Independent (label)
14 November 2025 (released)
24 October 2025
Book Review
Derek Shulman has had a long career both as a musician and as a ‘Music Industry Mogul’ and in this autobiography he gives a very good taste of all of it.
Musically, he is probably best known as the lead singer in both Simon Dupree & the Big Sound and then in Gentle Giant but his later story as an A&R man and label head, first at Polygram and then at Atco and Roadrunner, working with everyone from Black Sabbath to Dr. Dre to Pantera to Men Without Hats and discovering Slipknot & Bon Jovi along the way, is equally as fascinating and he tells the whole story well, without sparing his own blushes or overplaying his successes.
You get real insights to his upbringing in Glasgow tenements through to his early days playing music with his brothers and then into the world of pop music and Progressive.
Shulman explains how, long after their time as a recording band, Gentle Giant would become a defining influence on hip-hop, their music sampled by many of the genre’s leading lights including J. Dilla, De La Soul, and dozens more—and the band acclaimed by The Roots bandleader and filmmaker Questlove as his favourite rock act of all time.
The quality of the writing is a little surprising, and his ability to involve the reader in the stories of his life is remarkable. I have read many biographies and autobiographies that are simply lists of facts or poorly written diatribes, and this is neither of those. A lot of the ‘why’ is included in his history.
If you are a fan of Gentle Giant or just into musical histories, this is a damn good read.
