Ray Shulman, a multi-instrumentalist known for his work with the progressive-rock band Gentle Giant and later a successful producer for the Sundays, Bjork’s early band the Sugarcubes, and many others, died on March 30. He was 73.
The news was announced by his brother and Gentle Giant bandmate Derek, who wrote in a statement: “I am deeply saddened to announce that my younger brother and my best friend Ray Shulman passed away on March 30th at his home in London. I was with him until the end as he bravely battled a long illness. At least I know he is now at peace.
“Ray really was a genius in so many ways. He was an incredible composer, musician, music producer and tech wizard. Together with myself and my elder brother Philip he was a founding member of Simon Dupree & The Big Sound and subsequently Gentle Giant. He went on to produce artists like the Sundays, the Sugarcubes, Ian McCulloch and many more. More recently he devoted his tech and musical expertise in authoring and remixing other artists like Jethro Tull, Genesis, King Crimson and many more.”
Although his elder brothers were born in Glasgow, Scotland, the family relocated to Portsmouth in southern England, where Ray was born in 1949. A musical family — their father was an army musician who later worked as a jazz trumpeter — the brothers first formed a band in the early 1960s that eventually evolved into Simon Dupree & the Big Sound, with Derek (a.k.a. “Simon Dupree”) and Ray playing guitar and violin; a young Elton John was briefly the band’s keyboardist. The band scored a hit late in 1967 with the keyboard-stacked psychedelic song “Kites,” which reached No. 8 in the U.K.
Like many psychedelic-era bands, the brothers’ group evolved into progressive rock, and they formed Gentle Giant in 1970 — the members were all multi-instrumentalists, and Derek, Phil and Kerry Minnear each sang lead vocals; their self-titled debut album was produced by longtime David Bowie producer Tony Visconti and engineered by future Queen/Cars producer Roy Thomas Baker. The band became a major player in the progressive rock genre and released 10 albums in as many years, with their mid-‘70s albums “The Power and the Glory” and “Free Hand” the most commercially successful.
After the band split in 1980, Ray branched out into production, helming the debut albums from the Sugarcubes and the Sundays, as well as albums by the Trash Can Sinatras, the Defects and others. He delved into electronic music in the late 1980s under the name Head-Doctor and also scored music for several video games, as well as the remixes mentioned in his brother’s post.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara Tanner, as well as his brothers Philip and Derek.
