Althea & Donna
Encyclopedia
Althea & Donna were a Jamaica
n reggae
singing
duo
, best known for their 1977 single "Uptown Top Ranking" which was a number one hit in the United Kingdom in 1978.
s 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 UK #1 in February 1978. It was produced
by Joe Gibbs
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'. The single
's UK
release was on the Lightning record label
.
"Uptown Top Ranking" reached number one in the UK Singles Chart
in February 1978, after early championing by BBC Radio 1
DJ
John Peel
, but had only one week at the chart summit. The lyrics
were written by the duo and Errol Thompson. Althea & Donna thus became the youngest female duo to reach the pinnacle of the UK
chart
.
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.
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 was a minor hit in Flanders
.
Althea & Donna's original version has appeared on dozens of compilation album
s.
"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
. Additionally, it was featured in 'Good Vintage', episode 6 of HBO's How to Make it in America
.
A sample of the "No Pop, No Style" refrain
from the record
was used and formed part of the lyrics
to Pop Will Eat Itself
's 1991 single, "X, Y & Zee". The song was also sampled in the song "International Affair" by Sean Paul (featuring Debbie Nova)
The song was also covered by the third wave ska band Big D and the Kids Table
. The name of the song was changed to "Strictly Rude," appearing on the album of the same name
. While the music was largely left unchanged, the lyrics were almost entirely reworked.
The song has more recently been covered by Ethiopian outfit Dub Colossus. The track is part of the EP 'Rockers Meet Addis Uptown' scheduled for release in March 2011 on Real World Records
.
The song was also featured on the Skate 2
video game by Electronic Arts
.
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
singing
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
, best known for their 1977 single "Uptown Top Ranking" which was a number one hit in the United Kingdom in 1978.
Career
The Jamaican teenage singerSinging
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
s 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 UK #1 in February 1978. It was produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Joe Gibbs
Joe Gibbs (record producer)
Joe Gibbs born Joel A. Gibson was a Jamaican reggae producer.-Biography:Joe Gibbs worked as an electronics engineer in the United States before his career in music started. Gibbs eventually returned to Kingston, Jamaica and opened an electrical repair shop with television repairs and sales as its...
using a re-recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
of the riddim
Riddim
Riddim is the Jamaican Patois pronunciation of the English word "rhythm," but in dancehall/reggae parlance it refers to the instrumental accompaniment to a song. Thus, a dancehall song consists of the riddim plus the "voicing" sung by the deejay. The resulting song structure may be taken for...
of the 1967 Alton Ellis
Alton Ellis
Alton Nehemiah Ellis, OD, was a Jamaican musician best known as one of the innovators of rocksteady music and was often referred to as the "Godfather of Rocksteady". In 2006, he was inducted into the International Reggae And World Music Awards Hall Of Fame.-Biography:Ellis was born in 1938 and...
' song "I'm Still In Love", which had already been re-popularised in the 1970s by Marcia Aitken
Marcia Aitken
Marcia Aitken is a reggae singer best known for her recordings in the late 1970s, produced by Joe Gibbs along with Errol Thompson.-Biography:...
's cover "I'm Still In Love With You Boy" and the deejay
Deejay
A deejay is a reggae or dancehall musician who sings and toasts to an instrumental riddim .Deejays are not to be confused with disc jockeys from other music genres like hip-hop, where they select and play music. Dancehall/reggae DJs who select riddims to play are called selectors...
track "Three Piece Suit" by Trinity
Trinity (musician)
Trinity aka Junior Brammer is a reggae deejay and producer, whose career began in the mid-1970s and continued into the 1990s.-Biography:Born in 1954, Brammer was educated at the Alpha Boys School...
, to which "Uptown" was an 'answer record'. The single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
's UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
release was on the Lightning record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
.
"Uptown Top Ranking" reached number one in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in February 1978, after early championing by BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
, but had only one week at the chart summit. The lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
were written by the duo and Errol Thompson. Althea & Donna thus became the youngest female duo to reach the pinnacle of the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
.
They released the album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
of the same name in 1978, on which they are backed by The Revolutionaries
The Revolutionaries
The Revolutionaries is a Jamaican reggae band.-Career:Set up in 1975 as the house band of the Channel One Studios owned by Joseph Hoo Kim, The Revolutionaries with Sly Dunbar on drums and Robbie Shakespeare on bass, created the new "rockers" style that would change the whole Jamaican sound The...
, on the Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
subsidiary Front Line
Front Line (record label)
Front Line was a reggae subsidiary of Virgin Records established in 1978. Over forty albums were issued on the label before it folded in 1979.-History:Virgin had been releasing reggae records since BB Seaton's "Dancing Shoes" in 1974...
, and several more singles, but never met with any more tangible success thereafter.
"Uptown Top Ranking"
"Uptown Top Ranking" has been coveredCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by Ali & Frazier, who released it as a single in 1993, Black Box Recorder
Black Box Recorder (band)
Black Box Recorder were an English indie rock group. They debuted in 1998 with England Made Me and followed this up with The Facts of Life, which gave them their first hit with the single of the same name in April 2000. Their third album, Passionoia, was released in 2003...
, who included a version on their 1998 album England Made Me
England Made Me
England Made Me is the debut album by Black Box Recorder, whose members include Luke Haines, Sarah Nixey and John Moore, released in July 1998 via Chrysalis Records....
, the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Joni Rewind, who produced a version in 2002, featuring the vocals
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
of Estelle
Estelle (singer)
Estelle Fanta Swaray commonly known as Estelle, and formerly as Est'elle, is an English R&B singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer.-Early Life:Estelle was born 18 January 1980 in Hammersmith, London, England...
. Also in 2002, saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
Lol Coxhill
Lol Coxhill
Lowen Coxhill, generally known as Lol Coxhill is a free improvising saxophonist and raconteur...
recorded a version for his Spectral Soprano album. Zoë
Zoe (singer)
Zoë is a British pop singer and songwriter, who had brief success in 1991 with two hit singles, "Sunshine on a Rainy Day", which climbed to #4 on the UK Singles Chart, and "Lightning", which reached #37...
released a version featuring Prezident Brown
Prezident Brown
Prezident Brown aka Professor Frisky & Junior Ranking is a Jamaican dancehall deejay.-Biography:Cotterell was born in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica and raised in St. Mary...
in 2003 on her Zoeciety EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, and Scout Niblett
Scout Niblett
Emma Louise Niblett , better known by the stage name Scout Niblett, is an English singer and songwriter. Her music is frequently minimal in style, many of her songs consisting merely of vocals accompanied by either drums or guitar, which she mostly plays herself. She is known for her intimate live...
released her version as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 2004. The song was sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
for Abs Breen
Abs Breen
Richard Abidin "Abs" Breen is a British singer, rapper, dancer, and DJ. He was formerly a member of London-based boyband Five. In 2003, he released his first solo album called "Abstract Theory".-Early life:...
'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 was a minor hit in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
.
Althea & Donna's original version has appeared on dozens of compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s.
"Uptown Top Ranking" was featured in 'The Dream Team', episode 47 of the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
HBO, Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
winning television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
, Entourage
Entourage (TV series)
Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...
. In addition, the song also featured in series 2 episode 8, of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
BAFTA Award
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
winning comedic teen drama
Teen drama
A teen drama is a dramatic television series with a major focus on teenage characters. The genre was relatively non-existent for the first 45 years of television; it came into prominence in the early 1990s...
, Skins
Skins (TV series)
Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...
. Additionally, it was featured in 'Good Vintage', episode 6 of HBO's How to Make it in America
How to Make It in America
How to Make It in America is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on February 14, 2010. The series follows the lives of Ben Epstein and his friend Cam Calderon as they try to succeed in New York City's fashion scene...
.
A sample of the "No Pop, No Style" refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
from the record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
was used and formed part of the lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
to Pop Will Eat Itself
Pop Will Eat Itself
Pop Will Eat Itself are an English alternative rock band, originally formed in Stourbridge in 1986, with members from Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country. Initially known as a Grebo act, their style changed to incorporate sample driven indie and industrial rock...
's 1991 single, "X, Y & Zee". The song was also sampled in the song "International Affair" by Sean Paul (featuring Debbie Nova)
The song was also covered by the third wave ska band Big D and the Kids Table
Big D and the Kids Table
Big D and the Kids Table is a ska punk band formed in October 1995 in Allston, Massachusetts when its members converged in college. Their first release was on their own Fork In Hand Records label, but have since teamed with Springman Records and SideOneDummy...
. The name of the song was changed to "Strictly Rude," appearing on the album of the same name
Strictly Rude
Strictly Rude is the fourth full length album from Boston ska punk act Big D and the Kids Table. The album peaked at 42 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart.-Title track:...
. While the music was largely left unchanged, the lyrics were almost entirely reworked.
The song has more recently been covered by Ethiopian outfit Dub Colossus. The track is part of the EP 'Rockers Meet Addis Uptown' scheduled for release in March 2011 on Real World Records
Real World Records
Real World Records is a record label started in 1989 by Peter Gabriel to record and produce world music.-Overview:The label grew up alongside the success of the WOMAD festivals and Peter Gabriel's exploration of music from other cultures, and helped push world music into the general public's...
.
The song was also featured on the Skate 2
Skate 2
Skate 2 is a sandbox skateboarding video game developed by EA Black Box and distributed by Electronic Arts as a sequel to the 2007 game, Skate. Skate 2 was released in January 2009 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.-Plot:...
video game by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
.
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
See also
- One-hit wonders in the UKOne-hit wonders in the UKThis is a list of artists who have achieved one #1 hit on the UK Singles Chart and no other entry whatsoever on the chart. The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles uses this definition of "one-hit wonder", which is a controversial term with various other proposed definitions.-Methodology:A hit is...
- List of reggae musicians
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
- Caribbean music in the United KingdomCaribbean music in the United Kingdom- Music from Trinidad :Large-scale Caribbean migration to England began in 1948. The Empire Windrush carried almost 500 passengers from Jamaica, including Lord Kitchener, a calypso singer from Trinidad. By chance, a local newsreel company filmed him singing "London Is The Place For Me" as he got...