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 UK #1 in February 1978. It was produced by Joe Gibbs[1] 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.