David "Pic" Conley (born December 27, 1953) is an American jazz flute player, songwriter, and producer.

Early life

Conley was born in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

with the group Port Authority of Music, which included members David Townsend and Art McAllister in 1976. The group recorded an album produced by

Ed Townsend Edward Benjamin 'Ed' Townsend (April 16, 1929 – August 13, 2003) was an American singer, songwriter, producer and attorney. He performed and composed "For Your Love", a rhythm and blues doo wop classic, and co-wrote "Let's Get It On" with Marvi ...

, David Townsend's father. The group was signed to 20 Century Records, but the album was never released. Conley left the group to join

Mandrill The mandrill (''Mandrillus sphinx'') is a large Old World monkey native to west central Africa. It is one of the most colorful mammals in the world, with red and blue skin on its face and posterior. The species is sexually dimorphic, as males ...

in 1977. In 1978, he made his television debut with Mandrill on the show ''

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series w ...

''. Conley released only one album with Mandrill, ''

New Worlds New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz Albums and EPs * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartn ...

'', in 1979. Conley left the group and after a short hiatus and became a founding member of

Surface A surface, as the term is most generally used, is the outermost or uppermost layer of a physical object or space. It is the portion or region of the object that can first be perceived by an observer using the senses of sight and touch, and is t ...

. Surface released their debut single, "

Falling in Love Falling in love is the development of strong feelings of attachment and love, usually towards another person. The term is metaphorical, emphasizing that the process, like the physical act of falling, is sudden, uncontrollable and leaves the ...

", which peaked at #84 on Billboard's Black Singles chart. In 1985, Conley became a staff writer for Screen Gems BMI. He wrote music for

Sister Sledge Sister Sledge is an American musical vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed in 1971, the group consisted of sisters Debbie, Joni, Kim, and Kathy Sledge. The siblings achieved international success at the height of the disco era. ...

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, The Jets,

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, and others. In 1986, Surface landed a record deal with Columbia and the group released their debut album in 1987. The album peaked at #55 on the Billboard 200 and #11 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart. In 1989, Surface released their second album, ''2nd Wave'', which peaked at #56 on the Billboard 200 and #5 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA. The single "Shower Me With Your Love" peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, #3 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, and became Surface's second #1 R&B hit, topping Billboard's Hot Black Singles chart for a week in July 1989, staying on the chart for 20 weeks.

Discography

Mandrill

*1978: ''New Worlds'' (Arista)

Surface

*1987: ''Surface'' (Columbia) *1989: ''2nd Wave'' (Columbia) *1990: ''3 Deep'' (Columbia) *1991: ''The Best Surface: A Nice Time for Loving'' (Columbia) *1998: ''Love Zone'' (Victor Entertainment) *2001: ''The First Time: The Best of Surface'' (Sony)

David Pic Conley

* 2008: Bird of Paradise (Independent) * 2011: Bossa Quintet (Independent)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conley, David 1953 births Living people Musicians from Newark, New Jersey Guitarists from New Jersey American jazz flautists Soul-jazz flautists 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century flautists