Tom Gaebel is a German singer and leader of a big band named after himself (he changed the spelling of his last name, avoiding the umlaut to give it a more international sheen). He was born on January 13, 1975, in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, and quickly began to play various instruments, among them drums, trombone, piano, and the violin. Even during his high-school days, he was a member of various bands -- two big bands and a rock band called Goresaw, which managed to land opening slots for popular bands like the Donots and Jazzkantine.