Queen of percussion Sheila E. to headline concert, charity event in Detroit

Legendary singer/percussionist Sheila E returns to Detroit this week, and this time it’s for charity.

On Wednesday, E. (short for Escovedo — her father is percussion icon Pete Escovedo) will perform at The Aretha Franklin Amphitheater following “BUILD Beneath the Stars,” a fundraiser for The BUILD Institute that supports entrepreneurs in launching and growing their businesses.

Since 2012, BUILD has evolved to meet the needs of microentrepreneurs, with 77% of small businesses needing resources and a team of support to help them launch and grow. With a primary focus on Black, Latinx and underrepresented and under-resourced community businesses, BUILD provides access to equitable holistic support.

BUILD President and CEO Regina Ann Campbell, who has been honored as one of the Michigan Chronicle’s inaugural 25 Standout Non-Profit Leaders, said “BUILD Beneath the Stars” is a celebration of entrepreneurship.

“Being at the epicenter of change comes with a great deal of responsibility,” said Campbell. “At BUILD, we see the faces of people who want more for themselves and their families. Within our ecosystem, we exist in a realm of transformation alongside entrepreneurs as they evolve their businesses. Their journey starts with BUILD and grows with BUILD. Their success leads to the creation of jobs and fosters economic mobility while changing lives and transforming communities. When they thrive, neighborhoods can thrive. ...

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“Even if you can’t attend our event, donations are always welcomed.”

The event begins 5 p.m. Wednesday and features a red-carpet experience and VIP reception as well as lower bowl seats for the concert.

Sheila E.’s Detroit ties

Sheila E. is currently riding high on praise for her first-ever salsa album, “Bailar,” a colorful, star-packed, heartfelt tribute to the music that she was raised hearing. Doors open for her concert at 6:30 p.m., with Larry Lee & The Back in the Day Band opening at 7:30 p.m.

“I have a long love affair with Detroit," Escovedo told the Free Press in 2021. "The 'Purple Rain' tour with Prince started here, and it was just crazy. We ended up here a long time because it was so popular they kept adding dates.”

Indeed, the legendary tour played its first date Nov. 4, 1984, at the Joe Louis Arena, with Prince backed by the Revolution and accompanied by Sheila E. and Apollonia 6; they would play six more dates there over the following eight nights before moving on, playing 98 dates in all before wrapping in Miami the following April.

“The first night, I lost my voice," she said. "The second night, the entire sound system went out during my performance and the audience started booing. I opened the show, and they were booing! The only thing, for some reason, that still had sound was the electric bass, so I picked that up and started playing, and they booed even more. Prince came to the side of the stage and was like, ‘Come offstage, we have to fix this,’ and I'm out there trying to yell 'I'm sorry' to 20,000 people who can't hear me.”

She laughed at the memory.

“Well, it took about 15 minutes for them to get the sound back on,” she said, “and I said, ‘I want to go back out and finish.’ Prince said, ‘You don't have to do that,’ and I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ So I went back out there, and that was the beginning of a love relationship with Detroit.”

Tickets for “BUILD Beneath the Stars” are $150 and can be purchased at buildinstitute.org. Tickets for Sheila E.’s concert start at $15 and can be purchased at thearetha.com.

Contact Free Press arts and culture reporter Duante Beddingfield at dbeddingfield@freepress.com.