Growing up in a musical family in Oakland, Calif. — her father, Pete Escovedo, is a percussionist; her uncle is rocker Alejandro Escovedo; and her godfather was the late percussion legend Tito Puente — Sheila E. played with jazz greats and Marvin Gaye before connecting with Prince and recording on his “Purple Rain” album. Her 1984 debut album, “The Glamorous Life” — Prince wrote the title track — made her a superstar, and she went on to a prolific solo career and collaborations with A-listers ranging from Ringo Starr to Beyonce and a reunion with Prince. Her latest album, the inspirational “ICONIC: Message 4 America,” features her takes on classic songs, with guest appearances from Starr, George Clinton and Freddie Stone, a cofounder of Sly and the Family Stone, among others.
“Last tour, I sprained my ankle and messed up my Achilles as well a year and a half ago, and it just got better a month ago,” Sheila E. tells The Post — ironic for a woman who is the CEO of an entertainment company called StilettoFlats. “I wasn’t able to wear heels, I had been performing with no shoes.”
“Drums and percussion are very demanding physically, almost abusive, especially playing congas with your hands,” she continues. “You have to really love it because there’s a lot of pain.”
At this time more women are playing [percussion] and other instruments, like trumpet. Percussion tends to lean more toward males. The issue with that was a lot of young girls and women I spoke to have shared with me were told, even by their parents, that it was just for boys, while the teachers said, “Why don’t you play something more dainty?”
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