A Local 47 Member Profile

Sheila Cecilia Escovedo, known as Sheila E., rose to prominence in the 1980s with her single, “The Glamorous Life,” and  her work with Prince. Often referred to as the “Queen of Percussion,” Sheila E. is regarded as one of the greatest percussionists of our time, playing a variety of styles from funk to Latin pop to jazz.

In 2021 she received a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. And in 2023 she got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A prolific music artist, her 2024 album, Bailar, won the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Performance.

The daughter of legendary Mexican-American jazz percussionist Pete Escovedo, she was born into a musical family that also included her uncles Alejandro Escovedo. Nicole Richie is her niece and Tito Puente was Sheila’s godfather.

“I love being able to represent the curvy sassiness of a Latina woman” Sheila E. says. “It’s just a part of who I am, and I couldn’t be more proud to represent that.”