner Bros. Records releasing the albums So Soon We Change (1979) and Gentleman Ruffin (1980), and later signed with RCA Records, accompanied by former Temptations band-mate Eddie Kendrick, who chose to rekindle their friendship when Kendrick himself started experiencing problems with the Temptations.
In 1982, Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks re-joined the Temptations for the recording of their album Reunion and the tour to promote the album. Reunion included the R&B hit "Standing on the Top" with Rick James. The reunion tour, however, was short lived as Ruffin started to miss shows due to his cocaine addiction, leading the group to be fined thousands of dollars. Otis Williams fired Ruffin for the second and final time from the group along with Kendricks (whose voice was weakened due to heavy chain smoking) by Christmas 1982. Ruffin started touring with Kendrick (who dropped the "s" from his last name at this time) as a duo act in 1985.
In 1982, Ruffin was sentenced to six months in a low-security prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, for failing to pay taxes during the mid-1970s. On May 19, 1986, he pleaded no contest to a charge of receiving and concealing stolen property worth less than $100 (a Colt .32-caliber handgun) and was fined $50 plus $100 in court costs. Charges of assault and battery and receiving stolen property worth more than $100 were dropped. A 1987 cocaine arrest landed him in jail for repeated parole violations.
In 1985, longtime Temptations fans Hall & Oates teamed up with Ruffin and Kendrick to perform at the re-opening of the Apollo Theater in New York. Their performance was released as a relatively successful live album and single. The four singers also sang a medley of Temptations hits at Live Aid on July 13, 1985. John Oates later wrote a minor hit single for Ruffin and Kendrick, but the two duos fell out, allegedly due to Daryl Hall's objections to Ruffin's heavy drug use. 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". On August 17, 2013 in Cleveland, Ohio The Official R&B Music Hall of Fame inducted David Ruffin as a solo artist and also a member of The Temptations. His family was on hand for this great honor.
Ruffin was married twice. His first marriage was to Sandra Ruffin in 1961 with whom he had three daughters, Cheryl, Nedra and Kimberly. In 1976, Ruffin married Joy Hamilton. He also had one son he named David Ruffin Junior with his former girlfriend Genna Sapia, who--after his death--would add "Ruffin" to her last name in tribute to their long-term relationship, as well as to the fact that they had a son together. The two lived as husband and wife, but were never legally married.
Ruffin also had a well publicized relationship with Motown label mate and Marvin Gaye duet partner, singer Tammi Terrell.
After a successful month-long tour of England with Kendrick and Edwards, Ruffin died on June 1, 1991, in a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, hospital of "an adverse reaction to drugs" - namely cocaine. Although the cause of death was ruled an accident, Ruffin's family and friends suspected foul play, claiming that a money belt containing the proceeds from the tour ($300,000) was missing from his body. He had just finished recording the single "Hurt the One You Love" for Motorcity Records.
In The Temptations television miniseries, Ruffin's beaten body is depicted as being thrown from a moving car in front of a hospital, where he dies. Also stated in the mini-series was that his body remained unclaimed in a morgue for a week after his death. As a result, Ruffin's estate filed suit against NBC and other major players involved in the making of the series, claiming defamation. According to the plaintiffs in the case, Ruffin was actually taken to the hospital by a limousine and was escorted to the waiting area by his driver, who informed the attendants of his identity. The Ruffin children further state that his body was claimed by one of them within a few days after his death. (Ruffin's estate lost the lawsuit; the ruling against them was upheld on appeal.)
Ruffin had many admirers among his fellow artists, mainly for the emotive power he brought to every song he sang. "Nobody could sing like David Ruffin," said his close friend and colleague Martha Reeves (of Martha and the Vandellas fame). His contemporary, label-mate, and long-time acquaintance Marvin Gaye was particularly impressed with the virility of Ruffin's voice. Gaye said Ruffin's work "made me remember that when a lot of women listen to music, they want to feel the power of a real man."
Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates, one of Ruffin's biggest fans, said, "His voice had a certain glorious anguish that spoke to people on many emotional levels". Ruffin himself said, "I don't know what kind of voice I have, I really don't"...it's just about "the feeling I get for the song."
The raspy-voiced Rod Stewart fell in love with Ruffin's voice after he heard "I Wish It Would Rain". "It jumped out of the speakers and ravished my soul," Stewart exclaimed. Stewart would later become friends with Ruffin. "His voice was so powerful -- like a foghorn on the Queen Mary," Stewart told Rolling Stone magazine.
For all of his nearly forty years in the music business, much of it with modest success, Ruffin is remembered almost exclusively for his relatively brief stint in the Temptations. The cover art of his last album Gentleman Ruffin was the inspiration on the art of rapper Wiz Khalifa's mixtape Kush and Orange Juice.
In 1998, NBC aired The Temptations, a four-hour television miniseries about the group's career. Ruffin was portrayed by Leon Robinson (who uses the professional name "Leon"). The actor 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 memoir had been the source material for the miniseries. The case was dismissed in favor of the defendants, with Williams later claiming that he had no real control over the presentation of the material.
Grand Puba of Brand Nubian referenced the singer on the 1990 single "All for One", stating: "I hit a beat and swing a note as if my name was David Ruffin".
Rapper Machine Gun Kelly also referenced the singer on his 2013 song "See My Tears" stating:"Fought every temptation shit, I guess I’m David Ruffin huh?"
The first song on Fall Out Boy's 2005 CD From Under the Cork Tree was to have been titled "My Name is David Ruffin...and These are The Temptations" but for legal reasons, the name was changed (to "Our Lawyer Made Us Change the Name of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued").
Hotstylz used Ruffin's song and referred his name on their hip-hop single "Lookin' Boy".
American rap rock group Gym Class Heroes references Ruffin in the 2008 song "Like Father, Like Son (Papa's Song)" from their album The Quilt stating: "I never understood temptation. But I guess we both got a little David Ruffin in us."
Questions
David Ruffin Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Questions' by these artists:
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08. Tech N9ne Shit was all good just a week ago Fiddled with that…
2-Timer You be asking questions You know I can't answer Like whats t…
50 Cent ft. Nate Dogg New York City You are now rocking, with 50 Cent You gotta…
50 Cent (ft Nate Dogg) New York City! You are now rapping, with 50 Cent You gotta…
A June & J Beat Yeah I never thought I would be this way Can't even look…
A Small Bird New York winter Take me from this feeling I can't name Far…
Aaron Rickel Lately I've been searching for The real you, nothing more…
AKB I got, questions on my mind I got, questions on my…
Allan Kingdom If you got questions, questions Damn, damn I got left, I got…
Amanda Bergman Questions, (shining?), where are you going now Defiling, wha…
Amen. The Animal This space between us grows. Like flowers in the spring. A…
Andrus Blackwood & Co You ever look up to the sky thinking "what's life?" Ever…
Anesthesia PH I don't feel like myself anymore I think I lost control Ever…
AP.9 La-la, la-la, yeah Can't describe Can't describe 커지는 내 마음 너도…
Artstrong I wanna know why this feels so right I wanna know…
Aṣa Tell me how many women shall their dreams come to…
Attrition For how long will your ghost walk with me? I…
Audio Two Pins and needles, needles and pins (yo D what's up) Pins…
B-Complex You go out when you get ready And you come…
B.R.E. So much you go through daily like How you know when…
Bamboo It's a lonely road out there we're all just waiting For…
Bang Have you ever felt the night Felt the wind around you Have…
Bayley Recently I found myself in a permanent slumber Medicate: cou…
bear bear & friends Bwrrrreennnnh- and then I turn into a car And then I'm…
Belle and Sebastian Chorus: Question, how many MC's do you know like this? The…
Bigg Dogg Why do I feel like im so dead inside Why do…
Blaque I want to know why this feels so right I want…
Blue Rain A road was taken to reach a goal That was never…
Bobby Darin How do you kill a mountain How do you make it…
Bradley Peck What is going on inside your head Just come and talk…
Brandenburg Well it's all right Now show me your face I need to…
Bride Is it heavy Is it white Can I stab it…
Broderick Jones I got questions Its 3am right now will you tell me…
BROWN Chris Oh, you deal with From the moment you was dancing in…
Brutal Fight To answer your questions, I'll let my yes mean yes…
Budapest You stepped into your car, I never knew it'd be…
Buffalo Springfield Where are we going love? What are you feelin'? Now that I've…
C.J. Bergmen I got a question that I really like to know I…
CADAVRA Questions remain Remain the same Remain unchanged They keep …
Caliph Questions questions questions questions Questions question…
Camila Cabello Why did you leave me here to burn? I'm way too…
Carl Broemel It takes a lot of work to not be burnt Save…
Cashmere Cam Uh uh In Givenchy when I'm steppin' In the mall I got…
Chance the Rapper Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment Why, why, why why Rain so hot in the neighbourhood My love…
Chicago Can this feeling that we have together Ooh, suddenly exist b…
Chordashian Wanna feel but I'm still dry You push forward, I pull…
Chordashian feat. Frances Rose Wanna feel but I'm still dry You push forward, I pull…
Chris Brown Oh, you deal with From the moment you was dancing in…
Chris Sigl You led me on for years And then I saw you…
Classified (Intro) Yeah, oh yeah (2x) [Verse 1] Now from the words I v…
Cliff Richard How to start? What to say? I don't remember ever feeling…
Collective Sound Members So many questions Oh yay So many questions Oh, these questio…
Common & Mos Def It's the questions (what) it's the questions boy It's the qu…
Con-Figure Redemption is something that's so hard to gain. What is frie…
Cozz What's a thought, my nigga? We don't think, nigga Pray (woo!…
Cross Movement (Tru-Life) Yeah, Wassup Tru-Life Here Lotta Questions... I…
D-Sisive Answer all your question baby Answer all your questions baby…
D.Reed (Ayzee) Each and every day I be broadin with my gang…
D.S.E. 君のことばかり思ってる 他のこと見えなくなってる 必ずその心臓(ハート) 射止める(誓う) イケてないのは古い話 惜しま…
Daysend For every word I write There's a thousand more (I need to…
De Wallen Take a good look in the mirror See the one who…
Dead-Line Why can't you be more like another anteater brother with…
Defiance Thousands of the unknown who have died Millions of the…
Dele Let me call my Mama one time Tell her that I…
Demons of Ruby Mae It′s not a question that I thought I'd ever answer Or…
Dj A.K.U I am a professional player In the game of portraits Do as…
DJ Shog %01 DuMonde a.k.a. JamX %26 De Leon Answer all your question baby Answer all your questions baby…
doctordec She worried bout me and my past She wanna see behind…
Dominogotbars I love the way that you look at me You love…
Domo Genesis Am I dreaming now, I can't tell the difference Is this…
Domo Genesis Da$H Kendra Foster Am I dreaming now, I can't tell the difference Is this…
Donnie Trumpet Why, why, why why Rain so hot in the neighbourhood My love…
Doo Art Hm, yeah, yeah Why do I feel like my life's ending…
Dramarama How's it going, how you doing, Are you feeling good tonight?…
Dvas Tell me how many women shall their dreams come to…
E S Does she love me, with all her heart Should I worry,…
E-40 Hitmaka Faded, got me callin' you all through the night, oh…
E. Hagen Does she love me, with all her heart Should I worry,…
E. White Hitmaka Faded, got me callin' you all through the night, oh…
Ed O.G. (Put out the word) --> Outloud Amazingly none of y'all am…
edIT definitely kind of like definitely kind of like definitely k…
Edo.G (Put out the word)--> Outloud [ VERSE 1 ] Amazingly none of…
Eleven & Jason D Easy to be taken with everything you're saying Make us perfe…
Emmanuel Hudson [Chorus:] Where? Who? You been Where! ? With Who! ? Mmmm. Fo…
Exorcizphobia How dare you take control over our whole time? Where once wa…
ËþÃ×ÑÇ(Tamia) I noticed you ain't been around lately I recognize there is…
Fabe Pour commencer on n'a pas toute la nuit, Pour se placer…
Far Caspian Don't think too much Understand it only takes a while when…
Fetty Wap Whoa-ooh, ooh, baby Whoa-ooh, ooh, whoa-oh That shit sound, …
Flo & Joan This recording was made to enable you to enjoy The…
For All It's Worth As I lay here in my bed. I dream of…
Francis Baby touching you’s a dream Its everything I thought it’d be…
GÅEL I just wanted to talk to you Fix what we had…
Gaise Baba & Tobi Toun There are questions troubling my mind Many answers leading t…
Gerald LeVert/Tamia I noticed you ain't been around lately I recognize there…
Gino J Shawty Gimme Time I'm Pulling Deh Don't Bother Wit…
Gospel Gangstaz (Verse 1) What can I do now that I'm under…
Greta Lovisa Got a question for you Does he make you feel good Is…
Hagen Do you believe in antichrist do you believe in God Do…
Haze-M This recording was made to enable you to enjoy The…
Heart-Tricks Is it yes or is it no Is it yes or…
High Contrast Why do you keep on holding Why do you keep keep…
Home Town Hero Everyone is made to break some But it's already happened tod…
Hometown Hero Everyone is made to break some But it's already happened to…
In Loving Memory So where did we go wrong? Where do we go from…
Incident Where in the hell are we going? Where in the hell…
Insane Clown Posse Why? why do these questions come to mind When the answer…
Intro5pect I raise my hand cause I've got another question Teacher can …
INXS How do you know when it's time for you to…
It's Alive Just give me the truth So I'm not surprised Girl, I've bee…
J-Statik ਕਾਹਤੋਂ ਛੱਡ ਗਈ ਐਂ ਤੂੰ ਮੈਨੂੰ? ਕਾਹਤੋਂ ਰੋਕਿਆ ਨੀ ਮੈਂ ਤੈਨੂੰ? ਕਾਹਤੋ…
J. Dash Am I dreaming now, I can't tell the difference Is this…
J. Rawls Does she love me, with all her heart should I worry,…
J/O Aye Lot of this shit ain't been addin' up Down for whatever,…
Jack Harlow Uh-huh Yo, turn my voice up Right here? Why I treat my brot…
Jack Johnson Questions, I've got some questions I want to know you But wh…
Jack Johnson (Children\'s) Questions, I've got some questions I want to know you But …
Jagged Edge I ain't tryin' to be funny baby But don't get too…
Jakob Dylan Eric Clapton & Stephen Stills Where are we going love? What are you feelin'? Now that I've…
Jared Tyler ARE YOU LOOKIN' FOR HELLO OR GOODBYE? ARE YOU SURE WHAT…
Jef and Dave Look A question for the new Prime Minister How'd you have a…
Jennifer Paige Stare into God's face Trying to find my place Keeps avoiding…
Jon McLaughlin Katie stands at the top of the stairs As she's leaving…
Joshua If I told you that I loved you would you…
JsP [Hook]: Fallin on my plates, say i'm on the way Pick me…
Judy Collins & Stephen Stills Where are we going love? What are you feelin'? Now that I've…
Just Us My baby loves me He told me that And I never question That…
JZAC Who, What, Where... What When How Look, Why Everything On th…
K-Otix Answer all your question baby Answer all your questions baby…
Kaize Adams So many questions I must ask myself today I wonder if…
Kaleem Taylor I've been distancing Thinking, things ain't been H…
Kill II This Insecurity my one true friend My symphony still my requiem …
Kimmortal The questions I have inside Tell me am I wrong or am…
Kit Sebastian Is truth imperfect? Yes, but imperfection is truth Do you a…
Knock-Out Once in a while, in a while I get in my…
Kurupt featuring Dr. Dre Kurupt: Check it out Here's a penn…
L.i.zee Why I'm crying right now Crying in the corner But you high…
Landon Wordswell & A June & J Beat Yeah I never thought I would be this way Can't even look…
Lasauce I got questions Questions unanswered So restless ngyiyazi bu…
Laws Lately I question my self Thats just me overthinking I'm goi…
Lily Rayne Yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah I got a question I would…
Little Big Town Do you still kill the radio pulling up the drive Still…
Lloyd Price What is the price of happiness? How can I find me…
Lo.max The question we all wanna know The question we don't wanna…
Loot Pack Chorus: Question, how many MC's do you know like this? The…
Lootpack feat. Quasimoto Ey Quasimoto man! (Quasimoto) Get off my back with…
Lost Frequencies How? Where? When? Why did it all go wrong? Who? Where? When?…
Lost Outrider You used to call my phone You used to need my…
Lucidious Pardon the attitude that I slowly developed Not too many fee…
Lucrecia Dalt Do you remember you've waited for this? Is it the way…
Luniz Dun dun dun dun dun duh [Chorus] The only way that I…
Luniz Richie Rich Dun dun dun dun dun duh [Chorus] The only way that I…
lupe fiasco f/ Jay-Z Somebody's pulling me closer to the ground I ain't panicked,…
Lutha Just this morning I asked a question And it seems that…
m-s This recording was made to enable you to enjoy The…
Made of Hate Why did you wear the mask?* Why did you tell me…
Madlib / Lootpack Chorus: Question, how many MC's do you know like this? The…
Maeta I know you haven't found the one And maybe I was…
Manfred Mann In a dream it would seem I went to those who…
Marc-Olivier Dupin I'm asking twenty questions I don't get twenty answers What …
Mariah Counts Woke up smiling to see your face again Right where I…
Marlisa Will I ever touch the Sky Will I ever know how…
Master Yeti Would you rather have a baller A gangsta Or entertainer Girl…
Matt Easton Okay. I seen some better days. Been inside a better…
Me Why would you hate if you knew I was chose…
Meg When I wander Is when I wonder Why your secrets Stay in the…
Middle Kids How am I supposed to trust you When you are lying…
Mike Scott Who's the man with the potion Dressed in velvet and gloves C…
Mind Riot [Words & music: Saikkonen] Sitting in room Naked under t…
mind.in.a.box When I feel water soaking me through, I cannot drown them. W…
MMEB In a dream it would seem I went to those who…
Moneybagg Yo Why you ask me that? You just can't fuck with me,…
Montell Jordan [Chorus] Got so, many, questions Everyone wants to know Wher…
Morgan Heritage [Intro:] And these are the questions That we Morgan Heri…
Mos Def & Common It's the questions (what) it's the questions boy It's the qu…
Motherjane Is time not an illusion? Why does that sound so insane? I'…
Mr. Dave Look A question for the new Prime Minister How'd you have a…
Mr. Live (Clears throat) Aww yeah Come on This song, it's about the p…
Mr. Pauli I got a question that I really like to know I…
Muzi & Tiro I don't even know if you are mine anymore Guess I…
MxPx Wonder and complete surprise It's all seen through those eye…
my favorite band I see your eyes sparkle in the night And then I'm…
N-ter (Nah bro, you gotta get Braydon on that shit) (She always…
N.A. You ever look up to the sky thinking "what's life?" Ever…
N.EX.T The name of this motherfucker is called Questions Rough Dra…
Nate Nics There's something bout the way You always talk to me When yo…
Nealo Well I can fall asleep making plans I've got angels…
Nebu Kiniza Who gon' have you caught up in the moment? Who gon'…
Nla feat. Luke Christopher Would you like the lights on, lights off Tell me what…
O.C. What if I don't wanna Hang with your mom (Just hang with…
Ocean Colour Scene There's a question Everybody's shouting out a question There…
Ola Onabule QUESTIONS Ola Onabule & Robert Greenfield © VERSE 1 I know…
Oliver dodge All i got is questions Spend all my time thinking it's…
Olivia Thom Oh Mother tell me what should I do? I've Been a…
Ooyah Tired of never knowing who I am now Work so hard…
OrcaMind Fade away, fade away all the voices hounding, everybody haun…
Organized Konfusion [Poetry] Yo, yo, yo, yo Pharoahe [Monch] Right, right [Poet…
Overstay Do you think the wind will ever come back to stroke…
P.I.S.S. Ngisacela uk'buza Uzalwani ubani Umuhle kanje Ngithanda ukub…
Papas Fritas How many words can you fit inside a suitcase? Packed it…
Perfidious Words I lived my whole life on a cloud A dead end…
Personal War People ask for wellness ask for property and fame but…
Pete Rock feat. Royal Flush Ay yo Flush you been around for a real long…
Petit Mort You really understand how this should be you understand all…
Philip G. Anderson Payback, I see you ridin' in that Maybach you said…
Piso Mojado You wanna take a walk And maybe we could talk And I…
Pizzicato Five (konishi) Translators: ed valdez, ayumi suzuki, ted mills …
Plankeye Are you feeling the same way? And can you understand all…
PNB Rock You keep on askin' me questions about who I'm textin'…
Pop Smoke Yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah (this is a Melo beat) I was…
Popcoin Let’s get it rattling around your mind Shake it up and…
Q-Unique My question for you is, who do you call when…
r.em.edy So much you go through daily like How you know when…
Rage And did they teach you love? Yes, they did but poor…
Ray Ray I'm sorry I hurt you I'm sorry that I made…
Razor Man Saying that you love me Telling me that you put nobody…
Real Boss ਤੈਨੂੰ ਪੁੱਛਣੇ ਸਵਾਲ ਕੁਜ ਦਿਲ ਨੇ ਰਕਾਣੇ ਥੋੜਾ ਕੋਲ ਮੇਰੇ ਹੋਕੇ…
REBENN These questions in my head They never ever let me rest…
Remember The Day Give me just a minute of your time Before I spend…
Richie Rich Dun dun dun dun dun duh [Chorus] The only way that I…
Robi and co You ever look up to the sky thinking "what's life?" Ever…
Rollercoaster X Too many of our lines begin with I I did this,…
Saint Jean J'suis peut être mal entouré J'ignore qui je suis vraiment J…
Samuel R. Auras I want to know where you got all your soul,…
Scott Mike Who's the man with the potion Dressed in velvet and gloves C…
Seabound Five a.m., I’m walking empty streets A humming sound fills t…
Secret Nation Remember when you told me That you loved me and you…
Shekhinah What happens if we let this start? We go too far…
Shystie [VERSE ONE] [HOST] Hello welcome to the Nathan never show T…
Sister James I thought I saw you In endless fields of green The water…
Skylar Stecker Baby I been puttin in the effort Sending over cards and…
Spheric Universe Experience What is this all ? Who am I ? Who are you ?…
St Leonards Now I know just what it feels like to live…
Stand How do you feel? How do you show? What makes you happy? And…
Static Girl, I got a question, what the hell you trippin'…
Stephen Stills Where are we going love? What are you feelin'? Now that I've…
Steven Curtis Chapman Who are You God For You are turning out to be So…
Stills & Collins Oui, c'est Still Fresh Baddy girl Bamby, yeah C'est pas une…
Studio-X I just got a que eh stion, it's gon take…
Sun of Sadness What if there is noone to love? What if there is…
Sweet What were you thinking yesterday What will you say tomorrow …
Sylvan They move in the rhythm of their time and keep…
T.B.A You go out when you get ready And you come…
T.O.N.E-z Somebody's pulling me closer to the ground I ain't panicked,…
T.r.u-L.i.f.e It's been so long since I've seen you last There's…
tacci I got a couple of questions Somebody give me an answer These…
Tamia I noticed you ain't been around lately I recognize there…
Tech N9ne Shit was all good just a week ago Fiddled with that…
Tempting Fate Here we go again We're in the same damn place witht…
THAMA feat. Joo Young 아무도 없는 밤 4AM 혼자 창문 너머 보이는 서울 Right before the…
The 7th Guest Falling down like a puzzle, You leave home And when nothin…
The Bam Bams Tick tock, I feel time movin faster Harnessin strength, you …
The Cross Movement (Tru-Life) Yeah, Wassup Tru-Life Here Lotta Questions... I…
The Devil's Rejects Am I a king without a crown Can I walk the…
The Killer And The Star Should I wait for you? Would you make me stand alone? Coul…
The Lootpack Chorus: Question, how many MC's do you know like this? The…
The PropheC ਕਾਹਤੋਂ ਛੱਡ ਗਈ ਐਂ ਤੂੰ ਮੈਨੂੰ? ਕਾਹਤੋਂ ਰੋਕਿਆ ਨੀ ਮੈਂ ਤੈਨੂੰ? ਕਾਹਤੋ…
The Social Experiment Why, why, why why Rain so hot in the neighbourhood My love…
The Zekilibrados THIS LIFE IS MADE OF QUESTIONS MOST ARE COMPLEX, SOME…
Thorough [Thorough] Hmm...questions They all know the name and they…
TIMŌRĀTUS The fool said with his heart that there is no…
To Nowhere Sometimes at night my eyes pop open It's as if someone…
Tori Kelly I heard that there are seasons To laugh and to cry I…
Tristam You paint me red in this light that isn't mine Finding…
Troy Ogletree Why do I, why do I Keep spinnin round, I waste…
Two Thousand and Four Aye Lot of this shit ain't been addin' up Down for whatever,…
V. Aura Turn my headphones up One, why you have to die like…
Visage Questions more questions Run round in my head No answers sol…
wywy All the things happened then All black puzzles in my head Yo…
Xentrix It's everything we do while we're here A fear or a…
Xs & ARROWs Don't you feel nice? Don't you feel right? Don't you feel…
YG Pablo Yeah Wow, wow Yeah Bébé ce soir mets ta robe (mets ta robe)…
You and I Inside, i feel confined, to my mind Is this where all…
Youth Brigade Why do we never get an answer when we're knocking…
yowha Lazy, sitting down on the balcony At night time full of…
ZELO 오늘 밤은 왠지 두근거리지 집에 갈 순 없지 눈부신 네가 있기 때문에 Like…
檢쵠饑(Tamia) I noticed you ain't been around lately I recognize there is…
Manfred Mann In a dream it would seem I went to those who…
We have lyrics for these tracks by David Ruffin:
Ain't Too Proud To Beg I know you wanna leave me, But I refuse to let…
Can I can't lose, can't lose With the work I'm putting…
Common Man I have dreamed a dream, there a common man Ah, hoping…
Don If loving you is wrong I don't wanna be right If being…
Each Day Is A Lifetime Call me free today If you see it my way Time on…
Everlasting Love Hearts go astray, leaving hurt when they go. I went away…
Everything Love is a flower that bloomes in the spring time.Beneath…
Feeling Alright Seems I've got to have a change of scene 'Cause every,…
Heaven Help Us All Heaven help the child who never had a home, Heaven help…
Heavy Love You left a yearning, in my heart And I can't soothe…
I Your love is fading, I can feel your love fading Girl it's…
I Can Easy, ready, willing, overtime, Where does it stop, where do…
I Can't Stop The Rain If I could move a mountain. I'd push one in your…
I Could Never Be President If I became President, I know I won`t last a…
I Don If loving you is wrong I don't wanna be right If being…
I Let Love Slip Away Huh uh uh uh uh... Ooh huh baby... I let love slip…
I Miss You Your love is fading, I can feel your love fading Girl it's…
I Miss You Part 1 Oh, oh (Oh, I) Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh (Oh, I) (I miss…
I Wanna Be With You Oh, babe Oh, when we met, I can't forget The way you…
I Want You Back When I had you to myself I didn't want you…
I Wish It Would Rain Sunshine blue skies please go away The girl has found anothe…
I'm in Love Think of your fellow man, lend him a helping hand Put…
I'm Just a Mortal Man I was just thinking to myself this morning You know what…
I'm Losing You Your love is fading, I can feel your love fading Girl it's…
I'm So Glad I Fell For You Yesterday my life was filled with sadness, I had little…
I've Got A Need For You See I′ve always been known as a strong man Though a…
I've Got To Find Myself A Brand New Baby Mmm, hmm The love I thought would never die Came to a…
I've Lost Everything I've Ever Had Hmm, hmm, hmm-mmm I was raised an only child My folks died…
Just Let Me Hold You for a Night (Make it alright) if you let me ou ou Make it alright Al…
Let Somebody Love Me Cold lonely streets and neon signs. People from behind their…
Love It's not that I don't love you,you know how much…
Loving You If loving you is wrong I don't wanna be right If being…
Mountain Of Memories I can tear your picture from the wall But it won't…
My Girl I've got sunshine on a cloudy day When it's cold outside…
My Love Is Growing Stronger woah oh ohoh yah yah hey, i know im not the kind for…
My Whole World Ended Last week my life had meaning, it was beautiful and…
My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me) My Whole World Ended David Ruffin Last week my life had mea…
My World Ended Last week my life had meaning, it was beautiful and…
On And Off From day to day you keep me guessing Whether you're mine,…
Put A Little Love In Your Heart Think of your fellow man, lend him a helping hand Put…
Rainy Night In Georgia Hoverin' by my suitcase Tryin' to find a warm place to…
Slow Dance Slow it down Ooh, baby Slow it down I′ve been watchin' you a…
Statue Of A Fool Somewhere there should be, for all the world to see A…
Still In Love With You These are not merely words on paper I miss your love…
The Double Cross Let me tell you all about it Sometimes, I think about…
Walk Away From Love It's not that I don't love you,you know how much…
What You Gave Away You've given me so much warmth I don't see how I…
Wild Honey Not too bitter Not too sweet Girl your loving just right for…
World Of Darkness The sun maybe shining sunny and bright But my world…
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George Brown
on I Miss You, Pt. 2
David Ruff in is the best of the best okkk miss your voice sir.
George Brown
on I'm So Glad I Fell For You
David is this best