Playlist:
Our Favorite Memory
I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)
The Things We Have To Do
Don’t Feel Sorry For Me
That’s You Girl
On The Avenue
Jimmy Ruffin is best known for his 1966 hit What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted, a song that was originally written for the Spinners -- and maybe for the fact that in 1964, after he had left the Army, he declined Motown’s invitation to replace Elbridge Bryant in the Temptation. Jimmy let his younger brother David have that spot ... The rest is history. (Of course, there is another version of the story, but that one is less credible, in my opinion.)
He followed this initial success with two more songs who made the charts I’ve Passed This Way Before and Gonna Give Her All The Love I Got (1966/1967). The Temptations later covered the songs with David Ruffin as lead singer.
After his initial success, Jimmy found himself struggling to score any more hits. He began eying the British scene, and in 1970 he finally landed three top ten hits in the UK. His British fans even voted him the world’s top singer.
I Am My Brother’s Keeper, the album he recorded for Motown together with his brother David, just recently has been re-released, and nowadays is being touted as a gem. In 1970, at the time of the original release, it was hardly noticed. That’s life, people!
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