Iconic Drummer Sheila E. stopped by the Tom Joyner Morning Show to dish on her memoir, To The Beat of My Own Drum, on sale now. She also released a solo CD this summer, ICON.
In the book, Sheila reveals romances with several artists including a long rumored one with Prince, who took her out of her family’s band and on to a solo career. She scored a hit with “The Glamourous Life” but soon became disillioned both by her relationship with Prince and her role as a sex symbol instead of a musician.
Sheila, who grew up in the Bay Area, is part of the musical Escovedo family, a popular, accomplished group of Latin musicians. Her brother, Pete, is reality star/fashion icon Nicole Richie‘s biological father, although Richie was adopted by Lionel Richie and his first wife, Brenda.
Although Sheila was the subject of a TV One Unsung, there more to her story and it’s all in the book, she says.
“You have to read it in its entirety. It’s story. It’s a way to share my story of things that happened to me in the best way that I can that I remember,” she says.
On romance with Carlos Santana:
“Most of my family didn’t know, but that’s one of the things that wasn’t on Unsung.”
On not wanting to be a musician:
“I didn’t want to play music. I loved it but it wasn’t on my things to do. I was an athlete. I was training to be an Olympian.”
On the sexiest outfit she’s ever worn:
“A fishnet bodysuit with doilies on the places that needed to be covered…I wore it on the Purple Rain tour.”
On whether she still talks to Prince:
“I don’t talk to him. It’s been years. The book is not about Prince. The book is about things that have happened to me.”
On the male-dominated music industry:
“It was challenging. I thought a lot of girls played drums and percussion and everyone had drums and percussion in their house. This was normal for me. But I grew up in it, so I had no idea.”
Click the link above to hear the entire interview!
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