by Howard Campbell
[Kingston, Jamaica] – Albert Griffiths, the talented leader of The Gladiators band, died in Jamaica’s St. Elizabeth parish on December 15. He had battled Parkinson’s Disease for 15 years.
Griffiths, who was 74, wrote the band’s biggest hit songs including Hello Carol, their signature.
Anthony Griffiths, one of his eight children, said his father died at home in the district of Aberdeen. Griffiths was a native of St. Elizabeth, a rural region on the Caribbean country’s south coast.
He described his father as “very loving, very caring, very kind and spiritual.”
Griffiths started his career as a guitarist at Studio One in the late 1960s. In 1968, he formed The Gladiators which made an instant impact with the catchy Hello Carol, which shot up local charts.
The group had other hits during the 1970s when roots-reggae became the sound of choice out of Jamaica. Griffiths also wrote Bongo Red and Roots Natty Roots, songs that helped define The Gladiators in North America and Europe where they had a strong following.
Like most of their roots contemporaries, The Gladiators had a tireless touring schedule and recorded for independent record companies on both sides of the Atlantic.
In 2005, Griffiths was forced to retire from touring as his health deteriorated. At one stage, there were two versions of The Gladiators on the road; one of them was led by Anthony Griffiths on drums and his brother Al, a singer.
Albert Griffiths is survived by eight children, 14 grandchildren, one great grandchild, four sisters and one brother.
