Tom Cridland, known as Sir El Tom, is an Anglo-Portuguese musician from London. In 2022 he began performing the music of Elton John live in concert. Initially doing it solely to help his recovery from alcoholism, he has gone on to become a singer, songwriter, pianist and record producer taking on the alter ego, "Sir El Tom".
Sir El Tom performs Elton's music live in concert either solo, singing at his grand piano, or with his full band, naturally comprising Sir El Tom on grand piano and vocals, backed by drums, bass, guitar, second keyboards and percussion.
Sir El Tom is regarded as one of the world's best tribute acts to Elton John.
Tom started playing piano aged 30 during the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2021. He began simply with the aim of distracting himself from his addiction to alchohol, inspired by Elton.
His first performance was in January of 2022 at the Carrollton Station, a juke joint in New Orleans. Tom then developed the show in Tennessee, with residencies at the Players Inn, a dive bar in Bellevue. By May 2023 he was playing to 1,500 people at McKelligon Canyon Amphitheatre in Texas.
Defiantly old school, Tom puts the music first, with extraordinary attention to detail. In contrast to most of the modern day industry, Tom plays 100% live, with no backing tracks or lip-syncing at all. Indeed as a very wise man once put it, "I think everyone who lip-syncs on stage in public when you pay like 75 quid to see them should be shot".
Sir El Tom initially toured with a three-piece band, just as Elton himself began his touring career in a trio with Nigel Olsson (Tom's close friend) on drums and Dee Murray on bass. With this line up and in the space of just three years, Tom went from gigging in pubs to headlining some of the world's most prestigious theatres, amphitheatres, arenas and stadiums.
Tom has performed in every single American state and at hundreds of iconic venues all over the world.
This includes shows at Carnegie Hall, Adelphi Theatre, Teatro Tivoli, Casino Estoril, Vivo Rio, McKelligon Canyon Amphitheatre, the Troubadour, Théâtre du Gymnase Marie Bell, Emerson Colonial Theatre, The Granada Theatre Santa Barbara, Balboa Theatre, The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, Perot Theatre, Sioux City Orpheum, Robinson Center, Koger Center for the Arts, Buskirk-Chumley Theater, Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo, Scottsdale Performing Arts Center, Sunrise Theatre, Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, Attucks Theatre, Polk Theatre, Poncan Theatre, State Theatre of Ithaca, Royal Oak Music Theatre, Kirkland Performance Center, Bank of America Performing Arts Center, Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center, Paramount Theatre, Midwest Trust Center, Macomb Center for the Performing Arts, F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, Le Petit Theatre, Miniaci Performing Arts Center and many more.
Tom had the chance to thank Elton John in person for helping him give up drinking at Elton's annual Oscars party in Los Angeles in 2023.
On August 5th 2024, Nigel Olsson returned to the Troubadour in West Hollywood to play with Sir El Tom. This was nearly 54 years to the day of Nigel's legendary debut "Elton John Band" performance in America at the venue in August 1970 alongside Elton John and Dee Murray. Nigel also performed onstage with Sir El Tom in Lisbon at Capitólio on October 25th 2024 and again in Los Angeles at The Belasco on November 17th 2025.
Tom has written and performed his own compositions on the album he produced for The Stylistics, Falling In Love With My Girl, as well as with his band, The Tomicks, and on his solo projects.
Tom has worked in the studio with both Nigel and Davey Johnstone.
Tom has produced and written songs with the likes of The Stylistics, Shania Twain, Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones, Gene Simmons of KISS, Justin Hawkins of The Darkness, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Bill Champlin, Jay Graydon, The Real Thing, Nathan East, Kenji Suzuki of Simply Red, Tower of Power and Steve Lukather of Toto at recording studios such Abbey Road, Metropolis, Sunset Sound and The Village.
Tom has interviewed guests and friends on his Greatest Music of All Time Podcast, including Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, Verdine White and Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire, Chick Corea, Smokey Robinson, Chance the Rapper, Dionne Warwick, Kevin Bacon, Seal, David Guetta, Christina Hendricks, Michael Imperioli, Otis Williams of The Temptations, Curt Smith of Tears For Fears, Pixie Lott, Brooks & Dunn, Gloria Estefan, Sean Paul, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Steve Lukather and Joseph Williams of Toto, Chris Rea, HAUSER, Johnny Marr, Jon Anderson of Yes, Hannah Reid of London Grammar, David Crosby, Rachel Bilson, Adam Duritz of Counting Crows, Allan Clarke and Bobby Elliott of The Hollies, Shaggy, Sir Cliff Richard, RAYE, Stewart Copeland of The Police, Gene Simmons of Kiss, Ronan Keating, John Oates of Hall & Oates, Don McLean, Kool & the Gang, Graham Gouldman of 10cc and Seth Rogen.