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SINGER

David Ruffin

1941 - 1991

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David Ruffin (born Davis Eli 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 (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 5,232,449 page views. His biography is available in 18 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 17 in 2019). David Ruffin is the 2,056th most popular singer (down from 1,916th in 2019), the 11,137th most popular biography from United States (down from 10,545th in 2019) and the 590th most popular American Singer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 5.2M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 39.64

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 18

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 1.19

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.76

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Page views of David Ruffins by language


Among SINGERS

Among singers, David Ruffin ranks 2,056 out of 3,528. Before him are Myriam Fares, The D.O.C., Glen Hansard, Marta Sánchez, Chuck D, and Rag'n'Bone Man. After him are William DuVall, Aysel Teymurzadeh, David Johansen, David Allan Coe, Freddie Aguilar, and Hope Sandoval.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1941, David Ruffin ranks 500. Before him are David Walker, Jan Kowalczyk, Barrett Strong, Rainer Simon, Chuck McKinley, and Bertrand Halperin. After him are Bobby Goldsboro, Frederick Hauck, Twyla Tharp, Ron Brown, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, and Trent Lott. Among people deceased in 1991, David Ruffin ranks 239. Before him are Kenas Aroi, Roy Welensky, Adrian Quist, Aline MacMahon, Angus Wilson, and John Kerr. After him are Yanka Dyagileva, Happy Chandler, Danny Thomas, Abel Kiviat, Natalie Schafer, and Charlie Barnet.

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 11,137 out of 18,182. Before him are Jeff Bennett (1962), Bob Steele (1907), Jack Holt (1888), Mike Inez (1966), Tim Reid (1944), and Richard LeParmentier (1946). After him are Stephen Dunham (1964), William DuVall (1967), Matthew Rush (1972), Bob Kulick (1950), Randy Jackson (1956), and Angie Everhart (1969).

Others born in United States

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Among SINGERS In United States

Among singers born in United States, David Ruffin ranks 590. Before him are Roy Clark (1933), Hayley Williams (1988), Martika (1969), Lydia Lunch (1959), The D.O.C. (1968), and Chuck D (1960). After him are William DuVall (1967), David Johansen (1950), David Allan Coe (1939), Hope Sandoval (1966), Ernestine Anderson (1928), and Bobby Goldsboro (1941).

American born Singers

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