Mike O'Neill (Nero & The Gladiators) R.I.P.

[Alan Taylor]

I have just heard the sad news that Mike O'Neill passed away last Thursday (October 10th). In instrumental circles Mike was perhaps better known as Nero of Nero & The Gladiators, but he went on to play with many others including Albert Lee in Heads Hands & Feet. Mike had been jaundiced but was only diagnosed with liver cancer 2½ weeks before he died. His funeral will be held at Stevenage Crematorium on October 23rd at 11:45.

[dave robinson]

Sad news indeed, I am a great admirer of Nero & The Gladiators and Heads, Hands And Feet.
Thanks for the great music and RIP Mike.

[Alan Prudhoe]

Sad News. Spent many long hours trying to learn Czardas in the early Sixties.

[David Martin]

I won't forget...

We used to open with Entry of The Gladiators in the Sixties...

[Uncleboko]

Very sad, I never saw Nero & the Gladiators - just missed them by one week in Barnet and saw Lord Sutch instead!

[hoffers]

Mike was a regular at the Pipeline Convention and a nice bloke, always had time for a natter. RIP

[HAIRY]

....and Bleak House....

[RayL]

Like Hank and Bruce and Brian and Jet and Tony and Licorice, Mike played at the 2i's coffee bar. Arriving on a lorry from Warrington in Lancashire in 1957 (he originally came from Leigh), he was dropped off in London's Holloway Road (the A1).

With 10/- in his pocket he found his way to Soho Square and somehow met a musician who told him he could show him where the 2i's was, "but I haven't been paid yet so can you buy me a cup of tea?". Mike paid, which cleaned him out, but the guy did take him to Old Compton Street.

Mike hung about outside (he had no money left) until a couple of guys with guitars turned up, with others behind them. "Are you a group?" asked Mike, "'cause I'm a piano player". "We need a piano player" they said, so Mike played that night. Afterwards he told them he had nowhere to stay. "We've got a big flat in Gloucester Place" they said (the band was Clay Nicholls and The Blue Flames) so he stayed there.

That story was part of the interview that Mike gave me for the Pipeline 1995 DVD re-issue, along with why he came to be called Nero and tales of life on the road. A really nice guy. Here he is at the time of the interview in 2005.

Mike O'Neil.JPG

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Ray

[anniv 63]

Yes Bleak House is a classic instrumental track. You can almost feel the chill of the Siberian winter in their rendition!!!
Also top class is Tovarich, the 45 single flipside. Again another fine rendition of probably an old Cossack melody.
Its a shame that so many instrumental 45s like this were overlooked or banned by the BBC because they might have "modernised"
a classic tune. However if Joe Loss did it then , he was an established musician and friend of the Beeb so he's ok, but not these young
ruffians!!!

Mike

[GoldenStreet]

Its a shame that so many instrumental 45s like this were overlooked or banned by the BBC because they might have "modernised"
a classic tune. However if Joe Loss did it then , he was an established musician and friend of the Beeb so he's ok, but not these young
ruffians!!!

Mike

I don't think these two items were on the Beeb's 'hit list', as it were, although one of my favourites, the Cougars' Saturday Nite At The Duck Pond, definitely was!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_so ... by_the_BBC

Bill