Derek Shulman

Derek Shulman (born Derek Victor Schulman, 11 February 1947, in The Gorbals, Glasgow, Scotland) is a British musician and singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record executive. From 1970 to 1980, he was lead vocalist for the band Gentle Giant.

Career

Shulman began his recording career as part of British pop band Simon Dupree and the Big Sound, with Pete O'Flaherty, Eric Hine, Tony Ransley, and his brothers Phil Shulman and Ray Shulman. Recording in the late 1960s, the band struggled with creative difficulties after experiencing a modicum of commercial success, finally dissolving in 1970.

The three brothers went on to form progressive rock band Gentle Giant with guitarist Gary Green, keyboardist Kerry Minnear, and drummer Martin Smith (later replaced by Malcolm Mortimore, who was himself replaced by John Weathers). In Gentle Giant, Shulman became known as a dynamic frontman in the live environment and recorded twelve albums with the band over ten years. While the band secured a loyal following of fairly devout fans, they never experienced wide commercial success and, with their popularity waning slightly in the late 1970s, they disbanded after the release of the 1980 album Civilian. Like his band members, Shulman was quite adept on several instruments, including saxophone, recorder, bass and their own Shulberry

Following his recording career, Shulman became a prominent record executive, starting as an A&R representative at PolyGram, where he signed Bon Jovi, Cinderella, and Kingdom Come, among others. He has also been president of Atco Records (where he signed the progressive metal band Dream Theater) and also Roadrunner Records. He now runs his own label, DRT Entertainment.