Posted: Mon 07 Jan 2008 18:06 Post subject: Shelia E.
Father and daughter team, latin percussion players Pete & Sheila Escovedo (later becoming famous as Sheila E. in the band of Prince) released this album on Fantasy Records in 1978, it was produced by Billy Cobham and features Mark Soskin, Ray Obiedo, Randy Jackson, Billy Cobham, Eddie Henderson and Mel Martin.
1. Ain't That The Truth
2. Harockamolé
3. Bolinas
4. Bridges (Travessia)
5. Burrito Bandito
6. Hello Like Before
7. Happy Together
8. Cueros
You’d already had experience recording and touring with your father Pete Escovedo, and with George Duke, several years before ‘The Glamorous Life’ came out. What were you doing when Prince entered the picture?
Well, I met him in 1978. Around that time, I was out on tour with George Duke. I went to see him at one of his concerts and I was so excited because I’d been hearing about him. My dad was with Santana then, and the whole Santana band was bragging about this guy – this young kid – who was producing and recording by himself, playing all the instruments and writing the songs. There was a big buzz in the Bay Area about that. So I couldn’t wait to meet him. I went to his concert, and was walking up to him to introduce myself. I was still Sheila Escovedo at that time. He turned around and put his hand out and said “Wow, it’s a pleasure to meet you!” I thought “Ok…I was just getting ready to introduce myself.” He just kind of threw me off, and he told me he had been following my career for a long time. He had been watching George Duke and saw me playing drums, and him and Andre Simone were arguing about who was gonna marry me. (laughs)
Did you handle the sudden success well, when ‘The Glamorous Life’ hit big?
I tried my best. It really happened so quickly. It was overwhelming. You almost want to say “I wish I would have known then, what I know now.” I would have dealt with some things differently – with people, especially. I see how you get caught in being a celebrity. Fame can destroy you. It got to be very difficult. I basically couldn’t go anywhere. I couldn’t even go to the mall. They’d have to close me in one of the stores because there’d be two thousand kids screaming, trying to get my autograph. I think the strange thing about it, too, was when we put the record out I immediately went to Europe and did press and toured out there for a month or two before we came back here. I had no idea the song was being played like it was. I had no idea how much things had changed in two months.
What a surprise to come back to.
Oh, absolutely!
Do you get a chance to watch Vh-1 Classic now and then?
Yes I do.
I’d think you still get a kick out of seeing the video in rotation.
When you look at it, it’s such a part of my life. I just remember it as if it was this morning. Really. Not even yesterday. I can tell you what we were doing. The whole thing – the excitement! I look at it and go “God, that was my first record”, and I’m just excited about it. And that’s basically how I live every day. “Oh my God, this is going to be fun.” You know, you have to really enjoy yourself. And learn by the mistakes, of course, but it’s been a wonderful journey.
It certainly didn’t hurt to have Prince in your corner when you kicked off your solo career, but did his influence ever become smothering?
No, uh-uh. What attracted us to each other was the music. At the time I met him, he started coming and hanging around with my family because I was playing with my dad off and on, and he was like “Wow.” He had never seen anything like that, or heard anything like that. To see the family playing together is a dream-come- true for a lot of people, a lot of artists. It was something that we had that was very special and unique. He was attracted to that, he was attracted to the different types of music that I grew up listening to, and our lives are worlds apart. We were never smothered by each other, him by me or me by him. If anything, we’ve learned a lot, shared a lot and given to each other.
How is it that, twenty years on, you’re just about the only one who still maintains a working relationship with Prince?
I don’t know. We were friends first, and I’ve been with him almost from the beginning, I guess, pretty much throughout his career. There were a couple of years we didn’t see each other, and then in ’83, when I was with Lionel [Richie] and Marvin [Gaye], we got together again and started working. It was just great. Again, it’s really the music that brought us together. The fun part about being his friend was I think he hadn’t met anyone who was as competitive as he was. And being a woman, he was like “Oh, I have to beat her!” It was that kind of thing. Growing up in a family that was very competitive - my mom and all her brothers and sisters were very athletic – I was very athletic, and so was Prince. We’d play basketball, we’d play ping pong, we’d play pool – we did everything besides recording music. And so I was able to hang with him as a buddy, almost - as a friend.
Last edited by gemini072 on Mon 07 Jan 2008 19:19; edited 2 times in total
Other,
by jove, you've got it! La historia de mestizaje y mulataje en Las Americas
That, in short, is the historical context of mixed ancestry in Latin America and the Caribbean! See Nicole Ritchie, her family and you will see various strains of humanity. Put them together and you have family!
Looking at the extended family makes me wonder if intermarriage between African Americans and Chicanos (Sheila E's father is Mexican-American) is more common in the Bay Area than Southern California.
Joined: 07 Feb 2007 {Posts: 1829 } Location: Lookin DC Metro, Feelin Geneva
Posted: Mon 09 Mar 2009 17:04 Post subject:
G-Man wrote:
Looking at the extended family makes me wonder if intermarriage between African Americans and Chicanos (Sheila E's father is Mexican-American) is more common in the Bay Area than Southern California.
Anyone have any information?
Me thinks everything considered liberal is more common in the Bay Area.
'
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