The Gladiators (band)

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The Gladiators
The Gladiators in concert in Rockstore, Montpellier, France, 20/11/06
Background information
Origin	Kingston, Jamaica
Genre(s)	Roots reggae
Years active	1968 - present
Members
Albert Griffiths Dallimore Sutherland Alan Griffiths Anthony Griffiths
Former members
Clinton Fearon Errol Grandison David Webber

The Gladiators were a Jamaican roots reggae band, most popular during the 1970s in the reggae genre later known as roots reggae. The core was Albert Griffiths (guitarist and singer)^[1], Clinton Fearon (guitarist and singer) and Dallimore Sutherland bass guitar and singer. The two most famous albums are Trenchtown Mix Up (1976) and Proverbial Reggae (1978) with songs as "Hearsay", "Jah Works", "Dreadlocks the Times is Now". "Mix Up", "Music Makers from Jamaica", and "Soul Rebel" – a song written by The Wailers. Gladiators also cooperated with the famous toaster U-Roy.

Contents 1 Overview 2 Studio Albums 3 Compilations and live albums 4 Notes and references

[edit] Overview

Albert Griffiths, singer and guitar player was the founder of the reggae group The Gladiators. After some success with the singles "You Are The Girl" (a b-side to The Ethiopians hit record "Train to Skaville") in 1966, he recruited his childhood friends David Webber and Errol Grandison in 1968 to form the original Gladiators vocal group. The group's name was allegedly suggested by a fellow bus passenger during the time of their first recordings.^[2]

The group's first major success was with the single "Hello Carol" in 1968, for producer Coxsone Dodd, which topped the Jamaican music charts. Shortly afterwards, in 1969, Webber was stricken with illness and was replaced by Clinton Fearon, one of Griffiths' proteges. Similarly Grandison left the group in 1973 for family commitments and was replaced by Dallimore Sutherland.^[3]

During the early 1970s the Gladiators cut numerous records for various producers such as, Lloyd Daley and Lee Perry, but it was their recordings for Dodd at Studio One that became the biggest hits, both locally and in Britain. During this time at Studio One the Gladiators hits included "Bongo Red", "Jah Jah Go Before Us", "Mr. Baldwin", and "Roots Natty" among others.

The success of these recordings garnered the attention of Britain-based Virgin Records who gave the group their first major recording contract in 1976. Their debut full-length released on Virgin was the Tony Robinson-produced Trenchtown Mix Up (1976), which included revisions of many of their early hits and was a success in both Jamaica and in Britain. They followed this effort with Proverbial Reggae (1978). At the time Gladiators was a band with Albert Griffiths on lead guitar and vocals, Clinton Fearon on rhythm guitar and vocals, Dallimore Sutherland on bass guitar and vocals, Sly Dunbar on drums, Lloyd Parks on bass, Uziah "Sticky" Thompson on percussion, Ansel Collins on keyboards, Earl 'Wire' Lindo on synthesizer, The Mighty Two (Errol Thompson and Joe Gibbs) as engineer and mixer, and "Prince" Tony Robinson as producer.

Dodd and Studio One also released Studio One Presenting the Gladiators, (1978)^[4] a compilation of some early Gladiators records released 1968 - 1974. The Gladiators next two albums on Virgins were Naturality (1978) and Sweet So Till (1979). The group's next album Gladiators was recorded at Coach House Studios in Britain with local producer Eddy Grant. It was the first Gladiators album on which no member of the group played any of the instruments, as a few members of the band Aswad were brought in. The album did much worse than their previous work and they were subsequently dropped from their contract with Virgin. Virgin would subsequently release two compilation records Vital Selection in 1981 and Dreadlocks The Time Is Now in 1983.^[2]

At the time, the good years for the reggae style, later known as roots reggae, was declining. ^[3] A new type of reggae – based on drum machine, sampler, synthesizers and organ – occurred in the 80ies: ragga. Ragga occurred at the same time that electronic dance music's popularity was increasing globally. One of the reasons for ragga's swift propagation is that it is generally easier and less expensive to produce than reggae performed on traditional musical instruments.^[5] Many of the roots artists couldn't or wouldn't change their style, but the Gladiators nevertheless released eleven studio albums in the 80ies. They soon found a home at U.S.-based Nighthawk Records and released Symbol of Reality in late 1982 followed by Serious Thing in 1984. One year later the Gladiators would change labels again, this time moving to Heartbeat Records, where they would release albums throughout the latter half of the 80's. In 1987 Fearon left the group after 18 years, but Griffiths and Sutherland have continued to release albums on various labels since then.

However, in the 90ies when next sub genre – dancehall – became popular, especially among young people in Jamaica, only few roots reggae artists survived in Jamaica. The Gladiators only released three studio albums during the 90ies. Eventually, Internet and a growing number of reggae festivals around the worrld, created new reggae fans in Europe, USA, Africa and Asia. They asked for the original reggae sound with lyrics loaded with social criticism. Groups and artists like the Gladiators, Culture, Mighty Diamonds, Bunny Wailer,. Heptones and Burning Spear got a renaissance and new reggae bands were created all around the world. The dancehall artists had to change their profile and baptized their new showmanship conscious dancehall.^[6]

In 2005 the Gladiators released Fathers and Sons which has been regarded as Albert Griffiths farewell, presumably replacing himself with his sons Alan and Anthony in the future. ^[3]

[edit] Studio Albums

Album	Release Year	Label
Trenchtown Mix Up	1976	Virgin
Proverbial Reggae	1978	Virgin
Studio One Presenting the Gladiators	1978	Studio One
Naturality	1979	Virgin
Sweet So Till	1979	Virgin
Gladiators	1980	Virgin
Babylon Street	1982	Jam Rock
Back To Roots	1982	Stunt Sounds
Symbol of Reality	1982	Nighthawk
Reggae To Bone	1982	Jam Rock
Serious Thing	1984	Nighthawk
Show Down Vol. 3 w/ Don Carlos & Gold	1984	Empire
Country Living	1985	Heartbeat
Dread Prophesy w/ The Ethiopians	1986	Nighthawk
In Store For You	1988	Heartbeat
On The Right Track	1989	Heartbeat
Valley of Decision	1991	Heartbeat
A True Rastaman	1992	MPO
The Storm	1994	Riddim Mu
Something a Gwaan	2000	RAS
Once Upon A Time In Jamaica	2002	XIII Bis Records
Fathers and Sons	2005	RAS

[edit] Compilations and live albums

Album	Release Date	Label
Studio One Presenting the Gladiators	1979	Studio One
Vital Selection	1981	Virgin
Gladiators By Bus	1982	Jam Rock
Live at Reggae Sunsplash w/ Israel Vibration	1982	Genes
Dreadlocks The Time Is Now	1983	Virgin
A Whole Heap	1989	Heartbeat
Full Time	1995	Nighthawk
Alive & Fighting	1997	Mediacom
At Studio One: Bongo Red	1998	Heartbeat
Sold Out	2000	M10
Live in San Francisco	2003	2B1

[edit] Notes and references