The Gladiators

Albert Griffiths and the Gladiators have shaped Jamaican music across more than thirty years. Griffiths arrived in 1946 in St. Elizabeth parish, spent his childhood amid hardship in Trench Town, and learned the mason’s trade. Music soon drew him in; together with David Webber, brother of the Webber Sisters, he tried out at multiple studios without success. Masonry therefore reclaimed his days, now shared with the Ethiopians’ Leonard Dillon beneath foreman Leebert Robinson, who also nursed music-industry ambitions. Griffiths persuaded Robinson to finance a session; the Supersonics supplied the backing, allowing the Ethiopians to record “Train to Skaville,” while Griffiths contributed “You Are the Girl” on the reverse, issued as Al & the Ethiopians. “Train” became a major hit, and “Girl” signaled Griffiths’ own promise.

In 1968, Griffiths and Webber joined Errol Grandison to form the Gladiators. The trio kept recording for Robinson yet also supplied singles to Clive Chin and Duke Reid. Their first real breakthrough arrived with Coxsone Dodd, as “Hello Carol” reached number one on the Jamaican chart late that year. Webber, however, soon displayed symptoms of severe mental illness; although the Gladiators continued occasional sessions, his condition steadily worsened. Clinton Fearon, a country youth who had reached Kingston at sixteen and briefly formed the Brothers, stepped in. The Brothers dissolved quickly, but Fearon pursued music seriously and enrolled at the school Griffiths now operated. By then Griffiths also worked as a guitarist at Studio One, where Fearon joined first on rhythm guitar before switching to bass. Family obligations removed Grandison around the same period, leaving the Gladiators a duo; during the closing years of the 1960s they supported Burning Spear and Stranger Cole. Griffiths eventually selected Gallimore Sutherland from his students—a youth he had met during his masonry days—and the group regained its trio format.

As the 1970s opened, the Gladiators added further hits such as “Freedom Train” and “Rock a Man Soul” for Lloyd Daley and “The Race” for Randy’s. Studio One, however, issued the majority of their output through the first half of the decade. One roots classic followed another—“Roots Natty,” “Bongo Red,” “Jah Jah Go Before Us,” and “Mr. Baldwin”—each a sizable Jamaican success that also resonated throughout Britain’s reggae scene. In 1974, Vivian “Yabby U” Jackson enlisted Griffiths and Fearon to back “Jah Vengeance” at Lee “Scratch” Perry’s Black Ark. Impressed, Perry used the pair on several of his own productions and also handled a few Gladiators tracks, among them “Time” and “Untrue Girl.” Clashing temperaments ended the collaboration abruptly.

The Gladiators signed with Virgin Records in Britain in 1976 and began their label debut under Prince Tony Robinson. The resulting Trenchtown Mix Up contained numerous hits, fresh versions of earlier Studio One material such as “Mix Up,” a re-recording of “Bongo Red,” and several Bob Marley interpretations. They followed with the equally strong Proverbial Reggae in 1978, then Naturality the next year; Sweet So Til appeared in 1980 and nearly matched its predecessors. Meanwhile Coxsone Dodd mined the archives for additional Gladiators singles, though the later compilation Presenting the Gladiators omitted several key tracks and disappointed listeners.

Despite their dominance in Jamaica, wider international recognition remained elusive. In 1980 the trio worked with Eddy Grant on an eponymous album that alienated many longtime supporters. Reggae’s popularity waned, Front Line closed, and roots bands disappeared rapidly. The Gladiators nevertheless persisted, releasing Symbol of Reality in 1982 and Serious Thing in 1984 on Nighthawk; the label later issued Full Time in 1993, gathering further material from that era. Moving to Heartbeat in 1985, they produced Country Life that year, In Store for You in 1988, and On the Right Track in 1989; the first two later appeared on CD as A Whole Heap.

Throughout the 1990s the Gladiators maintained their output with albums such as Valley of Decision and A True Rastaman. Fearon’s departure during the decade did not diminish Griffiths’ resolve. The new millennium opened with Something a Gwaan! on RAS. Like the Wailers, the Gladiators combine vocal strength with instrumental ability, forming one of the few Jamaican groups that function as a true band. Their distinctive sound remains recognizable regardless of producer, while Griffiths’ lyrics draw heavily on biblical passages and parables and his talent for reworking other artists’ songs stays striking. The 2005 Ras/Sanctuary release Father and Sons features Griffiths alongside his sons, singer Al Griffiths and drummer Anthony Griffiths, and has been presented as his final statement to fans, with the sons expected to continue the Gladiators name.