Colosseum ranks among the pioneering acts in British progressive rock from its formative period, merging bold rock explorations with pronounced jazz and blues leanings plus classical keyboard flourishes; the ensemble cultivated a devoted, enduring fanbase even though it never achieved a significant commercial breakthrough. In 1968 saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith, bassist Tony Reeves, and drummer Jon Hiseman established the group after their shared tenure with John Mayall on the album Bare Wires, with Heckstall-Smith and Hiseman having previously belonged to the Graham Bond Organisation. Dave Greenslade joined on keyboards, Jim Roche on guitar, and vocalist James Litherland completed the initial roster, the latter assuming guitar duties after Roche’s early exit.
The band made its first public appearance in Scarborough and quickly gained support from BBC disc jockey John Peel, who showcased Colosseum on the Top Gear program. Fontana Records secured the act, issuing the debut album Those Who Are About to Die Salute You in 1969; the record performed respectably on the charts, with opening track “Walking in the Park” released as a single that remained the group’s sole 7-inch effort. Later that year Valentyne Suite arrived as the inaugural release on Vertigo Records, the notable progressive and hard-rock imprint whose parent company Philips also controlled Fontana.
Daughter of Time reached stores in 1970 with a revised membership after James Litherland departed to found Mogul Thrash and Tony Reeves shifted to full-time production; guitarist Dave Clempson, bassist Mark Clarke, and lead vocalist Chris Farlowe entered the lineup. The Grass Is Greener surfaced the same year, though the set actually constituted a reconfigured edition of Valentyne Suite issued exclusively in the United States and containing four tracks from the original album plus four newly recorded pieces.
Colosseum switched to the newly created Bronze Records in 1971 and captured several concerts at Manchester University and Brighton’s Big Apple club; the ensemble disbanded before finishing a studio project for the label, leaving 1971’s Colosseum Live as the final document of its original incarnation. Jon Hiseman formed Colosseum II in 1975 as a more jazz-focused unit featuring guitarist Gary Moore and keyboardist Don Airey; the revised group produced three albums before dissolving in 1978. The Daughter of Time configuration reunited for a 1994 concert tour that yielded a live album, followed by the 1997 studio release Bread & Circuses and intermittent recordings and performances thereafter. Time on Our Side appeared in 2014 as the final studio album, with the group’s concluding concert taking place at a farewell event the next year. Saxophonist Barbara Thompson, married to Jon Hiseman, often performed with the reunited Colosseum and became a permanent member after Dick Heckstall-Smith’s death in 2004. Jon Hiseman passed away in 2018 at age 73.
