Sheila E

Sheila E.
Sheila E. in 1985
Born	Sheila Escovedo (1957-12-12) December 12, 1957 (age 59) Oakland, California, US
Occupation	Singer-songwriter multi-instrumentalist record producer actress
Years active	1976–present
Musical career
Genres	R&B pop soul pop rock funk latin pop
Instruments	Vocals percussion drums bass guitar keyboards guitar
Labels	Warner Bros. Paisley Park Concord
Associated acts	Prince The E. Family Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band George Duke Sy Smith
Website	sheilae.com

Sheila Escovedo (born December 12, 1957) better known under the stage name Sheila E., is an American singer, percussionist, author, and actress. She began her career in the mid 1970s as a percussionist and singer for The George Duke Band. After leaving the group in 1983, Sheila began a successful solo career, starting with her critically acclaimed debut album, which included the career-defining song, "The Glamorous Life". She became a mainstream solo star in 1985 following the success of the singles, "The Belle of St. Mark", "Sister Fate", and "A Love Bizarre" with the latter becoming one of signature songs. She is commonly referred to as The Queen of Percussion.

Born in Oakland, California, Sheila E. is the daughter of Juanita Gardere, a dairy factory worker, and percussionist Pete Escovedo, with whom she frequently performs. Her mother is Creole, African American, and her father is of Mexican origin. Sheila E's uncle is Alejandro Escovedo, and Tito Puente was Escovedo's godfather. She also is niece to Javier Escovedo, founder of seminal San Diego punk act The Zeros. Another uncle, Mario Escovedo, fronted long-running indie rockers The Dragons. She also is the niece of Coke Escovedo, who was in Santana and formed the band Azteca. Nicole Richie is Sheila E.'s biological niece, the daughter of Sheila's musician brother, Peter Michael Escovedo.