Ray Shulman, a multi-instrumentalist identified for his work with the progressive-rock band Mild Large and later a profitable producer for the Sundays, Bjork’s early band the Sugarcubes, and plenty of others, died on March 30. He was 73.
The information was introduced Saturday by his brother and Mild Large bandmate Derek, who wrote in a press release: “I’m deeply saddened to announce that my youthful brother and my finest buddy Ray Shulman handed away on March thirtieth at his dwelling in London. I used to be with him till the tip as he bravely battled a protracted sickness. At the least I do know he’s now at peace.
“Ray actually was a genius in so some ways. He was an unbelievable composer, musician, music producer and tech wizard. Along with myself and my elder brother Philip he was a founding member of Simon Dupree & The Massive Sound and subsequently Mild Large. He went on to supply artists just like the Sundays, the Sugarcubes, Ian McCulloch and plenty of extra. Extra just lately he devoted his tech and musical experience in authoring and remixing different artists like Jethro Tull, Genesis, King Crimson and plenty of extra.”
Though his elder brothers have been born in Glasgow, Scotland, the household relocated to Portsmouth in southern England, the place Ray was born in 1949. A musical household — their father was a military musician who later labored as a jazz trumpeter — the brothers first fashioned a band within the early Sixties that ultimately developed into Simon Dupree & the Massive Sound, with Derek (a.okay.a. “Simon Dupree”) and Ray taking part in guitar and violin; a younger Elton John was briefly the band’s keyboardist. The band scored a success late in 1967 with the keyboard-stacked psychedelic tune “Kites,” which reached No. 8 within the U.Ok.
Like many psychedelic-era bands, the brothers’ group developed into progressive rock, they usually fashioned Mild Large in 1970 — the members have been all multi-instrumentalists, and Derek, Phil and Kerry Minnear every sang lead vocals; their self-titled debut album was produced by longtime David Bowie producer Tony Visconti and engineered by future Queen/Vehicles producer Roy Thomas Baker. The band grew to become a serious participant within the progressive rock style and launched 10 albums in as a few years, with their mid-‘70s albums “The Energy and the Glory” and “Free Hand” essentially the most commercially profitable.
After the band cut up in 1980, Ray branched out into manufacturing, helming the debut albums from the Sugarcubes and the Sundays, in addition to albums by the Trash Can Sinatras, the Defects and others. He delved into digital music within the late Eighties beneath the identify Head-Physician and likewise scored music for a number of video video games, in addition to the remixes talked about in his brother’s publish.
He’s survived by his spouse, Barbara Tanner, in addition to his brothers Philip and Derek.
