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 an international sheen. In addition to singing and arranging music, Gaebel writes lyrics in English.

Tom Gaebel was born on 13 January 1975 in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, into a musical family. His younger brother Denis Gäbel plays tenor saxophone in the Tom Gaebel big band. Colin Gäbel is a singer and guitarist in addition to being a renowned TV presenter and reporter about computer games; he is a member of the rock band Mondo Kane. Tom started with music lessons at an early age and he plays several instruments, including drums, violin, trombone, and piano. Even during his high-school days, he was a member of bands, including two big bands and a rock band called Goresaw. He attended the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and in October 2004, Gaebel received a major in jazz singing from the Conservatorium. After performing and singing in various big bands, such as The Young Sinatras and the Tobias Kremer Big Band, he formed his own group in 2005.