SINGER

David Ruffin

1941 - 1991

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Icon of person David Ruffin

David Eli Ruffin (born Davis Eli Ruffin; January 18, 1941 – June 1, 1991) was an American soul singer most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations (1964–1968) during the group's "Classic Five" period as it was later known. Ruffin was the lead voice on such famous songs as "My Girl" and "Ain't Too Proud to Beg." He later scored two top-ten singles as a solo artist, "My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)" and "Walk Away from Love." 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. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of David Ruffin has received more than 5,651,196 page views. His biography is available in 20 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 18 in 2019). David Ruffin is the 2,060th most popular singer (down from 2,048th in 2019), the 11,057th most popular biography from United States (up from 11,112th in 2019) and the 536th most popular American Singer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 5.7M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 50.01

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 20

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 1.27

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 4.08

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among SINGERS

Among singers, David Ruffin ranks 2,060 out of 4,381. Before him are Jason Kouchak, Mary Costa, Jack Jones, Mahendra Kapoor, Campino, and Siobhan Fahey. After him are Bosson, Jam Master Jay, Annie Haslam, Matthieu Chedid, Soraya, and Bebe.

Most Popular Singers in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1941, David Ruffin ranks 583. Before him are Bjørn Hasløv, Gordon Tootoosis, Bertrand Halperin, Dale Chihuly, Meinhard Nehmer, and Elías Muñoz. After him are Viktor Zinger, Jan Kowalczyk, Ron Brown, Alan Mullery, Luis Cruzado, and Rubén Correa. Among people deceased in 1991, David Ruffin ranks 258. Before him are Alden Sanborn, Redd Foxx, Ambrus Nagy, Eleanor Audley, Pavel Morozenko, and Paulo Muwanga. After him are Forrest Towns, Vera Stroyeva, Károly Bartha, Pat O'Callaghan, Charlie Barnet, and Roger Revelle.

Others Born in 1941

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Others Deceased in 1991

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In United States

Among people born in United States, David Ruffin ranks 11,057 out of 20,380. Before him are Martha Coolidge (1946), Kim Wayans (1961), Tom McGrath (1964), William Gillette (1853), Brian Teacher (1954), and Tom Scholz (1947). After him are Ken Salazar (1955), Post Malone (1995), Mike Bryan (1978), Valerie Bertinelli (1960), Phyllis Thaxter (1919), and Harvey Pekar (1939).

Others born in United States

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Among SINGERS In United States

Among singers born in United States, David Ruffin ranks 536. Before him are Macklemore (1983), Sheb Wooley (1921), Bobbie Gentry (1942), Slim Thug (1980), Mary Costa (1930), and Jack Jones (1938). After him are Jam Master Jay (1965), Soraya (1969), Dave Williams (1972), Rudy Vallée (1901), Johnny Tillotson (1938), and David Miller (1973).

American born Singers

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