Althea & Donna

Althea & Donna are 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, making them the first Jamaican female duo to top the UK Singles Chart. Following the song's success, they became the first Jamaican female duo to be signed to a major record label.

Early life

Althea Forrest grew up in Hughenden, St. Andrew, and attended Queens School. Donna Reid was raised in the Hope Road area of Kingston and attended St. Andrew High School for Girls. The two were school friends who began singing together on the streets of Kingston.

The duo was discovered by Jacob Miller, lead singer of Inner Circle, who encountered them singing on a Kingston sidewalk. Miller drove them to Joe Gibbs' studio at Retirement Crescent in Cross Roads to audition.

Career

Breakthrough (1977–1978)

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 Singles Chart in February 1978.

Producer Joe Gibbs, working...

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