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Surface

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Musicians

The Resume

    (1983-1994)
    Born in New Jersey
    David Townsend, guitar, keyboards, and vocals
    David Conley, bass guitar, percussion, sax, and flute
    Karen Copeland, vocals (1983-84)
    Bernard Jackson, vocals (1984-94)
    Recorded the singles 'Closer Than Friends' (1989), ''Shower Me with Your Love' (1989), 'You Are My Everything' (1989), and 'The First Time' (1991)

Why they might be annoying:

    Original vocalist Copeland was Conley's girlfriend; when they broke up, she left the band.
    Stereogum's The Number Ones dismissed 'The First Time' as 'dog-ass boring.'
    A planned reunion tour was cancelled when Townsend was found dead in his home from a drug overdose (October 26, 2005).

Why they might not be annoying:

    Townsend had been a touring guitarist with the Isley Brothers.
    In addition to Surface's singles, Townsend and Conley wrote hit songs for Sister Sledge, New Edition, and Jermaine Jackson.
    'The First Time' hit #1 on Billboard's pop, R&B, and adult contemporary charts.
    They had three additional #1 R&B singles.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying