Artist · chart history
Althea & Donna
Band Jamaica Active 1977–1979
Althea & Donna formed in 1977 in Jamaica and was active until 1979. Althea & Donna has 2 chart appearances on 2 radio countdowns from 2 stations on RockLists, spanning 1977–2019. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Uptown Top Ranking”, which appears on 2 lists with a best position of #2. The station that charted Althea & Donna most often is John Peel (BBC Radio 1), with 1 appearance. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 1977.
Althea & Donna, the Jamaican reggae duo of Althea Rose Forrest and Donna Marie Reid, cut "Uptown Top Ranking" in 1977, and the thing sailed clean across the Atlantic. In 1978 it went all the way to number one in Britain, which made them the first Jamaican female duo ever to sit on top of the UK Singles Chart.
It's a cocky, featherweight marvel of a record: two cool, unbothered voices riding a rolling, bass-heavy rhythm, as breezy as it is sharp. On the strength of it they became the first Jamaican female duo signed to a major label, with Virgin Records in their corner, and the partnership ran its course by 1979. One single, and their names were in the record books for good.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by Althea & Donna on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uptown Top Ranking | 2 | #2 | – | 1977 |
Every countdown appearance
| Year | # | Song | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 467 | Uptown Top Ranking | KEXP Listeners' Favorite Songs of All Time |
| 1977 | 2 | Uptown Top Ranking | John Peel's Forgotten Fifty of 1977 |
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