Sheila E.

Singer and percussionist Sheila E. was born Sheila Escovedo in Oakland in 1957. Sheila’s father Pete Escovedo was a percussionist in the Latin music scene, and her godfather was Tito Puente. In 1978, when in her teens and already on the way to a music career, Sheila E. met Prince while performing in concert with her father, and eventually went on to sing backup vocals on his album Purple Rain in 1984. That same year, the megastar helped Sheila E. record her first album, The Glamorous Life. The single “The Glamorous Life” received many Grammy nominations and won the Best Video award at the MTV Video Music Awards. Sheila E. opened for Prince on the Purple Rain tour and briefly dated him. She had another hit with her 1986 single “A Love Bizarre” and appeared in the films Krush Groove, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, and Chasing Papi. Since her 1987 album Sheila E., she has collaborated with artists from Ringo Starr to Beyoncé. In 2009, Sheila E. won the reality show Gone Country, which has allowed her to work with country artist John Rich.