Celebrating Sheila E. Happy Birthday!!

Today million ALL over the world are celebrating 1 of the GREATEST Female musician in the world. I am so honored to be born and share the same Birthday with her she is just 1 of my many influences, many may or may not know her I am talking about none other than Sheila Escovedo better known to millions simply as Sheila E. And here is her story.

Sheila Escovedo (born , 1957, in Oakland, California), known by her stage name Sheila E., is an American musician, perhaps best known for her work with Prince and Ringo Starr.

Early life and Prince period

Sheila Escovedo is the daughter of percussionist Pete Escovedo, with whom she frequently performs. Sheila E's uncle is Alejandro Escovedo, formerly with Delphine Neid's first-wave punk rock group The Nuns, Rank and File and The True Believers, followed by a solo career. The late Tito Puente was Escovedo's godfather. She is also niece to Javier Escovedo, founder of seminal San Diego punk act, The Zeros. Another uncle, Mario Escovedo, fronted long-running indie rockers, The Dragons. Escovedo is of Mexican, African American, and Creole heritage. Coke Escovedo who was in Santana and formed the band Azteca was also her uncle.

She made her recording debut with jazz bassist Alphonso Johnson on "Yesterday's Dream" in 1976. She is a drummer and percussionist and also plays violin and guitar. She had also played with George Duke, Lionel Richie, Marvin Gaye, Herbie Hancock, and Diana Ross by the time she was in her early twenties.

Prince met Sheila at a concert in the early 1980s, when she was performing with her father. After the show, he met her and told her that he and his bassist "were just fighting about which one of us would be the first to be your husband". He also prophetically vowed that one day she would join his band. The two would eventually join forces during the Purple Rain recording sessions. She provided vocals on the B-side to "Let's Go Crazy", "Erotic City" in 1983/84. Though taken under Prince's wing, she proved to be a successful artist in her own right. In 1984 she scored hits with "The Glamorous Life" (#7 on the Hot 100, and regarded as something of an '80s classic), and "The Belle of St. Mark" (#34). She opened for the Purple Rain tour and there was a segment where she would have a man called up on stage and seated in a chair while she sang and teased him (similarly mirrored by Janet Jackson during the "Rope Burn" segment of her Velvet Rope Tour in 1998/99.) Around the same time, the collaborating duo began a brief romantic relationship, while Prince was still seeing Susannah Melvoin, twin sister of Revolution band member Wendy Melvoin.

In 1985 she released Romance 1600, scored another hit with the track "A Love Bizarre" (#11), and the non-album track "Hollyrock" made its way to live shows and into the film Krush Groove. She was also nominated for an American Music Award and a Grammy for "The Glamorous Life". Sheila recorded three albums during the '80s, The Glamorous Life, Romance 1600, and Sheila E. She appeared in four films, Krush Groove with Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J and Blair Underwood in 1985, Prince's concert film, Sign 'O' the Times in 1987, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane and Chasing Papi in 2003.

During the Sign o' the Times, Black Album (material which is rumoured to have been intended as birthday party music for Sheila E.), and Lovesexy periods of Prince's career (including the Lovesexy World Tour), Sheila E. served as his drummer and musical director in his highly regarded backup band, dubbed The New Power Generation not long after her departure. During the Sign o' the Times era, she released the single "Koo Koo" from her 3rd album Sheila E., which had Sign o' the Times member Cat as a backup dancer in the accompanying video. Sheila E. also served as a writer and musician on many of Prince's records, as well as on the albums of his prot?g?s such as Madhouse.

Post-Prince and other collaborations

After leaving the Prince organization in 1989 (she actually had a medical problem-collapsed lung), Sheila E. recorded a few more albums, Sex Cymbal, Writes of Passage, and Heaven. However, the albums garnered little attention. This was especially true in the case of Sex Cymbal, since Sheila E.'s health issues prevented her from touring in order to promote it. In 2002 Sheila E. appeared on the Beyonc? Knowles song "Work It Out".

Sheila E. was the leader of the house band on the short-lived 1998 late night talk show, The Magic Hour, starring Magic Johnson.

She played percussion on the Phil Collins cover of "True Colors" in 1998.

In 2000 she played with a band in Japan that back up the well-known artist Namie, Amuro. On the Namie Amuro Tour, she played "Genius 2000", which is featured on the DVD.

Sheila E. has performed three stints with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, in 2001, 2003, and 2006. Her drum "duets" with Starr are a moment of comic relief in the show, where they play the same parts but he quickly falls behind, shrugs and smiles as she takes off on an extended percussion solo. Says Sheila E.: "Ringo truly is one of the greatest rock n' roll drummers in the history of music. He enjoys the joke!"

In 2004, Sheila E. toured New Zealand as drummer and percussionist for the Abe Laboriel Band.

In 2005, Sheila E. was a surprise guest orchestrating a band, in Amerie's "1 Thing" performances for The Lady Of Soul & World Music Awards.

In February 2006, Sheila E. performed with Prince (and Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman) once again at the BRIT Awards.

She also performed at Prince's One Nite Alone... Live! concert, Live at the Aladdin Las Vegas in 2003, 36th NAACP Image Awards in 2005, and on the Good Morning show in June 2006.

In March 2007 she went on a small tour through Europe with her new band project called C.O.E.D. (Chronicles of Every Diva). C.O.E.D. consists of Sheila E., Kat Dyson, Rhonda Smith and Cassandra O'Neal. For several concerts she was joined by Candy Dulfer, who was billed as a special guest.

She performed at the 2007 Latin Grammy Awards with Juan Luis Guerra. She also performed at the ALMA (American Latin Music Awards) Awards in June 2007 with Prince, and on July 7, 2007 in Minneapolis with Prince. She performed at all three of his concerts: first, at Prince's 3121 perfume launch at Macy's, followed by the Target Center concert, and finally, at an aftershow at First Ave.

In October 2007, Sheila E. was a judge alongside Australian Idol judge and marketing manager Ian "Dicko" Dickson and Goo Goo Dolls lead singer John Rzeznik on the Fox network's The Next Great American Band.

Sheila E. recently met with Prince on March 29, 2008, who sat in on (and played keyboard) on Sheila E.'s performance with her family at Harvelle Redondo Beach.

On April 9, 2008, Sheila E. appeared on the historic Emmy winning program, Idol Gives Back. It is the most important and significant part of the highly rated American Idol series. Shelia E. took part in the show opener "Get on Your Feet" with Gloria Estefan. Dance troupe, So You Think You Can Dance finalists joined the stage for the memorable moment. Idol Gives Back raised awareness and funds to benefit six charities. International celebrities and sport figures graced the stage for the historic television program event.

On April 26, 2008, Sheila E., along with Morris Day and Jerome Benton, performed with Prince at the Coachella Music Festival.

From May 2 to 6th, 2008, Sheila E. played four sold-out shows at Blue Note Tokyo in Japan. This is the most frequented jazz music club in Tokyo.

On June 14, 2008, Sheila E. performed at the Rhythm on the Vine music and wine festival at the South Coast Winery in Temecula, California for Shriners Hospital for Children. She took the stage with the E Family, Pete Escovedo, Juan Escovedo and Peter Michael Escovedo. Other performers at the event were jazz musician Herbie Hancock, contemporary music artist Jim Brickman and Kirk Whalum.

On May 30, 2009, Sheila E. and the E Family Band will once again take the stage to perform at Rhythm on the Vine at Gainey Vineyard in Santa Ynez, California for the Hot Latin Beats concert. Also to perform at the concert is Poncho Sanchez.

Sheila E. is the business partner of singer and former The Brides of Funkenstein, Lynn Mabry. They formed a foundation for abused children called the Elevate Hope Foundation.

Sheila E. has collaborated many times with other artists, a notable one being Gloria Estefan for whom she played the timbales. Sheila E. first collaborated with Estefan on Estefan's first Spanish studio album Mi Tierra in 1993, and in 2007 with Estefan's smash hit "No Llores" in which Estefan also collaborates with Carlos Santana and Jos? Feliciano. She also is one fourth of the band C.O.E.D. (Chronicles of Every Diva), who as of 2008 are touring overseas and released a CD available in limited distribution or through her website.

Via claims surrounding brother Peter Michael Escovedo, Nicole Richie is rumored to be Sheila E'.s biological niece. Nicole Richie was born Nicole Camille Escovedo on September 21, 1981 in Berkeley, California. She is the adopted daughter of pop legend Lionel Richie and his first wife, Brenda. Her biological father is musician Peter Michael Escovedo (Wayne Brady Show Band Leader), brother of Sheila E. and son of famed percussionist Pete Escovedo. Nicole began living with the Richies as a toddler; the adoption was finalized when she was nine years old. .

Sheila E. recently won the CMT reality show, Gone Country. This will give her an opportunity to make country music aided by famed country producer, writer, and singer John Rich. Sheila E.'s first song in the country market is "Glorious Train". A video for the song debuted on CMT on March 7, 2009 following the airing of the episode of Gone Country in which Sheila E. was announced the winner.

Here are some of my favorite Videos of Sheila E.

The Glamorous Life


Love Bizarre


Holly Rock


Sheila E Drum Solo from Sign of the Time


Tito Puente and Sheila E.


The E Family


Shelia E~ The Beat Goes on


Shelia E in Oakland