…still no compensation 48 years later
Forty-eight years after their hit song ‘Uptown Top Ranking’ was released, members of the duo, Althea and Donna, say they are yet to receive any royalty payments. Released in 1977, and produced by Joe Gibbs, it topped the British pop chart in early 1978.
‘Uptown Top Ranking’ was released digitally in 2005 and has been certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales and streaming equivalent exceeding 400,000 units.
“There was no financial gain, we haven’t gotten paid. We’ve never been compensated for this song. Right now, we are in litigation, and we have lawyers working on it. We have the same set of lawyers who represented Max Romeo and his estate,” Althea told the Jamaica Observer on Friday shortly after she learnt about ‘Uptown Top Ranking’s’ latest milestone.
Her colleague Donna said that when the song became a hit, they had lawyers working on securing their interests, but the effort failed.
“We just went ahead with our lives,” Althea chimed in. Despite the lack of financial compensation, ‘Uptown Top Ranking’s’ gold certification has made the ladies, now in their mid-60s, proud.
“Wow, bwoy, is like I just heard it [the news] from Donna and now you. I am happy and surprised. This is not normal, we still a kick up,” Althea stated with a laugh.
As for the song’s staying power, she said: “We never imagined that this song would have been #1. Not even while we were recording it. It’s like it’s almost a phenomenon and it’s a really good feeling.”
Donna concurred: “To be a part of something this great, that’s the [great] feeling I have right now.”
‘Uptown Top Ranking’ was recorded at Gibbs’ studio on Retirement Road in Cross Roads, St Andrew. Althea and Donna, fresh out of Immaculate Conception and Queens high schools, respectively, came up with the idea for the song while enjoying a day on the beach with friends.
“I remember we went to the studio on a Sunday morning, and Jacob Miller took us into the studio. He insisted that the song was going to be a hit, and he was right. We were teenagers and we were just having fun. But a hit song? That never crossed our minds,” Donna recalled.
Consequently, when ‘Uptown Top Ranking’ topped charts locally it caught the duo by surprise.
Said Donna: “Is (music selector) Bobby T called me and tell mi say the song a gwaan good a Jamaica, and then Althea called and asked mi if mi not coming home, because the song was #1. I was out of the country at the time.”
‘Uptown Top Ranking’ was also a hit in Europe, soaring to #23 in Belgium; #2 in Ireland; and #25 in The Netherlands. At the height of its success in the United Kingdom, the duo performed on the popular Top Of The Pops television show on British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
They are not the only ones proud of their accomplishment.
“Our kids are very proud, dem proud a dem parents. But one thing that I’d change if we could do it all over again is, sign some proper contracts and learn more about the music business,” Althea disclosed.
Althea and Donna released one album, ‘Uptown Top Ranking’. It was done for Frontline, a subsidiary of Virgin Records. Today, Althea Forrest resides in Atlanta, while Donna Reid resides in Florida.
