E Train rhythm

Young Chang

Drums were everywhere when Sheila Escovedo was a kid. Her famous

father, Latin percussionist Pete Escovedo, was always playing

something within earshot. Sheila Escovedo would “just kind of pass by

and hit em,” -- his instruments, that is.

Today, the Los Angeles resident commonly goes by Sheila E. and is

one of the most acclaimed percussionists in the world. She is lauded

for her impressive musical history, collaborations with other artists

and her work as Sheila E. and the E-Train. The buzz around her may

have quieted since the 1980s, when her pop star status was at its

peak, but ask the performer if she was happier then and she’ll give

you a surprising answer.

“I’m very at peace with myself now,” the 44-year-old said, citing

her Christian faith as the reason for her state today. “It changed my

whole life. There were so many things I had done through my career

that after awhile, I had felt very strange about. I just wanted to

change how I was, how I treated people.”

Escovedo is changed today, and in ways that show both on stage and

off.

She devotes a large chunk of her free time to helping abused and

abandoned children through the Li’l Angel Bunny Foundation, which she

co-chairs.

This past week, she performed at a three-day conference at

Saddleback Church with a roster of fellow famous entertainers

including Chester Thompson, widely known for his work with Carlos

Santana and Phil Collins, and her brothers Juan and Peter Michael

Escovedo.

On Wednesday, Sheila E. and the E-Train will perform a program of

old favorites as well as tracks from her 2001 recording “Heaven” as

part of Fashion Island’s Summer Concert Series.

“She’s not just rock ‘n’ roll,” said Shayne Voorheis, director of

sales and marketing for Fashion Island. “She does love songs,

ballads, all the way to some danceable rock songs that people can

enjoy. And she’s been around long enough where people recognize her

and her style.”

It is Escovedo’s goal these days to enjoy the projects she is

involved in. There are some artists she would rather not work with.

There are others with whom she knows she will have fun. This criteria

-- the bottom line being what kind of people her collaborators are --

helps her decide which of her many offers to take.

Currently Escovedo is the musical director for Beyonce Knowles, of

Destiny’s Child, and is working on putting a band together for

Knowles’ upcoming “Austin Powers Goldmember” single. They are

scheduled to perform on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Tuesday.

Escovedo will play the drums.

Another upcoming project includes plans to shoot a performance for

a scene in actor and producer Forest Whitaker’s 2003 film “Papi

Chulo.”

“I try to basically do the fun shows,” Escovedo said. “Because

this is my craft, because I really want to enjoy it as much as I

can.”

Her father was afraid she’d lead a harder life.

When she was nine, she started getting interested in seriously

playing the drums. He recommended she play the violin. She did, for

five years.

“He had been struggling as a percussionist all his life and he

didn’t want me to struggle,” said the Oakland native. He suggested

the violin “so I could play in a symphony or orchestra. Play for

movies. He thought it would be a better life for me.”

But when she was 15, a percussionist in her father’s band got

sick. Pete Escovedo couldn’t find a replacement for the same day. His

oldest daughter wanted to sub in. Her father said no.

“I ended up doing the show with him,” she said. “After the show,

we went backstage and hugged each other and cried and said ‘wow.’”

She went on tour with her father about two months later, and

Escovedo is immensely supportive of his daughter to this day.

The heydey of Escovedo’s career involved performing with Prince in

the eighties, being musical director for Magic Johnson’s television

show “The Magic Hour” and topping charts with her single “The

Glamorous Life,” which also won her MTV’s Best Video Award.

The Grammy and American Music Award-nominated percussionist and

vocalist has also performed (and recorded) with artists including

Diana Ross, Natalie Cole, Babyface and Stevie Nicks.

Her most recent album “Heaven,” recorded by Sheila E. and the

E-Train, offers a mix of everything from funk to inspirational music.

Her creative process now includes more than just her management

company and decisions based on profits.

“We’re just trying to help people and be a blessing,”

she said. “That definitely wasn’t my goal when I was younger.”