Nero and the Gladiators
Encyclopedia
Nero & the Gladiators were a British
instrumental
rock and roll
band in the early 1960s. The group was led by keyboard player Mike O'Neill as "Nero", and had two minor hits in the UK, "Entry of the Gladiators" and "In the Hall of the Mountain King
".
O'Neill (b. 1938, Leigh
, Lancashire
) moved to London
in 1958. He played in Vince Taylor
's band before joining The Cabin Boys, who backed singer Colin Hicks, the younger brother of Tommy Steele
. In 1959, Hicks and his band accepted an offer to tour Italy
, where they had a hit with a version of "Giddy Up a Ding Dong
" and appeared in a movie, Europa di Notte. At the end of the tour, Hicks opted to remain in Italy, and his backing band returned to Britain. Before they left, however, O'Neill and the group's bass player, Rod "Boots" Slade, obtained several sets of gladiator
costumes, largely made of plastic
, which had been used in the 1951 movie, Quo Vadis
, filmed at the Cinecittà
studios in Rome
.
Returning to Britain, O'Neill and Slade formed a new group, Nero & the Gladiators, with guitarist Colin Green and drummer Laurie Jay (real name Laurence Joseph). Green had been introduced to O'Neill by another young Leigh musician trying to make his way in London at the time, Georgie Fame
, who had played with Green in Billy Fury
's backing band. The group performed in their gladiator costumes, with "Nero" wearing a toga
and a laurel wreath
crown. They won a contract with Decca Records
, and recorded a rocked-up version of Julius Fučík
's well known circus music tune, "Entry of the Gladiators", with a spoken introduction by Slade: "Hey, say there, Brutus, man, like, here come the gladiators..." It entered the UK Singles Chart
in March 1961, rising to #37, and was later adopted as the theme tune of Leigh rugby league club
. The follow-up, "In the Hall of the Mountain King", by Edvard Grieg
, reached #48 on the chart, with guitarist Joe Moretti having replaced Green who had joined Georgie Fame's Blue Flames. It was not broadcast on BBC radio
, because of the Corporation
's policy, initiated by Sir Arthur Bliss, of banning pop versions of classical
tunes. They only released two more singles, "Czardas" (1961) and "Tovaritch" (on HMV, 1963).
Laurie Jay left in 1961 to form his own group, being replaced by Tommy Brown, and O'Neill and Slade kept the group together until late 1962 with a succession of guitarists including Diz Disley
. After the group supported the Beatles at the Cavern Club, Slade also left to join the Blue Flames, being replaced on bass by Jim Cannon. For a period in 1963, the position as the group's guitarist was filled by 18-year old Mick Jones
, later of Spooky Tooth
and Foreigner
. Cannon and Jones were later replaced by Alan Bugby and Ralph Danks, before the group disbanded after a tour of France in early 1964.
Mike O'Neill later played in various bands including The John Barry Seven
, The Ivy League
, and Head Hands & Feet. "Boots" Slade became a member of The Alan Price Set. Colin Green later became musical director for Shirley Bassey
.
In 1991, O'Neill and Green re-formed Nero & the Gladiators to play in oldies shows. They continued to perform, with various other non-original band members, until 2005.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
band in the early 1960s. The group was led by keyboard player Mike O'Neill as "Nero", and had two minor hits in the UK, "Entry of the Gladiators" and "In the Hall of the Mountain King
In the Hall of the Mountain King
In the Hall of the Mountain King is a piece of orchestral music composed by Edvard Grieg for the sixth scene of Act II in Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt, which premiered in Christiania on February 24, 1876....
".
O'Neill (b. 1938, Leigh
Leigh, Greater Manchester
Leigh is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It is southeast of Wigan, and west of Manchester. Leigh is situated on low lying land to the north west of Chat Moss....
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
) moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1958. He played in Vince Taylor
Vince Taylor
Vince Taylor was a British rock and roll singer. As the frontman for The Playboys, Taylor was successful primarily in France and the Continent during the late 1950s and early 1960s, afterwards falling into obscurity amidst personal problems and drug abuse.-Early life:Born Brian Maurice Holden,...
's band before joining The Cabin Boys, who backed singer Colin Hicks, the younger brother of Tommy Steele
Tommy Steele
Tommy Steele OBE , is an English entertainer. Steele is widely regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star.-Singer:...
. In 1959, Hicks and his band accepted an offer to tour Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where they had a hit with a version of "Giddy Up a Ding Dong
Giddy Up a Ding Dong
Giddy Up A Ding Dong is a rock and roll song which rose to prominence in 1956, when it was featured in the film, Rock Around the Clock starring Bill Haley...
" and appeared in a movie, Europa di Notte. At the end of the tour, Hicks opted to remain in Italy, and his backing band returned to Britain. Before they left, however, O'Neill and the group's bass player, Rod "Boots" Slade, obtained several sets of gladiator
Gladiator
A gladiator was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their legal and social standing and their lives by appearing in the...
costumes, largely made of plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
, which had been used in the 1951 movie, Quo Vadis
Quo Vadis (1951 film)
Quo Vadis is a 1951 epic film made by MGM. It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Sam Zimbalist, from a screenplay by John Lee Mahin, S. N. Behrman and Sonya Levien, adapted from Henryk Sienkiewicz's classic 1896 novel Quo Vadis. The music score was by Miklós Rózsa and the cinematography...
, filmed at the Cinecittà
Cinecittà
Cinecittà is a large film studio in Rome that is considered the hub of Italian cinema.-History:The studios were founded in 1937 by Benito Mussolini and his head of cinema Luigi Freddi for propaganda purposes, under the slogan "Il cinema è l'arma più forte"...
studios in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Returning to Britain, O'Neill and Slade formed a new group, Nero & the Gladiators, with guitarist Colin Green and drummer Laurie Jay (real name Laurence Joseph). Green had been introduced to O'Neill by another young Leigh musician trying to make his way in London at the time, Georgie Fame
Georgie Fame
Georgie Fame is a British rhythm and blues and jazz singer and keyboard player. The one-time rock and roll tour musician, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still a popular performer, often working with contemporaries such as Van Morrison and Bill Wyman.-Early life:Fame took piano lessons from the...
, who had played with Green in Billy Fury
Billy Fury
Billy Fury, born Ronald William Wycherley , was an internationally successful English singer from the late-1950s to the mid-1960s, and remained an active songwriter until the 1980s. Rheumatic fever, which he first contracted as a child, damaged his heart and ultimately contributed to his death...
's backing band. The group performed in their gladiator costumes, with "Nero" wearing a toga
Toga
The toga, a distinctive garment of Ancient Rome, was a cloth of perhaps 20 ft in length which was wrapped around the body and was generally worn over a tunic. The toga was made of wool, and the tunic under it often was made of linen. After the 2nd century BC, the toga was a garment worn...
and a laurel wreath
Laurel wreath
A laurel wreath is a circular wreath made of interlocking branches and leaves of the bay laurel , an aromatic broadleaf evergreen. In Greek mythology, Apollo is represented wearing a laurel wreath on his head...
crown. They won a contract with Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
, and recorded a rocked-up version of Julius Fučík
Julius Fucík (composer)
Julius Arnost Wilhelm Fučík was a Czech composer and conductor of military bands.Fučík spent most of his life as the leader of military brass bands. He became a prolific composer, with over 300 marches, polkas, and waltzes to his name...
's well known circus music tune, "Entry of the Gladiators", with a spoken introduction by Slade: "Hey, say there, Brutus, man, like, here come the gladiators..." It entered the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in March 1961, rising to #37, and was later adopted as the theme tune of Leigh rugby league club
Leigh Centurions
Leigh Centurions is an English professional rugby league club based in Leigh, Greater Manchester who play in the Co-operative Championship.The club was founded in 1878 as Leigh Rugby Football Club and is one of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in...
. The follow-up, "In the Hall of the Mountain King", by Edvard Grieg
Edvard Grieg
Edvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt , and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric Pieces.-Biography:Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in...
, reached #48 on the chart, with guitarist Joe Moretti having replaced Green who had joined Georgie Fame's Blue Flames. It was not broadcast on BBC radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
, because of the Corporation
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's policy, initiated by Sir Arthur Bliss, of banning pop versions of classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
tunes. They only released two more singles, "Czardas" (1961) and "Tovaritch" (on HMV, 1963).
Laurie Jay left in 1961 to form his own group, being replaced by Tommy Brown, and O'Neill and Slade kept the group together until late 1962 with a succession of guitarists including Diz Disley
Diz Disley
Diz Disley was an Anglo-Canadian jazz guitarist and graphic designer. He is best known for his jazz guitar playing, strongly influenced by Django Reinhardt, and for his collaborations with the violinist Stéphane Grappelli....
. After the group supported the Beatles at the Cavern Club, Slade also left to join the Blue Flames, being replaced on bass by Jim Cannon. For a period in 1963, the position as the group's guitarist was filled by 18-year old Mick Jones
Mick Jones (Foreigner)
Michael Leslie "Mick" Jones is an English guitarist, songwriter, and record producer best known as the founding member of the rock band Foreigner.-Life and career:...
, later of Spooky Tooth
Spooky Tooth
Spooky Tooth are an English rock band principally active, with intermittent breakups, between 1967 to 1974. In recent years, the band has been reconstituted at various points, and continues to perform occasionally.-Career:...
and Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
. Cannon and Jones were later replaced by Alan Bugby and Ralph Danks, before the group disbanded after a tour of France in early 1964.
Mike O'Neill later played in various bands including The John Barry Seven
The John Barry Seven
The John Barry Seven was a band formed by John Barry in 1957, after he abandoned his original career path of arranging for big bands.-Origins:...
, The Ivy League
The Ivy League (band)
The Ivy League are an English vocal trio, created in 1964, who enjoyed two Top 10 hit singles in the UK Singles Chart in 1965. The group's sound was characterised by rich, three-part vocal harmonies.-Career:...
, and Head Hands & Feet. "Boots" Slade became a member of The Alan Price Set. Colin Green later became musical director for Shirley Bassey
Shirley Bassey
Dame Shirley Bassey, DBE , is a Welsh singer. She found fame in the late 1950s and was "one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century"...
.
In 1991, O'Neill and Green re-formed Nero & the Gladiators to play in oldies shows. They continued to perform, with various other non-original band members, until 2005.