Biography
Guitarist Mike O’Neill assembled this fleeting British instrumental pop outfit after someone remarked on his resemblance to a Roman emperor, leading him to christen himself Nero and perform in a toga. The lineup also featured Colin Green on guitar, Tommy Brown on drums and Rod ‘Boots’ Slade on bass. Three vigorous singles emerged from the group, among them ‘Entry Of The Gladiators’ and a version of Prokofiev’s ‘In The Hall Of The Mountain King’; the latter drew a BBC radio ban after Slade’s spoken introduction was judged to show disrespect toward the classical work. The ensemble folded in 1963 once Slade and Green chose to enlist with Georgie Fame And The Blue Flames, after which Slade appeared in the Alan Price Set. Mick Jones, who would later gain prominence in Foreigner, played with the Gladiators in the months before they dissolved.