Gentle Giant is currently in the spotlight: following the recent remaster of their acclaimed live album Playing The Fool – The Complete Live Experience, and now the autobiography of founder/singer/composer Derek Shulman is available. The latter’s life has taken several remarkable turns, which he recounts with great pace and humour, with a little help from author Jon Wiederhorn.
The book tells the story of the young Jewish Shulman family, originally from Glasgow, Scotland, who move to the coastal and naval port of Portsmouth in southern England at a young age. Father, mother, and five children (four boys and a girl) are poor and move into the deprived neighbourhoods of the port city. Father is a jazz musician and bandleader, from whom sons Ray and Derek, in particular, inherit their musical genes. Sadly, he also led the life of a jazz musician, with copious amounts of alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes, and died when Derek was only 16. His father’s death had a profound impact and left him traumatized. Fortunately, young Derek, the middle of five, was a good student and sportsman, and his passion for music soon drove him towards rock and roll in the early 1960s. Together with his younger brother Ray, a brilliant musician, he started a group that would grow into a true Top 10 band in a few years. Complete with an EMI Record contract, recording at Abbey Road under the leadership of George Martin, sold-out tours, and appearances on Top of the Pops. As Simon Dupree and the Big Sound, Derek along with his brothers Phil and Ray, Pete O’Flaherty, Eric Hine and Tony Ransley released a number of hits including their highest charting single, Kites.
Over time, the brothers grew tired of their pop image and the accompanying music and decided to change tack: the birth of Gentle Giant. This brought with it the attendant personnel difficulties, affecting both the musicians and the management. The latter had ties to the mafia and robbed their clients, which was nothing new in those days. The new musical direction from the late 1960s and early 1970s was eclectic: a mix of rock, folk, classical and jazz – with the group venturing into progressive rock territory. The split with eldest brother Phil in 1972 had a significant impact and left its mark. Gentle Giant enjoyed considerable success, releasing eleven albums in about ten years. By the early 1980s, their success had faded, partly due to the rise of punk and changing personal circumstances. The band would disband and never perform or record new music again.
Shulman, who had also served as the band’s manager in their final years, naturally entered the record business, initially as a music promoter and later as a talent scout and director. He achieved great success, discovering and mentoring Jon Bon Jovi, Dream Theater, Slipknot, Pantera and Men Without Hats, and revitalizing the careers of AC/DC, Bad Company, and several others. He would eventually hold the reins at five record labels.
It’s also remarkable that Gentle Giant’s music proved a major inspiration for hip-hop and rap groups, particularly from underprivileged neighbourhoods in the United States. They frequently used the band’s samples in their music, a remarkable feat. The final chapter explores the restoration of lost Giant music tapes using AI (!!), filling the now 78-year-old with feelings of emotion, happiness and gratitude. There’s also a great deal of grief following the death of his best friend and younger brother, Ray, in 2023.
Over three hundred pages, the improbable story of the poor Jewish boy who rose from singer in a school band to renowned rock musician and then to a highly sought after top manager in the record industry. Interesting for Giant fans, but also for other (prog) rock and even hip-hop fans.
ADDITIONAL INFO
Publisher: Jawbone (United Kingdom)
Author: Derek Shulman with Jon Wiederhorn | Foreward by Tony Visconti
EAN: 9781916829251
Length: 304 pages
Date of Publication: 14th November 2025
LINKS
Gentle Giant – Website | Facebook | Book info at Gentle Giant | YouTube | X | Instagram
