| Althea & Donna | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Jamaica |
| Genres | Reggae |
| Years active | 1977–2001 |
| Labels | Virgin, Lightning, Front Line |
| Past members | Althea Forrest Donna Reid |
Althea & Donna were a Jamaican reggae vocal duo, consisting of Althea Rose Forrest and Donna Marie Reid. They are best known for their 1977 single "Uptown Top Ranking", which was a number-one hit in the United Kingdom in 1978.
Career
The Jamaican teenage singers Althea Forrest and Donna Reid – then 17 and 18 years old respectively – caused a chart surprise when their reggae song "Uptown Top Ranking" became a no. 1 hit in the UK in February 1978. They released the album of the same name in 1978, backed by The Revolutionaries, on the Virgin Records subsidiary Front Line, The album was produced by Karl Pitterson. The duo recorded several more singles with little success. In 2001, Caroline Records reissued the full-length Uptown Top Ranking.
Discography
Albums
- Uptown Top Ranking (1978), Virgin/Front Line
Singles
- "Uptown Top Ranking" (1977), Lightning/Joe Gibbs/Warners (1978), Virgin
- "Love One Another" (1978), Lightning/Joe Gibbs/Warners
- "Puppy Dog Song" (1978), Front Line
- "Going to Negril" (1978), Front Line
- "Top Rankin" (1995), Ice Town Music
See also
- List of one-hit wonders on the UK Singles Chart
- List of reggae musicians
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
- Caribbean music in the United Kingdom
References
- Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 188. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
- "Althia & Donna". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 21. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Greene, Jo-Ann. Uptown Top Ranking at AllMusic. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
- Moskowitz, David V. (2006). Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall. Greenwood Press. pp. 10–11. ISBN 0-313-33158-8.
- Prato, Greg. Althea & Donna Biography at AllMusic. Retrieved 30 July 2014.