Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County presents
An Evening With Sheila E.
Photo courtesy artist management.
One of life’s constants for Sheila E. comes down to a simple phrase: Follow the beat. Her impeccable inner rhythm is the pulse behind a trailblazing career that knows no bounds.
Family, faith and music were guiding forces for Sheila E. growing up in the Bay Area. In addition to percussionist dad Pete, the Oakland, California native counts former Santana member/Azteca founder Coke Escovedo and The Dragons front man Mario Escovedo as uncles. Fellow Latin star Tito Puente was her godfather. In addition to being weaned on Latin jazz and Motown, Sheila E. was exposed to a diverse array of Bay Area acts. Those influences ranged from the rock of Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead to the R&B/pop of the Pointer Sisters and the funk of Sly & the Family Stone.
“I used to sit on the corner outside of the local community center with Twinkies and 7 Up listening to Sly and Larry Graham rehearse,” Sheila E. says. “The sounds of the Bay Area molded me.”
So it’s no surprise that after such a music-immersive childhood, the gifted, world-class drummer and percussionist began amassing an impressive string of credits playing not only with her dad but also with pioneering talents such as George Duke, Herbie Hancock, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Prince, Ringo Starr, Gloria Estefan, Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez. Sheila E. is the Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter behind the seminal hits “The Glamorous Life” and “A Love Bizarre.” She is a fearless multi-instrumentalist who is proficient on guitar and bass, an actress, a mentor and a philanthropist.
Following a Bay Area gig in the late 1970s, Sheila E. met Prince backstage. Their Purple Rain recording sessions—including her vocals on 1984 classic “Erotic City”—morphed into launching her solo career that same year. 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 1980s 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.”
Sheila E.’s fierce, dynamic verve onstage has made her a major concert draw since the ‘90s. Along the way, she has acted in films Krush Groove, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane and Chasing Papi and launched various music projects (E-Train, C.O.E.D., E Family Band). She added to her arsenal of credits by performing at 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 Summer Olympics, WOW Awards, ALMA's and The Image Awards, to name a few. In 2010, Sheila E. was nominated for an Emmy Award for “Outstanding Music Direction” in recognition of her leadership as musical director for President Obama’s In Performance at The White House: Fiesta Latina and again in 2020 for the “Let’s Go Crazy” Grammy Salute to Prince.
Her other projects include The E Family Now and Forever; Pete Escovedo Live at Stern Grove Festival with her father Pete Escovedo and brothers Juan and Peter Michael Escovedo; Sheila E. Live From Lugano Switzerland DVD; and an autobiography published by Simon & Schuster titled The Beat of My Own Drum.
Away from the spotlight, music doubles as a source of healing and giving back for Sheila E. In tandem with the city of Oakland, she and her Elevate Hope organization staged the first annual Elevate Oakland benefit concert in 2014. A host of Bay Area artists and other acclaimed musicians performed at the city-donated Fox Theatre. The goal: to raise funds to improve student academic achievement and attendance through music and arts programming. But this wasn’t Sheila E.’s first time giving back. Between gigs, she has also criss-crossed the country, speaking at schools and colleges, shelters, church organizations, music classes and clinics about music’s effect on her life and career. “Sharing music in any way I can is my ministry,” she says.
That was part of the inspiration for The Beat of My Own Drum. Playing a perceived male instrument and working in a male-dominated industry exacted a personal price: Sheila E. publicly acknowledged she was an abuse survivor.
“The book was the beginning of the healing,” Sheila E. says. “I’d talked about working in a male-dominated industry in my ministry and addressed it in some of the song lyrics I’d written. But it was challenging to sit down and write about it in detail for the book. No one in my household told me I couldn’t play drums because I was a girl. It wasn’t until I was outside of the house and playing sessions. But through pain comes realization, understanding and the opportunity to help others overcome those challenges."
Sheila E. continues to produce and perform music throughout the world. In 2025, Sheila E. and the E-Train released an album titled Hella FonkE. The E-Train was founded in the early '90s and reflects the jazz side of her artistry.
Sheila E. says her career was propelled by one thing: “I just did it because I loved it. I started all this as Sheila Escovedo, then became this persona named Sheila E. Now, Sheila E. and Sheila Escovedo are the same person, still making music that comes from the heart.”
A focus on Jazz Roots
Miami-Dade photographer Daniel Azoulay has been shooting Jazz Roots concerts since the series began nearly 20 years ago. His subjects have included pioneering jazz and blues artists such as Sonny Rollins, B.B. King, Paquito D'Rivera, Patti LaBelle, Dr. John, Al Jarreau, Arturo Sandoval and Cecile McLorin Salvant. Azoulay continues to photograph Jazz Roots performances, including this season's Kind of Blue tribute to Miles Davis in November featuring Ravi Coltrane, Veronica Swift and others.
Azoulay's photos documenting the Adrienne Arsht Center's construction from 2003 to 2006 were recently on display in the Ziff Ballet Opera House and Knight Concert Hall. An exhibition covering two decades of his Arsht performance photos will go on view in the fall. You can read more about Azoulay's work and his long relationship with the Arsht at Arsht Magazine.
Donations help the Arsht transform lives by connecting our community to the arts. Make a gift today at ArshtCenter.org/Gift.
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