 If you check your American charts this week, you'll find that David Ruffin — after a break of some two years — is riding both singles and album charts. There have been times when even his most devoted follower gave serious thought to the possibility that David was going to be bypassed and forgotten — because that was the impression that had, until very recently, been leaked out of Motown. On leaving the Temptations back in 1968, David immediately exploded as a solo artist with the chart-topping "My Whole World Ended" and then was gradually permitted to subside in terms of both recordings and sales. Thus, within a couple of years of that initial explosion, David had all but vanished from sight and a year or so back there was serious consideration as to whether he and Motown would be able to get together over the renewment of his recording contract with them. Happily for all concerned, all of that is part of the past and it's history now that Motown persuaded producer of the moment, Van McCoy, to turn his creative ability towards David — a chore that gave him as much pleasure as it did David.
The immediate result is the album, "Who I Am" — and it's from this album that the single of "Walk Away From Love" has been culled. "I've always had the greatest of respect and admiration for Van McCoy," David enthused over the phone on one of his rare trips to Los Angeles. "And recording together is something that he and I have discussed on many occasions. I've seen him working before and I really loved the way he worked — and I now appreciate more fully not only what a fine arranger and producer he is, but what a genuinely nice guy he is, too. And this helps a great deal! When I re-signed with the company, it was the first request I made and I'm pleased to say that the company agreed completely. Van treats everybody with so much…respect I For example, he allowed me to screen the songs before the selection was actually made. And I was at every session — even for the smallest little thing because he felt it was important. And if he was ready early, he would even wait for me to arrive so that nothing got past without me knowing. And he even sings backgrounds on the album you know!"
All of which is a far cry from David's recording experiences in prior years. His initial solo album — titled after the hit, "My Whole World Ended", was in true Motown tradition and featured a whole potpourri of production talents. The second set, "Feelin' Good", was done the same way and then there was a three year delay until the third album was released — titled simply "David Ruffin" and produced by Bobby Miller. Then last year David got back together with his old Temptation producer, Norman Whitfield, to come up with the "Me And Rock 'n' Roll Are Here To Stay" album. "After that album," he can now confess with a smile, "I seriously gave thought to retiring. But I realised that what I needed was another system. Until now, I've always been told how to sing — I've worked with producers who want me to sound like an extension of them. And there's not much point in that, right? With Van, though, he left me to sing my way — he left the studio during some of my vocal sessions, that's how much faith he had in the way I sing naturally. And Van was the first of all the producers I've ever worked with who took the time and trouble to listen to the songs I had written myself and for myself. He figured that if I had written them with me in mind, I might know what I was doing. That's how "Statue Of A Fool", which I wrote, came to be on the LP. It's the first time I have ever been allowed to record one of my own songs, would you believe? The nearest I can come to the way I've worked with Van is the way it was with Smokey back in the Temptations days — on songs like "My Girl" and "Since I Lost My Baby", you'll hear that same natural approach because he told me to sing my way. "My Girl" was done on the very first take, you know! No, this LP is easily the best work I've done as a solo artist — it's natural and the real me. Yes, I do have favourites on the album, though. I'm proud of "Statue Of A Fool", of course, because of what it means to me — then I particularly like "Wild Honey", "It Takes All Kind Of People". And, of course, "Walk Away From Love" which I chose as the single myself and which I feel is perhaps my best performance on record to date. I was so relaxed for every vocal session that I'm at what I consider to be my best. In one session of three hours, I completed four songs — "Love Can Be Hazardous", "Heavy Love", "Wild Honey" and "Walk Away From Love" — so that can give you some indication of how well it all went."
Currently, David is involved in a nationwide tour to promote his new product, complete with his five piece band, the Ruff Riders. His immediate plans for the early months of this new year do include a proposed European tour and that is something he greatly looks forward to because he has fond memories of his previous treks over here with the Temps. Like the headline reads, 'Ruffins Ready' — and the good news is that we are, too, because the record looks like giving Tamla Motown a golden start to '76.
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