A GLAMOROUS LIFE
Sheila Escovedo, better known as Grammy Award–nominated percussionist Sheila E., was on her way to the Olympics—at least that’s what she’d envisioned when she was young. As a child, she was obsessed with sports and thought she had a future in track and field. But music was always a constant force in her life and, soon enough, her path would be changed forever.
As the daughter of percussionist Pete Escovedo, who played in bands such as Santana and Azteca, Sheila’s youth was filled with the explosive sounds of Latin jazz and conga drums. On any given night, a rotating roster of famous musicians would come in and out the Escovedos’ front door, but it never really dawned on her that this was anything unique until years later.
“We didn’t know any better,” Sheila says. “Us kids, we didn’t know how famous people were. We had no idea. We were
