Gentle Giant Frontman Turned Label Exec, Derek Shulman, Writes Memoir

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Derek Shulman, who first found fame as a teenager in the 1960s music group Simon Dupree and the Big Sound, co-founded and became the frontman of progressive rock pioneers Gentle Giant in the ’70s, and ultimately became a senior executive at several record labels, is publishing his memoir. The book, Giant Steps: My Improbable Journey From Stage Lights to Executive Heights, written with author and music journalist Jon Wiederhorn, arrives October 7, 2025, via Jawbone. It’s available for pre-order in the U.S. here, in Canada here and in the U.K. here.

From the announcement: The book begins with Shulman, born February 11, 1947, into a musical family in Glasgow, Scotland, 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. With his brothers, Phil and Ray, and others, he formed Simon Dupree and the Big Sound, achieving several mid-chart U.K. singles. Their sole significant success was 1967’s psychedelic “Kites,” which reached #9.

During their tour that year, another musician joined them to fill in for their keyboard player. They tried to recruit the 20-year-old, Reg Dwight, to become a member but he had other plans that included a name change. A blurb for Giant Steps includes a quote from the very same Elton John: “Many years ago, I had the privilege of playing with Simon Dupree and 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.”

Not long after the group ended, the three Shulman brothers formed progressive rock band Gentle Giant in 1970 with Gary Green, Kerry Minnear and Martin Smith. With Derek Shulman frequently serving as lead vocalist and primary songwriter, the group recorded and toured relentlessly, releasing 11 studio albums in a decade. Tony Visconti—already well known at that time for his work with David Bowie and T. Rex, among others—produced the first two LPs. He has written the foreword for Giant Steps.

In 1972, Gentle Giant joined Black Sabbath on their first U.S. tour through shared management, only to discover they were both being ripped off. Derek Shulman broke the news to Sabbath, leading to a tense meeting where Ozzy Osbourne threw a bottle at their manager, nearly missing him. Gentle Giant bought out their contract for £94,000, while Sabbath faced a grueling legal battle before finally breaking free.

Gentle Giant was a frequent touring partner with Jethro Tull. Writes Ian Anderson, “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.”

Derek Shulman performing with Gentle Giant in Hamburg, Germany, 1974 (Photo: Derek Shulman Archives)

The band 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. They were later championed by Questlove, drummer of the Roots and acclaimed filmmaker, who named them one of his favorite rock acts of all time.

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

Derek Shulman and Jon Bon Jovi, 1996 (Photo: Derek Shulman Archives)

A grateful Jon Bon Jovi notes, “Derek Shulman was there before there was a there. 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.”

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.

“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,” adds Toto’s Steve Lukather.

Jon Wiederhorn is a veteran author and music journalist. He is the co-author of many books including Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal (with Marty Friedman), I’m The Man: The Story of That Guy From Anthrax (with Scott Ian), and is the author of Raising Hell: Backstage Tales From the Lives of Metal Legends. He also has worked on staff at Rolling Stone, MTV and Guitar Magazine, and written for Los Angeles Times, Classic Rock, Guitar World and others.