ALTHIA & DONNA | ||||||
Schoolgirls Althia Forrest and Donna Reid had a surprise hit with 'Uptown Top Ranking' in Jamaica, topping the charts in their native country. The song soon came to the attention of the (at that time) reggae obsessed British music industry, and they hit the top of the UK charts in 1977. The music was supplied by producer Joe Gibson and the Revolutionaries, but the words were the girls own creation, featuring patois lyrics and percussive vocal mannerisms throughout. This made them stand out from most of their peers in the UK scene, and the catchy repetitiveness of the tune and vocal melodies sound fresh even today. However, without the backing of a major label in the UK, it was virtually impossible for them to produce an equally impressive follow-up, and after an album emerged in 1978 the duo disappeared. At least one critic pointed out that it was easy to have a one-off novelty reggae hit, but to make a career out of it takes many years of toil and sweat, which was something Althia and Donna did not really have in their favour at the time. The pair remained close, and both had children who now play together in a band just like their mothers did! |
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