Derek Shulman’s Giant Steps: My Improbable Journey From Stage Lights to Executive Heights (written with Jon Wiederhorn) finds the veteran musician and record company executive unravelling a remarkable saga that finds him traveling from tragedy (the death of his beloved father) to triumph (his time a member of the English hitmakers Simon Dupree and The Big Sound (a pre-fame Elton John was briefly a member) to progressive rock pioneers Gentle Giant to his time as record executive during which he signed Bon Jovi, Dream Theater, Cinderella, Nickelback among others.
The story is told with plenty of humor and finds Shulman (and sometimes his bandmates) rubbing elbows with actor Sherman Hemsley (The Jeffersons), who not only happened to be a huge progressive rock fan but apparently had a taste for psychedelics, Paul Weller of The Jam, and Karen Carpenter. He even includes the somewhat unlikely new life Gentle Giant has experienced as go-to band for hip-hop samples and discusses the contemporary band that went full fanboy when he turned up for a network television appearance.
Giant Steps: My Improbable Journey From Stage Lights to Executive Heights, which features a foreword from legendary producer Tony Visconti is out now.
This episode was previously released on October 1, 2025.
Host/Producer: Jedd Beaudoin
Theme Music: Torin Andersen
