Gentle Giant Singer & Record Executive Derek Shulman Announces Memoir

 

Giant Steps is an eye-opening memoir from Derek Shulman that traces his extraordinary journey through music, from 1960s pop fame with Simon Dupree & The Big Sound to cult status as frontman of progressive rock pioneers Gentle Giant, and later as a record executive who signed and developed global acts like Bon Jovi, Dream Theater, and Slipknot. He also played a key role in revitalizing the careers of legends such as AC/DC and Bad Company. The book will be available October 7.

Pre-order Giant Steps - North America & UK/EU 

In Giant Steps, Derek Shulman chronicles a remarkable life and career surrounded by music and creativity in many forms. It begins with a young Derek confidently telling his schoolteacher he would grow up to become a star, and unfolds into a fast-paced and eye-opening journey through decades of pop culture, creative risk-taking, and personal reinvention.

Shulman first found fame as a teenager in the 1960s pop and R&B group Simon Dupree & The Big Sound, then pushed rock music to the outer edges in the 1970s as frontman of progressive rock pioneers Gentle Giant.

In the 1980s, he made a bold pivot into the record business, taking on senior roles at labels like Polygram, ATCO, and Roadrunner Records. There, he signed and developed artists including Bon Jovi, Dream Theater, Slipknot, Pantera, and Men Without Hats, while also helping to revitalize the careers of AC/DC, Bad Company, and others.

Along the way Gentle Giant would become a defining influence on hip-hop, sampled by many of the genre’s leading lights including J. Dilla, De La Soul, Run The Jewels, Travis Scott and dozens more. The band was later championed by Questlove, drummer of The Roots and acclaimed filmmaker, who named them one of his favorite rock acts of all time.

Clean-living and focused in an industry often defined by chaos and excess, Shulman offers a rare perspective on the evolution of music and culture from the 1960s to today. Giant Steps is essential reading for fans of prog, rock, hip-hop, and anyone curious about the inner workings of the music industry.

"Derek Shulman was there before there was a there," Jon Bon Jovi said in a staement. "We grew together as a team. We learned as we lived. He was the one real A&R man that we could count on when we needed him." 

Elton Jon adds: "Many years ago, I had the privilege of playing with Simon Dupree & The Big Sound on a tour of Scotland. It was a joyous experience. The band were fabulous musicians and great guys and treated me so well." 

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull comments: "The intensity of Gentle Giant’s performances sometimes extended from stage to dressing room after their show when a noisy post-mortem might erupt into murderous fraternal screaming matches over a missed semi-quaver or less than perfect vocal harmony. Spirited bunch, the Giants, in full flow. Move over, Cain. Step aside, Abel."

Toto's Steve Lukather was also a Gentle Giant fan. "We were into prog rock hard back then and loved it all. However, Gentle Giant was different. The articulate and musically experimental yet beautiful music that came out of the speakers was captivating."