"The Glamorous Life" proved to be a major solo breakout for Sheila E. in 1984. The classic pop track was one of her man collaborations with the legendary Prince, but Sheila E. already had a long history of playing with legends. In fact, her professional career began at only 15, when her father (a percussionist himself) asked her to fill in for him as part of Santana's band before a crowd of thousands in a night she describes as a true "out of body experience."
Sheila E. joins host Peter Csathy on the 13th episode of The Story Behind the Song to discuss how "The Glamorous Life" helped put her front-and-center for the first time. She talks about working with Prince and trying to outdo each other as they wrote, played, and sang in the studio. She also shares insights on a personal selection from her catalog: her recent salsa collab with B. Slade, "Bailar." Throughout the interview, Sheila E. shares personal stories about working with other legends, and discusses how she persevered when pursuing her passion for percussion in a world of frequent artistic male prejudice.
Listen now, or you can watch the full interview over at Consequence.
Don't forget to like, review, and subscribe to The Story Behind the Song wherever you get your podcasts to catch each episode of the monthly series. Also keep an eye on the Consequence Podcast Network for updates on all our series, and follow host Peter Csathy on Twitter @pcsathy and at Creative Media.