The Gladiators are a Jamaican roots reggae band, most popular during the 1970s. The core was Albert Griffiths (lead guitar and vocals; born 1945, died December 15, 2020), Clinton Fearon (bass guitar and vocals) and Gallimore Sutherland (rhythm guitar and vocals). Their two most famous albums are Trenchtown Mix Up (1976) and Proverbial Reggae (1978) with songs such as “Hearsay”, “Jah Works”, “Dreadlocks the Time is Now”. “Mix Up”, “Music Makers from Jamaica”, and “Soul Rebel” – a song written by The Wailers.

With the advent of dancehall in the 1990s, the Gladiators only released three studio albums during that decade. Eventually, the Gladiators, Mighty Diamonds, Bunny Wailer, Heptones and Burning Spear had a renaissance. The dancehall artists had to change their profile and baptised their new showmanship as conscious dancehall.

In 2005, the Gladiators released Fathers and Sons which has been regarded as Albert Griffiths’ farewell after ill health forced him to retire from touring, with his sons, Alan and Anthony, joining the group.

In June 2013, the group announced that their next album would be a collaboration with deejay Droop Lion, nephew of original Gladiators’ member David Webber, performing new versions of some of the group’s most popular tracks.