Interesting interview. She dodged the question on gay marriage and I was surprised to read Glamorous Life wasn't for Apollonia 6. Always thought it was.

http://www.bet.com/news/m...riage.html

nothing comes up but a movie,

I thought it was initially intended for Vanity 6

[Edited 8/30/12 12:20pm]

Sheila might not have know about Prince's intentions

Even Apollonia didn't know that Prince used Lisa Coleman underneath her voice to help even it out on Take Me With U

Initial tracking took place on 27 December, 1983 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA, USA (the day before In A Spanish Villa and Next Time Wipe The Lipstick Off Your Collar), and the song was originally intended for Apollonia 6 until Prince began to work with Sheila E. in February, 1984, at which time he set the song aside for her. Sheila E.'s vocals were recorded in the first few days of April, 1984, also at Sunset Sound. The Glamorous Life is notable for featuring the first use of saxophone on a Prince-related track, played by Larry Williams. The track also features the first released appearance of David Coleman (Lisa Coleman's brother) on a Prince-related track, playing cello.

www.princevault.com

[Edited 8/30/12 12:20pm]

I thought Jill is singing on Take Me With you?

Shelia E. on Krush Groove, President Barack Obama and Same-Sex Marriage

Filed Under gay marriage, Prince, LL Cool J

Last night, the legendary Shelia E. brought her drums and soul to the B.B. King Blues Club in New York City. The drummer and songstress is best known for her work with Prince on songs like “Erotic City,” “A Love Bizarre” — from the hip hop classic Krush Groove — and the 1984 hit "The Glamorous Life." However, Shelia, daughter of iconic percussionist Pete Escovedo, has carved out a career beyond Prince, which was obvious from the packed house at B.B. King’s. At 54 years old, Shelia E. pounded the drums and percussion, taking the crowd on a ride of Latin rhythms, hardcore funk and vintage pop.

Directly after the show, BET.com sat down with Shelia E. for a one-on-one. Here, Shelia talks Krush Groove, the rumored origins of "The Glamorous Life," President Barack Obama and same-sex marriage.

How does it feel to be back in New York City — are New York audiences different or is it all the same love?

[Laughs] Yeah, love is love; it’s a good love though. New York is awesome, I love coming here. It’s very special. There's no place like New York, there really isn't. They love music.

The first time hip hop audiences fell in love with you was 1985’s Krush Groove. Can you give us a special moment from that film?

It was cool to meet Run-D.M.C, they were really hot back then, very popular. LL Cool J had just started. No one really knew who he was and even back then he was like, "I'm gonna be!" Now we are all friends, it’s just crazy. There were a lot of special moments in the movie, just to be a part of it. We didn’t know it was going to become what it is now or what it means to people.

Prince's Purple Rain Tour is one of the most famous tours of all time. Could you share something from that experience?

It was pretty amazing. We had a great time. “The Glamorous Life” had just come out. Having Prince, myself and some of the other players, we were young — like 26 or so. It was the time of our lives. We were on the biggest, hottest tour out there at the time. We did 98 shows. I was on tour two months in Europe before we even started Purple Rain. It was a lot of work though, but we had a great time.

I heard that "The Glamorous Life" was originally a song for Apollonia 6, but Prince gave it to you. Any truth to that?

No, I keep hearing that. I don't know who has said that or where they got that from. But no, that was actually the last song that was written for my record. I was having problems trying to figure out how to come up with something to talk about, it was an instrumental at first. I was kind of stuck with, “What we are going to do with it?” It was the last song to go on the record and we fought for it to be the first single.

It's an election year. Are you supporting President Barack Obama?

Oh, absolutely! [Laughs]

I didn't want to assume anything! [Laughs]

No, I know. [Laughs] Barack Obama — I believe in what he is doing and what he is trying do for our country, for the youth, for the kids, for healthcare, for women. The economy is messed up but it was a domino effect from what happened during the Bush administration, it just continued while Obama was in office. I think the Republicans wanted to make sure this was a one-term president. He's been fighting stay in office since he came in office. I would tell people, you should go out and really research, figure out what is best for you. I can't sit here and convince someone what they should or should not do. I just know that I would be afraid if Mitt Romney was president. Everyone kind of just believes the hype on some things and they don't do the research. It's our responsibility as Americans to do the research. Our voices need to be heard.

You have a loyal following in the gay community. What are your thoughts on same-sex marriage?

Everybody was in an uproar about President Obama agreeing to that and at first he didn't, the thing is — being an American, this is a free country, freedom of speech, what we can say and do. That is why everybody wants to come here. They want to be here because they can do whatever they want. I can't sit here and judge anybody. I only have to take care of me and that's a lot! [Laughs] I got a lot of work to do on me. So I can't even comment because I can't judge anybody. That's judging someone; I can only talk about what I need to do for me. I just want to bless somebody. So if I put a smile on anybody's face, I've done my job.

In 2012, where do you see yourself musically?

Sky is the limit. I have no boundaries, no limits, no rules. I love what I do. There's so much music out there that I'll never be able to grasp onto. There are villages in South Africa, music in India — just continue to experiment with music and try different things. It's pretty awesome to be able to create music and have people like it like this.

BET.com is your #1 source for Black celebrity news, photos, exclusive videos and all the latest in the world of hip hop and R&B music.

GaryMF said:

I thought Jill is singing on Take Me With you?

if Prince really did use Jill or Lisa on the song (to assist with Apollonia),it didn't really help On the other hand,Jill's strong vocals on the chorus of "The Belle Of St.Mark" really brings that song to life.

SoulAlive said:

GaryMF said:

I thought Jill is singing on Take Me With you?

if Prince really did use Jill or Lisa on the song (to assist with Apollonia),it didn't really help On the other hand,Jill's strong vocals on the chorus of "The Belle Of St.Mark" really brings that song to life.

I think it did, the vocals were good, prob better than if Apollonia did that 1 on her own

GaryMF said:

I thought Jill is singing on Take Me With you?

I know she is used on the album

but in a Chicago radio interview with Lisa where she talked a lot about the making of the PR album and she said Prince had her do some vocals underneath Apollonia's voice

Sheila's statement about the genesis of TGL is very intriguing and in complete contradiction with everything we knew (or thought to know) so far. She makes it sound not only like the song was made for here but like the song was made with her, i.e. she was involved in the composing process.

Sheila isn't really the lying kind, so this is very odd...

SoulAlive said:

Still fine!!!

databank said:

Sheila's statement about the genesis of TGL is very intriguing and in complete contradiction with everything we knew (or thought to know) so far. She makes it sound not only like the song was made for here but like the song was made with her, i.e. she was involved in the composing process.

Sheila isn't really the lying kind, so this is very odd...

After watching her Unsung episode it's clear she was behind the scenes for a while before the public caught wind of her.

OldFriends4Sale said:

GaryMF said:

I thought Jill is singing on Take Me With you?

I know she is used on the album

but in a Chicago radio interview with Lisa where she talked a lot about the making of the PR album and she said Prince had her do some vocals underneath Apollonia's voice

Lisa also said she did vocals in the Spin mag PR tribute issue. The same article where Apollonia said she didn't know that was the case.

IIRC, Lisa or Renata said on one of the Girl Bros. radio shows that a combo of Lisa's and Jill's voices was used to beef up several songs.

OldFriends4Sale said:

Sheila might not have know about Prince's intentions

Even Apollonia didn't know that Prince used Lisa Coleman underneath her voice to help even it out on Take Me With U

Take Me With U was is the worst track.

I cringe everytime I hear Apples sing that song. It sounded like she cannot sing

luv4u said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Sheila might not have know about Prince's intentions

Even Apollonia didn't know that Prince used Lisa Coleman underneath her voice to help even it out on Take Me With U

Take Me With U was is the worst track.

I cringe everytime I hear Apples sing that song. It sounded like she cannot sing

Nah..it doesn't sound like it

she can't

HuMpThAnG said:

luv4u said:

Take Me With U was is the worst track.

I cringe everytime I hear Apples sing that song. It sounded like she cannot sing

Nah..it doesn't sound like it

she can't

Sex Shooter in the Purple Rain movie was not bad, but still

Apples definitely didn't match the standards of a professional singer but it never bothered me: there was a post-punk "take that shit in yo face" to the Apollonia 6 album (and most of Prince's work between 1980 and 1984) that just doesn't make it so important to have astonishing singing on it. Morris Day isn't exactly Barry White either, but hell that shit was good, maybe even better BECAUSE these people had somewhat amateurish singing technics.

luv4u said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Sheila might not have know about Prince's intentions

Even Apollonia didn't know that Prince used Lisa Coleman underneath her voice to help even it out on Take Me With U

Take Me With U was is the worst track.

I cringe everytime I hear Apples sing that song. It sounded like she cannot sing

lol come on WORST??

I don't think there is a 'worst' track on there

it's a very good song, the singing for both didn't have to be extraodinary, I definately wouldn't want to her some wailing diva on that song

It should have been on the A6 album though and maybe another song placed on Prince's album, but of course it would have to be in the movie and i think it fit well with the bike ride scene

madartista said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I know she is used on the album

but in a Chicago radio interview with Lisa where she talked a lot about the making of the PR album and she said Prince had her do some vocals underneath Apollonia's voice

Lisa also said she did vocals in the Spin mag PR tribute issue. The same article where Apollonia said she didn't know that was the case.

IIRC, Lisa or Renata said on one of the Girl Bros. radio shows that a combo of Lisa's and Jill's voices was used to beef up several songs.

Yep, both of them but moreso Jill Jones was used thought the albums of Prince & the proteges that way

Yeah Apollonia wouldn't know, Prince would just have her do her part and then complete the song with Jill/Lisa

OldFriends4Sale said:

luv4u said:

Take Me With U was is the worst track.

I cringe everytime I hear Apples sing that song. It sounded like she cannot sing

lol come on WORST??

I don't think there is a 'worst' track on there

it's a very good song, the singing for both didn't have to be extraodinary, I definately wouldn't want to her some wailing diva on that song

It should have been on the A6 album though and maybe another song placed on Prince's album, but of course it would have to be in the movie and i think it fit well with the bike ride scene

wailing diva, I like how say that.

OldFriends4Sale said:

madartista said:

Lisa also said she did vocals in the Spin mag PR tribute issue. The same article where Apollonia said she didn't know that was the case.

IIRC, Lisa or Renata said on one of the Girl Bros. radio shows that a combo of Lisa's and Jill's voices was used to beef up several songs.

Yep, both of them but moreso Jill Jones was used thought the albums of Prince & the proteges that way

Yeah Apollonia wouldn't know, Prince would just have her do her part and then complete the song with Jill/Lisa

This all sounds fishy to me. As a session musician or vocalist, when you hear drafts of a song before the final mix and engineering, you KNOW what's been altered with other voices laid on top of yours based on what you know you did in the studio, that is to say unless Prince was such a control freak he never let anyone hear anything after they recorded their final vocal take (which can happen)...but for him to lay vocals on top of the original singer's tracks without head's up to let them know at least by the time the record is pressed is so foul...it doesn't matter who the music guru in question is

Ottensen said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Yep, both of them but moreso Jill Jones was used thought the albums of Prince & the proteges that way

Yeah Apollonia wouldn't know, Prince would just have her do her part and then complete the song with Jill/Lisa

This all sounds fishy to me. As a session musician or vocalist, when you hear drafts of a song before the final mix and engineering, you KNOW what's been altered with other voices laid on top of yours based on what you know you did in the studio, that is to say unless Prince was such a control freak he never let anyone hear anything after they recorded their final vocal take (which can happen)...but for him to lay vocals on top of the original singer's tracks without head's up to let them know at least by the time the record is pressed is so foul...it doesn't matter who the music guru in question is

Well we are dealing with Apollonia's part, the other proteges I'm sure they knew Jill Jones was used on their albums

And Prince did a lot of stuff openly and secretly in that studio

databank said:

Sheila's statement about the genesis of TGL is very intriguing and in complete contradiction with everything we knew (or thought to know) so far. She makes it sound not only like the song was made for here but like the song was made with her, i.e. she was involved in the composing process.

Sheila isn't really the lying kind, so this is very odd...

This can be the case too because...I'm pretty sure the percussion was not on the track before the thought was intended for Sheila E. It could have been just an instrumental at the time...and it could have been intended for Apollonia without all the structure as it seemed more likely for Sheila....especially with all the added drums and crashes in the final four minutes of the tune.

SoulAlive said: