Surface (band)
Encyclopedia
Surface was an American
R&B
and pop music
group, active from 1983 to 1994, and best known for its #1 pop and R&B hit
"The First Time".
moved from Stamford, Connecticut, to New York
to pursue a music
career. While in New York, his godfather said Jackson should contact his nephew David Townsend
who had been a guitarist with The Isley Brothers
. Meanwhile, Townsend was in Port Authority, a 1970s band, and met David Conley
. Conley and Townsend started writing and when they met Jackson, then they formed a band
.
s for EMI
and wrote New Edition
's "Let's Be Friends" and Sister Sledge
's "You're So Fine." Encouraged by this success, the group called themselves Surface and began recording their own material, releasing several Post-disco
/early-80s-style tracks under the name. They would find moderate success in the UK
with their singles "Falling in Love" in 1983 and "When Your Ex Wants You Back" in 1984 (according to the Allmusic, "Falling in Love" also cracked the U.S.
R&B chart, peaking at #84). With a sound more reminiscent of Kashif
and related early 1980s soul
groups, these early singles contrast significantly with the smoother, ballad-style material that would later make the group successful in the U.S.
, California
, searching for more mainstream success. The song "Let's Try Again" came to the attention of Larkin Arnold of Columbia Records
, who signed the band and released this track as a single
in 1986
. Also in 1986, Jackson met a friend, Brian Simpson, and recorded
a demo
tape of a track he had written entitled "The First Time". He believed it to be a hit and hired a recording studio
to get the best professional conditions for the track. Their self-titled first album
followed in 1987
, featuring two more hit singles: "Happy", which reached #2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks, and "Lately", which reached #8. However, "The First Time" did not appear on the album and remained unreleased.
The band's follow-up album, 2nd Wave, was released in 1989 and included some of the group's biggest hits. "I Missed" reached #3 on the R&B charts, "Closer Than Friends" was the group's first #1 hit, topping the R&B charts for two weeks, and "Can We Spend Some Time" which reached #5 on the R&B charts. The album featured two other #1 R&B hits, "You Are My Everything" which topped the charts for two weeks and the album's biggest hit, "Shower Me With Your Love" which went gold
, reached #1 on the R&B charts and #5 on the Billboard Hot 100
. Thanks to the album's number of hits, it managed to go platinum.
and was the first single from the album. The song was a hit, going gold and becoming the group's biggest hit to date. It topped both the R&B and pop charts. The album continued with "All I Want Is You" which reached #8 on the R&B charts and helped the album go gold.
Jackson and Townsend left in 1994, and the group disbanded. In 1999, the group reformed and released Love Zone and had just announced a return to live appearances when Townsend was found dead at his home. Townsend, son of producer/songwriter Ed Townsend
(co-writer of Marvin Gaye
's "Let's Get It On"), died of unknown causes on October 26, 2005, at the age of 50, almost two years after his father.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group, active from 1983 to 1994, and best known for its #1 pop and R&B hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
"The First Time".
Early years
Bernard JacksonBernard Jackson (singer)
Bernard Jackson is an American singer/bassist. He was the frontman for the 1980s/early 1990s R&B band, Surface from 1984 to 1994...
moved from Stamford, Connecticut, to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to pursue a music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
career. While in New York, his godfather said Jackson should contact his nephew David Townsend
David Townsend (musician)
David Townsend was an American musician best known as the guitarist for the R&B band Surface, and the son of singer/songwriter Ed Townsend.-Early years:...
who had been a guitarist with The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper...
. Meanwhile, Townsend was in Port Authority, a 1970s band, and met David Conley
David Conley
David "Pic" Conley is an American bassist.-Biography:Conley was born in Newark, New Jersey. He was in the band Port Authority in the 1970s with guitarist David Townsend, and then the bassist with the popular Caribbean funk band Mandrill from 1978 to 1981...
. Conley and Townsend started writing and when they met Jackson, then they formed a band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
.
Songwriters/early recordings
They then became resident songwriterSongwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
s for EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
and wrote New Edition
New Edition
New Edition is an R&B group formed in Boston in 1978. The group reached its height of popularity during the 1980s. They were the progenitors of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s and led the way for groups like New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync...
's "Let's Be Friends" and Sister Sledge
Sister Sledge
Sister Sledge is an American musical group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 1972 and consisting of four sisters: Kim Sledge Debbie Sledge , Joni Sledge , and Kathy Sledge . They are granddaughters of the former opera singer Viola Williams. The sisters used to perform under the name of "Mrs...
's "You're So Fine." Encouraged by this success, the group called themselves Surface and began recording their own material, releasing several Post-disco
Post-disco
Post-disco refers to a historically significant period in popular music history beginning with the commercial death of disco music in the late 1970s and ending with the mainstream appearance of house music in late 1980s.The stripped-down musical trends followed from the DJ- and producer-driven,...
/early-80s-style tracks under the name. They would find moderate success in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with their singles "Falling in Love" in 1983 and "When Your Ex Wants You Back" in 1984 (according to the Allmusic, "Falling in Love" also cracked the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B chart, peaking at #84). With a sound more reminiscent of Kashif
Kashif (musician)
Kashif Saleem is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and record producer.-Career:Kashif became well-known from playing keyboards in the renowned funk band B.T. Express. He played synthesizer bass using the miniMoog while touring with the group...
and related early 1980s soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
groups, these early singles contrast significantly with the smoother, ballad-style material that would later make the group successful in the U.S.
First major label record deal
The trio then moved to Los AngelesLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, searching for more mainstream success. The song "Let's Try Again" came to the attention of Larkin Arnold of Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, who signed the band and released this track as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 1986
1986 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986.-January-June:*January 23 – The first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame takes place...
. Also in 1986, Jackson met a friend, Brian Simpson, and recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
tape of a track he had written entitled "The First Time". He believed it to be a hit and hired a recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
to get the best professional conditions for the track. Their self-titled first album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
followed in 1987
1987 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1987.See also:Record labels established in 1987-January-February:*January 3 – Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
, featuring two more hit singles: "Happy", which reached #2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks, and "Lately", which reached #8. However, "The First Time" did not appear on the album and remained unreleased.
The band's follow-up album, 2nd Wave, was released in 1989 and included some of the group's biggest hits. "I Missed" reached #3 on the R&B charts, "Closer Than Friends" was the group's first #1 hit, topping the R&B charts for two weeks, and "Can We Spend Some Time" which reached #5 on the R&B charts. The album featured two other #1 R&B hits, "You Are My Everything" which topped the charts for two weeks and the album's biggest hit, "Shower Me With Your Love" which went gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
, reached #1 on the R&B charts and #5 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. Thanks to the album's number of hits, it managed to go platinum.
Later years
The song "The First Time", originally recorded by Jackson in 1986, was featured on the band's third album 3 Deep in 19911991 in music
See also:* 1991 in music Record labels established in 1991-Summary:The year 1991 is the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. Nirvana's Nevermind, led by the surprise hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit", becomes the most popular U.S. album of the year...
and was the first single from the album. The song was a hit, going gold and becoming the group's biggest hit to date. It topped both the R&B and pop charts. The album continued with "All I Want Is You" which reached #8 on the R&B charts and helped the album go gold.
Jackson and Townsend left in 1994, and the group disbanded. In 1999, the group reformed and released Love Zone and had just announced a return to live appearances when Townsend was found dead at his home. Townsend, son of producer/songwriter Ed Townsend
Ed Townsend
Edward Benjamin 'Ed' Townsend was an American attorney, songwriter, and producer. He was best known for performing his composition, "For Your Love," a rhythm and blues doo wop classic, and as the co-writer of "Let's Get It On" with Marvin Gaye.-Biography:Although he was born in Fayetteville,...
(co-writer of Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
's "Let's Get It On"), died of unknown causes on October 26, 2005, at the age of 50, almost two years after his father.
Albums
| Year | Title | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US R&B | ||
| 1986 | Surface (Columbia Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company... ) |
55 | 11 |
| 1988 | 2nd Wave 2nd Wave 2nd Wave is the second full-length studio release from popular late-eighties soul trio Surface. The album was self-produced and released in 1988 on Columbia Records.... (Columbia Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company... ) |
56 | 5 |
| 1990 | 3 Deep (Columbia Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company... ) |
65 | 19 |
| 1991 | The Best Surface: A Nice Time for Loving (Columbia Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company... ) |
- | - |
| 1999 | Love Zone | - | - |
| 2001 | The First Time: The Best of Surface (Sony) | - | - |
| 2001 | Perfect 10 | - | - |
| 2005 | Our World (Sony) | - | - |
Singles
| Year | Song | US Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
US A.C. Adult contemporary music Adult contemporary music is a broad style of popular music that ranges from lush 1950s and 1960s vocal music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence, as well as a radio format that plays such music.... |
US Hot Dance Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | "Falling in Love Falling in Love (Surface song) "Falling in Love" is the first single by the American post-disco/R&B trio, Surface, released in the United Kingdom and the United States in 1983 by Salsoul Records.The song reached number #84 in the Billboard R&B chart in summer 1983.... " |
- | 84 | - | - | 67 |
| 1984 | "When Your Ex Wants You Back" | - | 84 | - | - | 52 |
| 1986 | "Let's Try Again" | - | 22 | - | - | - |
| 1987 | "Happy Happy (Surface song) "Happy" is a 1987 song recorded by the band Surface from their self-titled album. It was a hit single, reaching number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 16 on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart.... " |
20 | 2 | 24 | 16 | 56 |
| 1987 | "Lately" | - | 8 | - | - | - |
| 1988 | "I Missed" | - | 3 | - | - | - |
| 1989 | "Closer Than Friends" | 57 | 1 | - | 39 | - |
| 1989 | "Shower Me With Your Love" | 5 | 1 | 3 | - | - |
| 1989 | "You Are My Everything" | 84 | 1 | - | - | - |
| 1990 | "Can We Spend Some Time" | - | 5 | - | - | - |
| 1990 | "The First Time" | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 60 |
| 1991 | "All I Want Is You" | - | 8 | - | - | - |
| 1991 | "Never Gonna Let You Down" | 17 | 24 | 17 | - | - |
| 1991 | "You're the One" / "We Don't Have to Say Good-bye" | - | 35 | - | - | - |
| 1992 | "A Nice Time for Lovin'" | - | 52 | - | - | - |
Best-known lineup
- Bernard JacksonBernard Jackson (singer)Bernard Jackson is an American singer/bassist. He was the frontman for the 1980s/early 1990s R&B band, Surface from 1984 to 1994...
- vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(1984–1994) - David TownsendDavid Townsend (musician)David Townsend was an American musician best known as the guitarist for the R&B band Surface, and the son of singer/songwriter Ed Townsend.-Early years:...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, vocals (1983–1994) - David ConleyDavid ConleyDavid "Pic" Conley is an American bassist.-Biography:Conley was born in Newark, New Jersey. He was in the band Port Authority in the 1970s with guitarist David Townsend, and then the bassist with the popular Caribbean funk band Mandrill from 1978 to 1981...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, percussion, saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, keyboards, vocals (1983–1994)
Other members
- Karen Copeland - vocals (born c. 1958, died December 5, 1988, Newark) (1983–1984)
- Eric "G-Riff" MooreEric MooreEric Moore may refer to:* Eric Moore , Australian rules player for Richmond and South Melbourne* Eric Moore , American football player for New York Giants, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins* Eric Moore , American football player for New York Giants, New Orleans...
- vocals (born August 23, 1971, IrvingtonIrvington, New JerseyIrvington is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a total population of 53,926, a decline of 11.2% from the 60,695 residents enumerated in the 2000 Census.-Geography:...
, New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
) (1994) - Everett "Jam" Benton - keyboards (1994)