The Glamorous Life

The Glamorous Life (full title Sheila E. In The Glamorous Life) is the first album by Sheila E.. Credits on the album state that the album was "directed by Sheila E. and The Starr Company", but in fact all six tracks were produced, written, and arranged by Prince (with input and help from Sheila E.). Prince urged Sheila E. to record a solo album starting in February 1984, when she came to visit him at Sunset Sound during sessions that yielded songs that ended up on the Around The World In A Day album, following a friendship which had begun almost six years earlier. She wasn't very comfortable singing lead vocals, although she had sung background vocals for other artists; Prince and Sheila E. began by recording Erotic City (in late March 1984), which was used as the b-side of Let's Go Crazy, before he had her record vocals over some tracks he had originally tentatively intended for Apollonia 6. Prince suggested she shorten her stage name from Sheila Escovedo to Sheila E., and took the finished tapes to his management company, who introduced Sheila E. to Warner Bros