Sheila E.

Background

Sheila Cecilia Escovedo was born in Oakland, California, and is the daughter of percussionist Pete Escovedo and Juanita Gardere. Her father is of Mexican-American ancestry, while her mother is of a Creole-French/African background. Together with jazz bassist Alphonso Johnson, Escovedo made her recording debut in 1976 with “Yesterday’s Dream.” She had already shared the stage with George Duke, Lionel Richie, Marvin Gaye, Herbie Hancock, and Diana Ross by the time she was in her early 20s. She joined The George Duke Band in 1977. The albums “Don’t Let Go” (1978), “Follow the Rainbow” (1979), “Master of the Game” (1979), and “A Brazilian Love Affair” (1980) all featured her. Escovedo and her father jointly recorded the song ‘Happy Together’ in 1978 on Fantasy Records under the names Pete and Sheila Escovedo. She had an important appearance on the Herbie Hancock album “Monster” in 1980. She was a drummer on Marvin Gaye’s final concert tour, ‘Midnight Love Tour,’ which began in 1983.

Escovedo and her father were playing at a concert in 1977 when Prince Rogers Nelson happened to be there. Eventually, they would work together on the “Purple Rain” recording sessions. Despite being under Nelson’s tutelage, she showed herself to be a talented artist in her own right. She released her debut album, “The Glamorous Life,” in June 1984. ‘The Glamorous Life,’ the album’s lead single, reached its highest point on the Hot 100 chart at number seven and topped the dance charts for two weeks in August 1984. Three M.T.V. Award nominations for Best Female Video, Best New Artist, and Best Choreography came from the song’s music video. Additionally, she was nominated for two Grammy Awards — Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. She published “Romance 1600” in 1985. The second single from the album, ‘A Love Bizarre,’ became her anthem and peaked at number 11 on the Hot 100 while also dominating the dance charts. Later, she worked with Prince as his drummer and musical director throughout the band’s tours from 1987 to 1989. Her debut album, “Sheila E.,” was published in July 1987.

Peter Michael and Escovedo worked together on her 1991 album “Sex Cymbal.” She experienced some health issues shortly after its publication, which kept her out of the public eye for several years. She participated in a few recording sessions during the ensuing years until joining Namie Amuro’s touring band in 1996. She served as Magic Johnson’s bandleader and sidekick on his disastrous syndicated chat program “The Magic Hour” in 1998. With “Writes of Passage,” the first of two albums for Concord Records, she started recording again in 2000. Escovedo consistently performed live and in the studio during the 2000s. C.O.E.D., which stands for Chronicles of Every Diva, was founded by her in 2006 along with Cassandra O’Neal, Kat Dyson, and Rhonda Smith. C.O.E.D. went on tour and released a self-titled album online. Her first album in 12 years, “Icon,” was published in 2013; previously only available in the U.K., it was made available internationally in 2014. She made a comeback three years later with “Iconic: Message 4 America,” a new album with cameo appearances from Ringo Starr, George Clinton, and Candy Dulfer.