****BRUCE RUFFIN - RAIN THE BEST OF BRUCE RUFFIN AND FRIENDS****

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****BRUCE RUFFIN - RAIN THE BEST OF BRUCE RUFFIN AND FRIENDS****

TRACKLIST


Bruce Ruffin - Rain
Bruce Ruffin - The Bitterness Of Life
The Shades - Who You Gonna Run To
Tyrone Evans & Bruce Ruffin - Let Me Say
Bruce Ruffin - Long About Now
Bruce Ruffin - Now You See Me Now You Don't
Pat Kelly & Bruce Ruffin - There Comes A Time
Bruce Ruffin - Cecilia
The Shades - Let Me Remind You
Bruce Ruffin - Are You Ready
The Techniques - Baby Don't Say Goodbye
Bruce Ruffin - Then Came The Heartbreak
The Techniques - Bad Minded People
Bruce Ruffin - Dry Up Your Tears
The Shades - Everywhere, Everyone
Bruce Ruffin - Candida
The Techniques - (Lonely) Lonely Man
Tyrone Evans & Bruce Ruffin - (I Am A) True Believer
Winston Francis & The Shades - Find Yourself A Fool
Bruce Ruffin - O-O-Oh Child
The Shades - Never Gonna Give You Up
Bruce Ruffin - Who's Gonna Be Your Man
Bruce Ruffin - We Can Never Go On This Way
Bruce Ruffin - I'm The One
The Shades - I Know A Girl
Bruce Ruffin - Free The People
The Techniques - The Reason Why


Record date : 1967-71

Born in St Johns, St Catherine, Jamaica, Bruce Ruffin attended Calabar Primary School and the Kingsway High School in Kingston, Jamaica. He started his writing career at the age of 10 and began singing at the age of 12. His first introduction to the stage was on the “VERE JOHN’S TALENT CONTEST” on which he made several appearances and was always placed in the top three. His first


big break came at the “VERE JOHN’S TALENT CONTEST” at the WARD THEATRE, JAMAICA. There he was approached by WINSTON RILEY who was


overwhelmed with his writing and singing ability. He then asked him to join


his group “THE TECHNIQUES” one of Jamaica’s top Rock Steady Groups.


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Ruffin started singing with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires briefly, before in 1967 joining The Techniques, one of the more successful rocksteady vocal groups of the late 1960s. There he sang alongside Pat Kelly, Winston Riley and Junior Menns. He was one of several talented singers to drift through the Techniques' ranks, but his stay with the group was highlighted by several rocksteady hits that he wrote, the most notable of which was "Love Is Not a Gamble".


Restless, He left the Techniques a year later, returning in 1969 as a solo artist with the upbeat reggae song, "Long About Now".


His greatest success came in the 1970s as a reggae-pop solo artist and writer. He continued to record with a number of record producers (Leslie Kong, Herman Chin Loy, Lloyd Charmers) and had some success with cover versions, including Paul Simon's "Cecilia". However, it was a José Feliciano tune, "Rain", that would give his solo career momentum, recorded on Trojan Records, it was a UK number 19 hit in 1971 - the b-side of which was the karaoke favourite "Geronimo".


In 1972 he secured a crossover hit with "Mad About You", which featured odd background vocals and strings arrangement. It was released on the Rhino record label (not to be confused with Rhino Records), and gave him his biggest selling hit, reaching number 9 in the UK Singles Chart - it ultimately set the direction for his career. For the rest of the decade, Ruffin continued to release polished reggae-pop that had a strong audience in the UK and Europe. By the 1980s, Ruffin was concentrating on writing and publishing. He eventually moved away from music to study law, becoming a legal consultant to other reggae artistsk.


Ruffin is now a muslim revert.


Wade Kergan, All Music Guide.