Althea & Donna

Althea & Donna are a Jamaican reggae vocal duo composed of Althea Rose Forrest and Donna Marie Reid, best known for their 1977 hit single “Uptown Top Ranking”, which reached number one on the UK Singles Chart in 1978. This achievement made them the first Jamaican female duo to top the UK charts and the first to sign with a major record label. Both singers grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, and were school friends who began singing together on the streets before being discovered by Jacob Miller, who brought them to Joe Gibbs’ studio to audition. Their breakthrough came when BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel accidentally played their track on air, generating overwhelming listener demand. Following the success of “Uptown Top Ranking,” they appeared on Top of the Pops and toured the UK. In April 1978, the duo performed at the historic One Love Peace Concert in Kingston, sharing the stage with acts like The Meditations, Dillinger, and marking Bob Marley’s return to Jamaica after exile. That same year, they released their debut album, Uptown Top Ranking, produced by Karl Pitterson and backed by The Revolutionaries, which included tracks like “Jah Rastafari” and “No More Fighting”. After the late 1970s and early 1980s, Althea & Donna largely stepped back from the music industry, with Forrest relocating to New York as an event planner and Reid moving to Florida to work for the state government. Despite this, they have reunited occasionally for performances, including a notable appearance at Rebel Salute 2018 in Jamaica. Their iconic song continues to influence artists globally and was certified Silver by the BPI in 2020 for over 200,000 digital sales in the UK, with covers by artists like Portishead, Black Box Recorder, and Estelle.