Blog “Of The Brokenhearted” A Tribute To The More “Grounded” Ruffin Brother – Jimmy

I loved everything about David Ruffin as lead of The Temptations and thereafter when he recorded solo, especially on “My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)” and the Van McCoy production, “Walk Away From Love”.  I didn’t even connect the vinyl dots to realize that he had an older brother who could sing just as well in his own right until, [ I can’t remember when it was ] one day I acquired and really looked at the label of the 45rpm record, “What becomes Of The Brokenhearted” by Jimmy Ruffin and wondered as I played it, was this guy related to David. Or maybe I had a previous inkling… There was no “Googling” back then to learn instantly the answer, and so I had to rely upon my “ear” for music which heard the similarities of voice that let me know these two singers were related for sure!

I have used Jimmy’s biggest hit to accentuate at least two blogs here at ‘Achilliad‘ since I began to do this in 2009.  One was me crying the blues about some chick that deserted me in love back in, I think, 2008 or nine, the other more recently as a part of a collection of “tune wedgies” that I had get off my (mind) chest.

But this post, Jimmy, is for YOU. Posthumously, yes, but I was always by your side due to the anthem of unrequited love that you gave us. With tears wanting to well-up behind my eyes, I dedicate this post to you, Jimmy, who, unbeknownst to you because we never met, held my hand many a night whey I really cried over a lost love. If I were the Program Director of a radio station right now, I would play a whole hour of your music, both the familiar and obscure even if I had to play “What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted” back-to-back-to-back-to-back and then some. You were a non-spotlight seeker whose light of class and groundedness belied the showbiz stereotypes. London was a good place for you to be more appreciated – good move to go there, Sir!

Here is one by Jimmy that is really the first time I heard him! It was on Volume 9 of the famous vinyl “Motown Collections Of 16 Original Hits” albums!
Again, the unrequited love theme on, “Don’t You Miss Me A Little Bit Baby”…

I knew you must have been David’s older brother because of the similarities of stature and movement, like that little hand-to-hand move you did with the mic while singing the oft-sampled lyric, “Always moving and goin’ nowhere.” Knowing you are not in the physical world any longer moves me to seriousness with the knowledge that your spirit is singing with the angels as your body rests in musical peace having let me express my many failed love relationships via your wonderful one-hit wonder.

“What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted”? We just drag along until we have a chance to join the departed.

Jimmy Ruffin: 1937 – 2014

My Mind Is Like A Jukebox…I Share Some Songs So I Can Mentally Move On

I am “cursed” with a “DJ Mind” by dint of my many years playing for people on the radio and doing events and parties in nightclubs. On the regular, I can hear music from Neil Diamond to The Intruders at any time of the day or night playing in my mind. Like this oldie by The Intruders that kept me up all night last night

What happened to the rest of that clip?

Am I insane or just musically challenged? lolol

Or this one by The Continental Four who I hung out with briefly at an old theater turned brief concert hall near Parsons Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue in Queens, New York called ‘The Creep’

Or at any given moment in my life a cut from Niel Diamond will start playing in my ears! Like this!

What is a “Cracklin Rosie” anyway? lol

Yes, I know, it is form of lunacy, but it doesn’t hurt nobody and I bet if you like music you have experienced it too! (That Neil Diamond is a “heartthrob” isn’t he, lol!)

Or sometimes out of my somnolence, my brain will play David Ruffin of the Temptations brother, Jimmy’s one hit wonder – I know not why…

I am at work one day in a totally different sales field from music radio, when along comes this one by Carol King which I played during my days as a Top 40 disc jockey in the early 1980s

Again, dear reader and listener, I do not know why except that I have played so many tunes and listened to so much contemporary music since the 1960s until today, that my brain has become a kind of “jukebox”. And yet, many times, I would like to [as I know that you also might to] perform a “system restore”, change my mind and…start all over again…

I can be sitting at my desk at “the day job” and Tyrone will sing unto me; its a favorite melody!

And then there is this one spawned because I lived through the nightmare of a stalker female which reminds me of this one by Elvis

Just leave me alone…

And you’d be lying to yourself if you, at some point, didn’t want to “turn back the hands of time” right?

And so, when you are inhaling a loving rainy spring, summer or autumn breeze, just remember that you are not all that unusual from the “Achilliad” and my natural “DJ” mind.

Maybe I just miss dee-jaying..

PICKHIT: This post could go on forever with song and will likely have sequels…Oh and that was the late Barry White on the phone, “Baby I’m Home…” ( :

Yikes!, I thought I was gone and then Dru Hill came to my jukebox mind.

Only a “PM” can quiet my mind from the endless endurance that peeps put into my mental jukebox tonight. This might be the beginning of a new category for my blog, so check back with me soon.

Even Everly Brothers encroach, eventually editing my sleep! OMG!

Therefore, the moral of this blog post is, when you get a “tune wedgie” that drives you “crazy”, the best way to dispel it is to just play it live by whatever means or media. “Ain’t it fun reminiscing”?

Oh, by-the-way, how did YOU get in? it’s member’s only tonight…

We miss you, Mr. Bobby “Blue” Bland. My Jukebox mind will always keep you real.