Editing David Ruffin (section)

===Early years===
After moving to Detroit with the Bushes, Ruffin recorded his first released record with the songs "You and I" (1958) b/w "Believe Me" (1958). These songs were recorded at Vega Records and released under the name "Little David Bush", using the last name of his guardian. Ruffin would later recall how he initially recorded "a different kind of music", strongly influenced by the smoother pop and R&B of the time, when he first recorded in Detroit for Vega.<ref name="StreetGold">{{cite AV media|people=Farag, Henry|year=1992|medium=VHS videocassette|title=David Ruffin|publisher=Street Gold Records|location=Merrillville, Indiana}}</ref>

In 1957, Ruffin met [[Berry Gordy Jr.]], then a songwriter with ambitions of running his own label.<ref name="RuffinEarlyYears"/> Ruffin lived with Gordy's father, a [[General contractor|contractor]], and helped "Pops" Gordy do construction work on the building that would become [[Hitsville USA]], the headquarters for Gordy's [[Tamla Records]] (later [[Motown Records]]) label.<ref name="RuffinEarlyYears"/><ref name="StreetGold"/> Jimmy Ruffin would eventually be signed to Tamla's Miracle Records label as an artist.

Ruffin also worked alongside another ambitious singer, [[Marvin Gaye]], as an apprentice at [[Anna Records]], a [[Chess Records|Chess]]-distributed label run by Gordy's sister [[Gwen Gordy Fuqua]] and his songwriting partner [[Roquel Billy Davis|Billy Davis]].<ref name="RuffinEarlyYears"/><ref name="StreetGold"/>

Asked about Ruffin in the ''[[Detroit Free Press]]'' in 1988, Gordy Fuqua said: "He was very much a gentleman, yes ma'am and no ma'am, but the thing that really impressed me about David was that he was one of the only artists I've seen who rehearsed like he was on stage".<ref name=soulbot/> According to Ruffin, both he and Gaye would pack records for Anna Records.{{citation needed|date=December 2017}}

Ruffin created music as both the vocalist and drummer in the Voice Masters, a [[doo-wop]] style combo<ref name="Ruffin, David 2016">{{cite book|chapter=Ruffin, David|title=Encyclopedia of Popular Music|editor-first=Colin|editor-last=Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|location=London, England|date=2016|isbn=9780195313734}}</ref> and eventually started recording at Anna Records, where he recorded the song "I'm in Love" b/w "One of These Days" (1961), with the Voice Masters, a group which included future Motown producer, [[Lamont Dozier]]. Other group members included members of [[The Originals (band)|The Originals]]: Ty Hunter, CP Spencer, Hank Dixon and (Voice Masters and The Originals founder) Walter Gaines. (At one time, The Voice Masters also included another future Temptations member, [[Melvin Franklin]], one of numerous people David would claim as a cousin).<ref name="RuffinEarlyYears"/> Ruffin did sign to Anna Records as a solo artist, but his work in that time was unsuccessful.<ref name="Ruffin, David 2016"/>

Ruffin eventually met an up-and-coming local group by the name of [[the Temptations]]. His older brother, Jimmy, went on a [[Motortown Revue]] tour with the Temptations, and he told David that they needed someone to sing [[tenor]] in their group. Ruffin shared his interest in joining the group with [[Otis Williams]], who also lived in Detroit.

In January 1964, Ruffin became a member of the Temptations after founding member Elbridge "Al" Bryant was fired from the group. Ruffin's first recording session with the group was January 9, 1964. Ruffin and his brother both auditioned to join the group, but they ultimately chose David after he performed with them on stage during the label's New Year's Eve party in 1963.<ref>Williams and Romanowski (1988), pp. 68–70.</ref>