Sheila E.

WHO | HONOREE Sheila E. 

EMCEE Walk of Famer, Grammy Award winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Jimmy Jam

GUEST SPEAKERS Ringo Starr and H.E.R.

WHAT Dedication of the 2,759th^th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

WHEN  Wednesday, July 12, 2023, at 11:30 AM PT

WHERE  6752 Hollywood Boulevard, in front of the Musician’s Institute

WATCH LIVE  The event was live-streamed exclusively at walkoffame.com 

The Queen of Percussion, Sheila E. was honored on July 12, with the 2,759^th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star was unveiled at 6752 Hollywood Boulevard in front of the Musician’s Institute. Sheila E. was awarded her star in the category of Recording.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce administers the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame for the City of Los Angeles and has proudly hosted globally iconic ceremonies for decades.  Millions of people from here and around the world have visited this cultural landmark since 1960.

ABOUT OUR HONOREE

“Sheila E. is a powerhouse in the music industry. She has had quite an iconic career and has performed with the best!” said Ana Martinez, Producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  “We are thrilled to have her join the iconic Walk of Fame as the first female solo percussionist on the Walk of Fame.  I cannot think of a better place but to place her star in front of the Musician’s Institute” added Martinez.

Songwriter/Producer Jimmy Jam Harris will be joined for the star unveiling by speakers H.E.R. and Walk of Famer and fellow percussionist Ringo Starr.

One of life’s constants for Sheila E. comes down to a simple phrase: follow the beat. And her impeccable inner rhythm is the pulse behind a trailblazing career that still 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 frontman 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,” remembers Sheila E. “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 like George Duke, Herbie Hancock, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Prince, Ringo Starr, Gloria Estefan, Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez. Grammy Award-nominated singer/songwriter behind the seminal hits “The Glamorous Life” and “A Love Bizarre.”

A fearless multi-instrumentalist, equally proficient on guitar and bass, actress, mentor and philanthropist. Following a Bay Area gig in the late ‘70s, Sheila E. met Prince backstage. Their Purple Rain recording sessions—including her vocals on the 1984 classic “Erotic City”— morphed into launching her solo career that same year. Her 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 ‘80s tenure as a 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 the films “Krush Groove,” “The Adventures of Ford Fairlane,” “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 on 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 Academy Awards, The Latin Grammy Awards, BET Awards, The American Music Awards, The Kennedy Center Honors, The Summer Olympics, WOW Awards, ALMA’s, and The Image Awards just to name a few. In 2010 Sheila was nominated for an Emmy Award for “Outstanding Music Direction” in recognition for her leadership as musical director for President Obama’s Performance at The White House: Fiesta Latina and again more recently in 2020 for “Let’s Go Crazy” Grammy Salute to Prince. 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, Silk Road from the group Heavenese hailing from Japan, a literary biography released by Simon & Schuster Publishing Titled The Beat of My Own Drum, ICON Sheila’s 2014 solo album and the single release Girl Meets Boy in memory of the late, great, Prince. Her 2017 studio project and tour, ICONIC, was Sheila’s effort to bring awareness to social issues and humanitarianism. Her 2020 single releases, “No Line” with the legendary Snoop Dogg, “Lemon Cake” & “Bailar” are Sheila’s continued contributions to the music industry.

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 on Feb. 1, 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 crisscrossed 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. Sheila E. continues to produce and perform music throughout the world. As music fans across the globe recommit to live music again, the timing could not be better for Sheila E. and the E Train to drop a new album and reignite stages everywhere. Sheila E., the “Queen of Percussion” adds another exciting notch to her prolific career as a recording artist, producer and musician extraordinaire. The Queen of Percussion plans to release more new music in 2023, in the process of completing her first-ever Salsa project. Sheila E. is the CEO of the entertainment company StilettoFlats Inc. located in Los Angeles California.