Gentle Giant
was born out of the ashes of Simon Dupree & the Big Sound, a successful rock and R&B-based outfit led by brothers Derek, Ray, and Phil Shulman. They were signed to EMI in 1966 and scored a few pop hits. In late 1969 they decided to break up the group and form a band that would stretch their musical and creative boundaries.

Enter Gentle Giant in 1970. Derek was the lead vocalist and played alto sax and bass, Ray sang and played bass and violin, and Phil handled the saxophone and added vocals. Kerry Minnear, the keyboardist, was recruited after graduating from Royal Academy of Music. Gary Green, a blues based guitarist also came on board, as did a number of drummers, before they settled on John Weathers in 1972.

In 1970, Gentle Giant signed to the UK Vertigo label, their self-titled first album being produced by Tony Visconti. It was the precursor to the unique style that separated Gentle Giant from all other bands of the 'progressive' era. Their utilization of complex classical chord and time patterns, together with hard rock, blues, jazz and even medieval melodies and themes, set them apart from other groups.

The band tour extensively, releasing three more albums: Acquiring The Taste, Three Friends, and Octopus. However, a hectic touring schedule forced Phil Shulman to leave the group at the end of the Octopus tour to be with his family in the UK. 


Gentle Giant re-organized as a 'five piece' band, which became the best-known and most successful line-up. “In a Glass House” the band’s most ambitious LP to that time, followed and despite being received extremely well in Europe, Columbia Records deemed it too un-commercial for release in North America. “In A Glass House” ultimately became one of the biggest imported records, selling several hundred thousand copies in the USA.

The group then signed to Capitol Records in North America and Chrysalis Records in the rest of the world and their next four albums became their most successful. “The Power and Glory” was followed by “Freehand”. Both albums entered the U.S Billboard Charts in the top 30. The band's touring fan base had grown to headline status, playing concerts in arenas in Europe, North America and Canada. To document Gentle Giant's burgeoning live following, “Playing The Fool”, a double live LP, was released next by the band. This was followed by “Interview” which, although quite well received, was not as successful as the prior recorded material.

While the band a very successful cult following, their complex music made it impossible for mainstream radio to embrace the albums they had released. A decision was made to try creating music that would be accepted by the already established prog music base, while drawing more mainstream music fans. The Missing Piece” and “Giant for a Day” followed “Interview’. Unfortunately, neither of these albums was able to take the band to that next level.

The band switched labels again to Columbia for the 10th and final LP “Civilian,” a clear attempt to make the band sound more contemporary and more rock driven. The group realized that their time had come and gone and after their 1980 world tour promoting “Civilian”, Gentle Giant disbanded. The band has never reunited. Realizing that the legacy of what they had achieved, was best left in the history books and for their fans lucky enough to have seen the band in their heyday, the catalogue and videos of the their performances will cement their place in the history of “Progressive Rock”.