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Althea & Donna

 
Artist: Althea & Donna
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Artists

Similar Artists:

Ranking Ann, Susan Cadogan, Sister Carol, Donna, Marcia Griffiths

Followers:

Lady Saw

Formal Connection With:

Mikey Dread
See Althea & Donna Lyrics
  • Genres: Reggae

Biography

Althea Forest and Donna Reid make up the cult reggae vocal duo Althea and Donna, who enjoyed a massive hit with their original composition "Uptown Top Ranking" (which has subsequently been re-recorded by numerous other reggae recording artists), hitting the top of the British charts back in 1978. Although most of their albums remain out of print and extremely hard to find, 2001 saw the reissue of the Uptown Top Ranking full-length on the Caroline label. The song received an added boost in the '90s when British trip-hoppers Portishead covered it in the late-'90s. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: Althea & Donna
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Althea & Donna
Origin Jamaica
Genres Reggae
Years active 1977 – 1979
Labels Lightning Records, Front Line
Former members
Althea Forrest
Donna Reid

Althea & Donna were a Jamaican reggae singing duo, best known for their 1977 single "Uptown Top Ranking" which was a number one hit in the United Kingdom in 1978.[1]

Contents

Career

The young Jamaican singers Althea Forrest (17), and Donna Reid (18), caused a surprise with their one-off reggae hit single, "Uptown Top Ranking". It was produced by Joe Gibbs[1] using a re-recording of the riddim of the 1967 Alton Ellis' song "I'm Still In Love", which had already been re-popularised in the 1970s by Marcia Aitken's cover "I'm Still In Love With You Boy" and the deejay track "Three Piece Suit" by Trinity, to which "Uptown" was an 'answer record'.[2] The single's UK release was on the Lightning record label.[1]

"Uptown Top Ranking" reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in February 1978,[1] after early championing by BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, but had only one week at the chart summit.[3] The lyrics were written by the duo and Errol Thompson.[1][4] Althea & Donna thus became the youngest female duo to reach the pinnacle of the UK chart.[4]

They released the album of the same name in 1978, on which they are backed by The Revolutionaries, on the Virgin Records subsidiary Front Line, and several more singles, but never met with any more tangible success thereafter.[2][5]

"Uptown Top Ranking"

"Uptown Top Ranking" has been covered by Ali & Frazier, who released it as a single in 1993, Black Box Recorder, who included a version on their 1998 album England Made Me, the German record producer Joni Rewind, who produced a version in 2002, featuring the vocals of Estelle. Also in 2002, saxophonist Lol Coxhill recorded a version for his Spectral Soprano album. Zoë released a version featuring Prezident Brown in 2003 on her Zoeciety EP, and Scout Niblett released her version as a single in 2004. The song was sampled for Abs Breen's 2002 UK Top 10 hit single, "What You Got".

In 2003 then 14 year old Eline Van Coillie, using the stagename Junior Jazz, covered the song which made a small hit in Flanders.

Althea & Donna's original version has appeared on dozens of compilation albums.

"Uptown Top Ranking" was featured in 'The Dream Team', episode 47 of the American HBO, Emmy Award winning television program, Entourage. In addition, the song also featured in series 2 episode 8, of the British BAFTA Award winning comedic teen drama, Skins.

A sample of the "No Pop, No Style" refrain from the record is used and forms part of the lyrics to Pop Will Eat Itself's 1991 single, "X, Y & Zee".

The song is also featured on the Skate 2 video game by Electronic Arts.

Preceded by
"Mull Of Kintyre/Girls' School" by Wings		 UK number one single
4 February 1978		 Succeeded by
"Figaro" by Brotherhood of Man

Discography

Singles

  • "Uptown Top Ranking" (1977) Lightning/Joe Gibbs/Warners, (1978) Virgin (UK #1)
  • "Puppy Dog Song" (1978) Front Line
  • "Going to Negril" (1978) Front Line
  • "Top Rankin" (1995) Ice Town Music

Albums

  • Uptown Top Ranking (1978) Virgin/Front Line

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e 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. 
  2. ^ a b Colin Larkin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9, p.10-11
  3. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 349. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
  4. ^ a b Roberts, David (2001). British Hit Singles (14th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 47. ISBN 0-85156-156-X. 
  5. ^ Moskowitz, David V. (2006) Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall, Greenwood Press, ISBN 0-313-33158-8, p. 10-11

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 
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