As the daughter of the legendary percussionist Pete Escovedo, Sheila E. was born into a royal family of Latin music and jazz, which also includes her uncles Coke, Alejandro and Mario, as well as her godfather Tito Puente. She made her first appearance onstage at the age of five, and has not stopped performing since.

Truly deserving of the title “Queen of Percussion,” Sheila has performed and recorded with George Duke, Herbie Hancock, Marvin Gaye, and, of course, Prince with whom she collaborated throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. The dynamic percussionist has appeared on numerous TV shows and her music has been featured on several hit movies. Throughout her long and illustrious career as a featured soloist, she’s also led her own bands for performances at jazz and music festivals all over the world. She somehow found the time to write an acclaimed memoir about her life in music called, aptly, The Beat of My Own Drum, published in 2014.

Sheila recently worked with Master Class to produce a special session “Sheila E. Teaches Drums and Percussion.” In 2021, Sheila and her father were presented with the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a well-deserved honor for this gifted instrumentalist and performer. We’re thrilled to have her sailing for the first time on Blue Note Sea in 2023 and so is she! Listen to what she says about the upcoming cruise where Great Music is the Only Rule.