Sheila E. to perform at Palmdale Amphitheater, tickets go on sale Thursday

PALMDALE – R&B and pop sensation Sheila E. will bring her rhythmic grooves to the Palmdale Amphitheater on Saturday, July 15, at 8 p.m.

Known for hits like “The Glamorous Life,” “The Belle of St. Mark,” “Hold Me,” “Sister Fate” and “A Love Bizarre,” she is a world-class drummer and percussionist whose performance collaborations with Ringo Starr, Marvin Gaye, Prince, Beyoncé, Herbie Hancock, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Gloria Estefan and George Duke read like chapters in a music history book.

Born into a musical family, Sheila Escovedo (Sheila E.) has been driven by an inner rhythm her entire life. When she gave her first public performance at the age of 5, there was no doubt in her mind that she was going to be a percussionist. “I wasn’t just born into an environment with music; I was of music,” she wrote in her memoir, The Beat Of My Own Drum.

As a young girl, Sheila E. was immersed in the diverse music scenes of the Bay Area — influenced and inspired by her percussionist father Pete Escovedo; musical uncles Coke Escovedo, Alejandro Escovedo, Mario Escovedo, and Javier Escovedo; and godfather Tito Puente. Growing up in the Escovedo household, musical instruments were for everyone. “Nobody cared as long as you could keep time (or have a good time),” she wrote.

Early in her career, Sheila E. met Prince backstage at a show, and he helped light a fire that led to the launch of her solo career. After lending her vocals on Prince’s hit “Erotic City”, the two worked together to produce her first album, The Glamorous Life. Unlike any other ’80s artist, Sheila combined her Latin, jazz, R&B, pop, and rock influences to create her own unique style for the album. The album’s title track made the U.S. top 10, with the entire album reaching number 28 on the U.S. Billboard 200.

After fifty years of performing and seven solo albums, Sheila E. is still sharing her passion with others through her latest musical offering, Icon. In addition to being a multi-instrumentalist, she is a Grammy Award-nominated singer/songwriter, actress, mentor, and philanthropist.

Tickets for the Sheila E. concert go on sale Thursday, April 6, and will be available at www.PalmdaleAmphitheater.com. VIP tickets are $30 and general admission is $20.

Tickets for the July 29 concert featuring country star Trace Adkins are on sale now. Other summer concerts and movies coming to the Palmdale Amphitheater will be announced soon.

[Information via news release from the city of Palmdale.]

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