Third Man Books is proud to announce the publication of Jack White Collected Lyrics and Selected Writing Volume 1 by Jack White and edited by Ben Blackwell. The upcoming collection compiles lyrics from White’s solo recordings thus far, alongside his acclaimed work with The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, and other collaborations.
GIANT STEPS MY IMPROBABLE JOURNEY FROM STAGE LIGHTS TO EXECUTIVE HEIGHTS DEREK SHULMAN WITH JON WIEDERHORN
New from Jawbone: an eye-opening memoir from Derek Shulman that traces his extraordinary journey through music, from 1960s pop fame with Simon Dupree & The Big Sound to cult status as frontman of progressive rock pioneers Gentle Giant, and later as a record executive who signed and developed global acts like Bon Jovi, Dream Theater, and Slipknot. He also played a key role in revitalizing the careers of legends such as AC/DC and Bad Company. On sale October 7, 2025.
Watch the video trailer below:
Pre-order (North America): https://tr.ee/GiantSteps
Pre-order (UK/EU): https://tr.ee/GiantSteps-UK-EU
In Giant Steps, Derek Shulman chronicles a remarkable life and career surrounded by music and creativity in many forms. It begins with a young Derek confidently telling his schoolteacher he would grow up to become a star, and unfolds into a fast-paced and eye-opening journey through decades of pop culture, creative risk-taking, and personal reinvention.
Shulman first found fame as a teenager in the 1960s pop and r&b group Simon Dupree & The Big Sound, then pushed rock music to the outer edges in the 1970s as frontman of progressive rock pioneers Gentle Giant.
In the 1980s, he made a bold pivot into the record business, taking on senior roles at labels like Polygram, ATCO, and Roadrunner Records. There, he signed and developed artists including Bon Jovi, Dream Theater, Slipknot, Pantera, and Men Without Hats, while also helping to revitalize the careers of AC/DC, Bad Company, and others.
Along the way Gentle Giant would become a defining influence on hip-hop, sampled by many of the genre’s leading lights including J. Dilla, De La Soul, Run The Jewels, Travis Scott and dozens more. The band was later championed by Questlove, drummer of The Roots and acclaimed filmmaker, who named them one of his favorite rock acts of all time.
Clean-living and focused in an industry often defined by chaos and excess, Shulman offers a rare perspective on the evolution of music and culture from the 1960s to today. Giant Steps is essential reading for fans of prog, rock, hip-hop, and anyone curious about the inner workings of the music industry.
About the authors
Derek Shulman is a celebrated musician and music executive best known as lead vocalist and founding member of the progressive rock band Gentle Giant. Born in 1947 in Glasgow, Scotland, he grew up in a musical family, which greatly influenced his artistic journey. After achieving success and acclaim with Gentle Giant in the 1970s, Derek transitioned into the music industry as an executive, playing a pivotal role in signing major acts including Bon Jovi, Pantera, and Dream Theater. With a career spanning over five decades, Shulman remains an iconic figure in the music world, well known and widely respected for his creativity and dedication.
Jon Wiederhorn is a veteran author and music journalist. He is the co-author of Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History Of Metal, Dreaming Japanese (with Marty Friedman), I’m The Man: The Story Of That Guy From Anthrax (with Scott Ian), Ministry: The Lost Gospels According To Al Jourgensen, and My Riot: Agnostic Front, Grit, Guts & Glory (with Roger Miret), and is the author of Raising Hell: Backstage Tales From The Lives Of Metal Legends. He also has worked on staff at Rolling Stone, MTV, and Guitar Magazine, spearheaded the 12-episode exclusive iHeart Radio podcast Backstaged: The Devil In Metal, and written for LA Times, Classic Rock, Guitar World, TV Guide, SPIN, The Village Voice, and Melody Maker.
Kenny Chesney is Billboard's No. 1 Country Artist of the 21st Century
Kenny Chesney woke up to some very outrageous news. With a landmark opening week at Sphere in Las Vegas, where he became the first country act to headline, the news broke that the soft-spoken songwriter/superstar was named Billboard’s Top Country Artist of the 21st Century. Recognizing his imprint on the genre across both singles and the larger perspective of his albums, the honor comes on the heels of being a 2025 Country Music Hall of Fame Electee, alongside June Carter Cash and producer/executive Tony Brown.
“No one gets up to go the gym and expects to see news like this on their phone,” the clearly stunned Chesney said. “All I was ever trying to do was find the best possible songs, things that spoke to the heart of how No Shoes Nation lives – and then taking that music, those albums that were slices of my life out to everyone who wanted to come out, be a part of the shows, the moments and the memories we made in every city we played.”
Known for spreading positive energy through his singular rock/country hybrid, the man Wall Street Journal crowned “King of the Road” has taken the music to a whole lot of new places, from college bars to major NFL stadiums and now Sphere. Just as importantly, he’s defined the sound of coming of age, finding peace in the whirlwind pace and kicking back when it’s most needed for people living in all kinds of places across the nation.
With 33 Billboard No. 1 Country Airplay songs, more than anyone since the chart’s inception, nine all-genre Billboard 200 Albums, as well as all 17 of his 21st century albums topping their Country Albums chart, Chesney’s music has been an indelible part of what country music can contain. Enlisting duet partners Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews, Grace Potter, the Wailers, P!nk and Uncle Kracker on major hits, as well as Mindy Smith, Ziggy Marley, Jimmy Buffett, George Jones and Joe Walsh, Chesney’s country is an expansive place.
As Billboard’s Jim Asker noted, “Kenny Chesney rules as the No. 1 country act on Billboard’s recap of the first 25 years of the 21st century… The ranking is based on performance on the weekly is based on performance on the weekly Top Country Albums and Hot Country Songs charts from the start of 2000 through the end of 2024.
“After debuting on Billboard’s charts in December 1993 and becoming a format force by 1995, Chesney dominated the first quarter of the 21st century, landing all 17 of his No. 1s on the weekly Top Country Albums chart between 2000 and 2020. With his trademark mix of love songs and breezy beach singalongs, he also ran up 20 No. 1s (of 23 total) on Hot Country Songs in that span. Both totals are the highest among all artists in those years.”
With Heart*Life*Music, his first book, due in November of this year and available for preorder now, it’s been quite a journey. For fans of the leader of the borderless No Shoes Nation, who’ve marveled at his Sphere residency, there’s so much more to come.
