Davis Eli Ruffin was born, in the rural unincorporated village of Whynot, Mississippi, 15 miles outside Meridian.
He was the third child of Baptist clergyman Elias “Eli” Ruffin and Ophelia Ruffin. Quincy B. Ruffin, Reada Mae Ruffin, and Jimmy Lee Ruffin were his siblings. Rosine, Ruffin’s other sister, died when she was a child.
David Ruffin parents: Meet Eli Ruffin, Ophelia Ruffin
David Eli Ruffin (born Davis Eli Ruffin; January 18, 1941 – June 1, 1991) was an American soul singer and musician best known as one of the Temptations’ lead singers from 1964 to 1968, during the group’s “Classic Five” phase. He sang the lead vocals for hit songs including “My Girl” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.”
Ruffin, known for his distinct raspy and tortured tenor vocals, was named one of Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Singers of All Time in 2008. For his work with the Temptations, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.
Marvin Gaye, another Motown recording artist, once stated of Ruffin, “I heard [in his voice] a strength my own voice lacked.”
