David Ruffin: The Man Behind the Glasses

Just curious about the previously announced book to be published entitled David Ruffin: The Man Behind The Glasses. I had an email from Cheryl Ruffin in January of 2015 advising that the "book will be out this year."

Has anyone heard anything at all about this book? I intend to send Cheryl a follow up email and will advise of any response about publication.

The cover is worth 1,000 words alone. If the book is never published, I would like to at least get a cover for my collection.

www.davidruffin.net

I do hope it is not one of those dreadful warts and all demolition of an artist no longer around to defend himself. We all know Ruffin was a deeply flawed character and whilst any book would have to touch upon the seedier side of his life I would much rather focus on the wonderful musical legacy this vocal genius left behind.

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Originally Posted by Bluebrock

I do hope it is not one of those dreadful warts and all demolition of an artist no longer around to defend himself. We all know Ruffin was a deeply flawed character and whilst any book would have to touch upon the seedier side of his life I would much rather focus on the wonderful musical legacy this vocal genius left behind.

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I agree 100%

edafan

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Originally Posted by Bluebrock

I do hope it is not one of those dreadful warts and all demolition of an artist no longer around to defend himself. We all know Ruffin was a deeply flawed character and whilst any book would have to touch upon the seedier side of his life I would much rather focus on the wonderful musical legacy this vocal genius left behind.

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Cheryl Ruffin is his eldest daughter. It would surprise me if she demolished her father. The book is supposed to include a large number of unpublished photos that have not been shown before. It should be worth it for these photos of him in action.

David Ruffin ???
A legend
A star ................No !!!! a superstar
Hard for me to express what I know and knew.

David Eli Ruffin was a legend, an icon, a superstar... that's all I got to say about this lol

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Originally Posted by midnightman

David Eli Ruffin was a legend, an icon, a superstar... that's all I got to say about this lol

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David is a giant of a legend! A totally iconic figure in American Music.

These books are getting to be abit much,how old is his daughter and how close was she to him?

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Originally Posted by arr&bee

These books are getting to be abit much,how old is his daughter and how close was she to him?

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I don't know the answer to that question but there must be some unsavoury parts in the book for her to have been given the go ahead to write it in the first place otherwise there would have been little demand for the book. I will stick with my hip-o-select cds and ignore this unless someone tells me it is not one of those awful scandal filled pieces of garbage.

UPDATE: I had an email from Cheryl Ruffin this morning in which she states,

" I had to have some more information added to the book. Thank you for your patience. The book will definitely be out by the spring of 2016. "

So we can still look forward to it.

I also would not want to read a fluff piece like Aretha's biography. There has to be a balance

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Originally Posted by luke

I also would not want to read a fluff piece like Aretha's biography. There has to be a balance

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There will be if she interviewed David Jr. for the book.

UPDATE: I just had an email from Cheryl Ruffin over the weekend in which she states that she keeps coming across good material for the book and assured me it will be published next spring.

So we can still look forward to it.

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Originally Posted by woodward

UPDATE: I just had an email from Cheryl Ruffin over the weekend in which she states that she keeps coming across good material for the book and assured me it will be published next spring.

So we can still look forward to it.

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Thanks for the follow up Woodward.

David was really something else .......

Attachment 11701

So... when is this book coming? Is Cheryl the only relative writing it or...?

On 9/12/16, Cheryl advised me that the book would be published next spring. Spring has sprung, but the book has not sprung.

I am going to send her another email today and make an inquiry. I will post the response I get if and when I get it. Stay tuned.

This is an interesting thread, thank you for bringing it back, Bill. I hope the book gets published, and that it's good. After all, David Ruffin was probably the greatest soul singer ever to live! :D

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Originally Posted by TomatoTom123

This is an interesting thread, thank you for bringing it back, Bill. I hope the book gets published, and that it's good. After all, David Ruffin was probably the greatest soul singer ever to live! :D

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One can eliminate the word "probably"

edafan

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Originally Posted by edafan

One can eliminate the word "probably"

edafan

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Hehe, yes edafan, you probably -- no, definitely -- can!

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Originally Posted by Bluebrock

I do hope it is not one of those dreadful warts and all demolition of an artist no longer around to defend himself. We all know Ruffin was a deeply flawed character and whilst any book would have to touch upon the seedier side of his life I would much rather focus on the wonderful musical legacy this vocal genius left behind.

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Got to say I disagree with this Bluerock.
David will surely have answered to the Lord for his part in the downfall of Tammi Terrell, but that does not in any way diminish his artistry, rather, understanding more about him as a person, including his failings, helps us form a greater and wider appreciation of him.
This is true BTW of classic fine artists, Carravaggio was on the run for murder for much of his life, but that undermine his paintings?
There have been a couple of outstanding books in the past few years which lead us to a greater appreciation of artistry.
For example I believe that David Ritz's magnificent biog of Aretha tells us so much about her that it helps us realise where that soul really came from. But her [[many) human failings, do not detract to any degree at all from her status as the Queen.
Same for Curtis Mayfield, the recent book by his son makes it clear that his attitude to women left something to be desired, but then again he was a human being and a man of his times. And he was also – more than anyone else- the culminating poet of the black American experience.
Great artists are not just heroes to be put on a pedestal, they are people who need to be understood, because that understanding is part of admiration. The list is pretty much endless - Gil Scott Heron was a coke addict….Dinah Washington's drug habit killed her at just 39.
Minor sins as a person are often the flip side of artistry and need to be understood too. Nina Simone often had contempt for her audiences. Jean Terrell could sing like an angel, yet was by repute often difficult to work with.

The list of examples could go on and on, but I've made my point I guess

I just had an email dated 4/16/17 from Cheryl Ruffin in which she states: ". . . Good to here[[sic) from you. the book is still coming out it's been prolong[[sic) because I keep adding to it. I'm still working hard to get it out. . . . I'm in the process of rapping[[sic) it up to get the book out. I have to make sure it's right. . . . thank you for your continued interest. . . ."

That's it folks. Stay tuned.

I just got an email from David's daughter Cheryl who is behind the book. She told me that she is looking at getting the book out this year. Looking at June.

I told her in view of Motown60 this would be the year to get it published.

Keep your fingers crossed. I am certain there will be a lot of items and pictures in it that you are unaware of and have not seen.

I assume such a book written by an adoring family member will be a soft highly cleansed pictorial mostly sans the warts [[of which there were certainly plenty). I trust a story without the complete story, especially when telling a story about some will suffer in sales, although will satisfy the diehard fans who will likely enjoy a good pictorial...She may have some photographs that fans will enjoy, but don't expect a hard hitting incisive lens into his life...

Is this book actually going to be published? Just going back through the thread it seems it never quite gets there! Hopefully it does! :)

SADLY,WE HUMANS NEED AREN'T SATISFIED UNLESS THERE'S SOME DIRT THROWN,BUT BEING THE HYPOCRITES WE ALL ARE IT WOULD BE THE END ALL IF A BOOK WAS WRITTEN ABOUT OUR LIVES WARTS OF COURSE THROWN IN,WE GET SO BORED IF THERE'S NO DIRT..[sad!!]YES I'M JUST AS BAD AS ANYONE ELSE SAY ONE THING BUT WOULD BE BORED TO TEARS IF A STORY HAS NO DIRT,WE HUMANS ARE A TRIP!!!

Well I hope the book is absent the typos her email contains. But typos or not, I hope the book gets published. There's tons of books written about Abe Lincoln and Martin Luther King and tons of other historical figures, some of which are not flattering at all. Our musical history makers like David shouldn't be exempt from this. Any account of his life has to be considered a piece of the puzzle, particularly when it's written by his own family.

I guess this book was just a wishful thought. It's obviously not going to get published after years of promises. If she could just publish unseen photos that would make me happy.

I had an email from Cheryl Ruffin in response to my inquiry today and she advises that the book is still being worked on. Latest projection is a publication date of June 2021. I told her that there are fans who are interested in seeing it published. She assured me that it is still coming. So we will have to put this on our tickler file for late May 2021 in hopes that it is published in June of 2021.

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Originally Posted by RanRan79

Well I hope the book is absent the typos her email contains. But typos or not, I hope the book gets published. There's tons of books written about Abe Lincoln and Martin Luther King and tons of other historical figures, some of which are not flattering at all. Our musical history makers like David shouldn't be exempt from this. Any account of his life has to be considered a piece of the puzzle, particularly when it's written by his own family.

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Publishing is a business. If there is no book, it was determined there is no profit to be made. They would publish a book on a potato if there was a significant demand.

Like most, it is a book that so many have wanted and/or looked forward to for decades. Having read the completely biased "Genna Sapia -Ruffin" book on David, a more accurate and balanced view of David's life needs finally to be told. So many conspiracy,untrue theories and stories are just so wrong.
There are a number of things that It is therefore necessary to finally put things to right. For example the Tammi Terrell story around David's explosive relationship with Tammi [[which might be true to a degree) but he was not responsible for what then happend to her. Having read James Brown's Bio and then "The Real Tammi Terrell My Sister Tommie" which references the "Vicous Beatings" she endured when living with James Brown, It is therefore more than likely that the abuse she endured at that time with J.B. was more related to her future collapse and brain damage.
Can't wait look forward to the book issue!