Shelia E

A gifted, world-class drummer and percussionist, Sheila E. began amassing an impressive string of credits playing not only with her dad, Pete Escovedo, but also with pioneering talents like George Duke, Herbie Hancock, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Prince, Ringo Starr, Gloria Estefan, Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez. She is the Grammy Award-nominated singer/songwriter behind the seminal hits “The Glamorous Life” and “A Love Bizarre.” A fearless multi-instrumentalist – equally proficient on guitar and bass – Sheila E. also is an actress, mentor and philanthropist.

After Sheila E. met Prince in the 1970s, their “Purple Rain” recording sessions – including her vocals on the 1984 classic “Erotic City” – morphed into launching her solo career that same year. Her debut album “The Glamorous Life” spun off the Grammy Award-nominated top 10 hit of the same name plus a second top 40 single “The Belle of St. Mark.” Between her ‘80s tenure as drummer, songwriter and musical director for Prince’s backup band, Sheila E. released two more solo albums, “Romance 1600” and “Shelia E.,” and scored another classic hit with “A Love Bizarre.”

She added to her arsenal of credits performing on the 2012 Academy Awards with pop hitmaker Pharrell Williams and composer Hans Zimmer. Sheila E. was also among the roster of stars chosen to perform at the 2013 Kennedy Center Honors whose honorees included artists Herbie Hancock, Billy Joel and Carlos Santana. Sheila E.'s producing, arranging, and performance talents have been showcased throughout the music and film industry with appearances on The Latin Grammy Awards, BET Awards, The American Music Awards, The Kennedy Center Honors, The Summer Olympics, WOW Awards, ALMA's, and The Image Awards to name just a few.

In 2010 Sheila was nominated for an Emmy Award for “Outstanding Music Direction” in recognition for her leadership as musical director for President Obama’s “Performance at The White House: Fiesta Latina” and again in 2020 for the “Let’s Go Crazy” Grammy Salute to Prince.