DAILY DIRT: The tempting Temptations left quite a legacy, especially David Ruffin

May 10, 2025 | By Steve Eighinger MRN Minister of Culture and Doctor of Love

Daily Dirt for Saturday, May 10, 2025

Ruffin’s 1964-68 involvement cemented the group’s standing as one of the all-time greats … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,279 of The Daily Dirt.

1. We’re now getting into the rarefied air of our week-long rankings of the top American bands/groups of the 1960s.

May I present to you the runner-up:

No. 2: The Temptations

The Temptations enjoyed success before and after David Ruffin. For me, though, the gravelly voiced Ruffin WAS the Temptations, and he anchored the finest overall era of their long and distinguished career, singing lead on an impressive string of major hits.

Ruffin was the featured performer for this admired group from 1964 through 1968. He was the lead voice on such classics as “My Girl,” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “Beauty Is Only Skin Deep,” “(I Know) I’m Losing You,” “All I Need,” “I Wish It Would Rain” and “I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)”. Ruffin also shared lead vocals on “You’re My Everything” with Eddie Kendricks. Ruffin later scored two top 10 singles as a solo artist, “My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)” and “Walk Away from Lov e.”

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 and again in 2023. 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.”

Sadly, an addiction to cocaine eventually was Ruffin’s undoing and led to his expulsion from the group. His 1991 death was a result of an overdose of crack cocaine.

The Tempts secured four No. 1 songs on the Billboard pop charts and 14 on the Billboard Rhythm and Blues rankings. The group was the first from Motown to win a Grammy Award, plus the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (in 2013).

Only one of the original Tempts is still living: Otis Williams. Along with Ruffin and Kendricks, the other members of the original lineup, Paul Williams and Melvin Franklin, have all passed away.

The Temptations were ranked No. 68 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” in 2010. In 2023, the group was ranked No. 1 by Billboard magazine on its list of the on the “100 Greatest R&B/Hip-Hop Artists Of All Time”.

My favorite songs from the Tempts include:

“I Wish It Would Rain” (1968): This was the final release from what was termed the group’s “Classic Five” era that included Ruffin, Kendricks, Otis Williams, Paul Williams and Franklin.

“(I Know) I’m Losing You” (1966): “I’m hurt, downhearted and worried, girl … ”

“Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” (1966): You might remember this from the soundtrack of the 1983 film “The Big Chill”

One item connected to the Temptations was their impressive choreography. Those guys moving behind Ruffin proved to be as entertaining as his incredible voice. Long live the tempting Temptations.

2. Did you know (Part 358)

That the Temptations were originally called the Elgins.
That Stevie Wonder signed with Motown’s Tamla label at the age of 11. Tamla eventually became Motown Records.
That The Jackson 5 were the first black male group to debut with four consecutive number one hits on the Hot 100 with the songs “I Want You Back”, “ABC”, “The Love You Save”, and “I’ll Be There”
That the Temptations had 37 top 40 hits to their credit.
That during the decade of the 1960s, the Motown label produced 79 top-10 record in the Billboard Hot 100.