Courtesy photo Pete Escovedo is the family patriarch. He has recorded or performed with such superstars as Tito Puente and Prince. He received a Grammy nod in 1989 for "Mister E."

Harper Smith / Special to The Star Shown at his Thousand Oaks home, Peter Michael Escovedo, like the rest of the E Family, specializes in drums and percussion.

Courtesy of Kevin Winter / Getty Images Sheila E.

Courtesy of Scott Mitchell The E Family band features, from left, Juan Escovedo, Pete Escovedo, Sheila E. and Peter Michael Escovedo.

"We Are Family E," extra "E" added, could be the Escovedo clan's theme song, with a few variations.

The "I got all my sisters with me" lyric would somehow need to incorporate two brothers, one sister and a father.

And the "get up everybody and sing" line would have to be changed to "get up everybody and hit something."

As a family of percussionists, four of the Escovedos — father Pete, sons Peter Michael and Juan, and perhaps the most well-known "E," Sheila — rarely miss a chance to beat things.

The E Family featuring Sheila E. will perform on Sunday at the 25th annual California Strawberry Festival in Oxnard.

Billing them as the "E Family featuring Sheila E." sounds a little awkward, but promoters insist we refer to the group this way to emphasize that the concert is a family gig, not a Sheila E. show. Let's see: Tag on the phrase "featuring Sheila E.," which singles out Ms. Escovedo and adds more than twice the letters of "E Family" but don't emphasize her presence. OK.

Promotional name-dropping issues aside, the group at the festival really will be equal parts E. Although each member of the family has a solid solo career, they've collaborated musically since the siblings were young and their dad played with Azteca, his Latin jazz-rock band.

The Escovedos have just finished recording their first album as a family, set for a summer release on Immergent Records, with help from Prince, Gloria Estefan, Joss Stone, Earth, Wind & Fire and other guest artists.

With all the Escovedos mixing it up on percussion and vocals, the E Family's sound is a mix of Latin jazz, pop and R&B, with some of Sheila's funk slipping in.

Also contributing to the Escovedo livelihood are mom Juanita, the family's anchor; and youngest daughter Zina, a massage therapist and CEO of many E business enterprises.

The Escovedos are as close as podded peas, and although they're not perfect or the musical equivalent of the Cleavers, they barely register on the dysfunctional-family scale.

@TO-1-Text Subhed:East Bay jazz dynasty

When you grow up watching your dad rehearse every day in the living room with his band, and even TV trays become percussion instruments, a life of music is almost inevitable.

"We didn't know any different," said Peter Michael Escovedo, who lives in Thousand Oaks. None of the Escovedo kids took formal lessons, he said. "We already knew how to play just by being around music."

Their home was a hub of musical activity. Along with playing piano and hitting or hearing all sorts of percussion and drums, the Escovedo kids listened to the Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, James Brown — all the titans of Motown and soul music.

The Escovedos were a longtime East Bay jazz dynasty until everyone except Juan defected from Oakland to Southern California, mainly to be closer to TV and music-biz opportunities. Peter Michael is the only Escovedo in Ventura County; the others live in the San Fernando Valley.

Pete, the family patriarch, was raised in Northern California's East Bay area, where he started playing the saxophone at 16, then turned to percussion after creating a set of bongos for himself out of coffee cans and tape.

Musical DNA courses through the Escovedo genes. A few years after Pete and Juanita were married, Pete formed the Escovedo Brothers Latin Jazz Band in 1960 with his siblings Coke and Phil. In 1970 Pete and Coke created Azteca, which toured with Carlos Santana.

Since then Pete has recorded or performed with superstars like Tito Puente, Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau, Dionne Warwick, Prince and, of course, his children. He received a Grammy nomination in 1989 for his album "Mister E," and owned Bay Area nightclubs before moving to L.A., where he leads a Latin jazz orchestra.

Sheila was the first member of the family to join her father's band. She made her unofficial concert debut as a 5-year-old when she played a drum solo onstage with her father. Ten years later, Sheila filled in for Azteca's sick percussion player.

"She was just a teenager; I didn't want to put her through that," Pete said. "But my wife convinced me to take Sheila. I realized how professional she was. She had been playing in Oakland, but I didn't think it was serious. I decided to keep her."

Peter Michael and Juan, meanwhile, banged around on their own in bands before joining their kin.

The brothers now have solo careers, and between them have collaborated with Marvin Gaye, Lionel Richie, Mariah Carey, Herbie Hancock, Puente, Huey Lewis, Stevie Nicks, George Michael and others.

They've also popped up as producers and percussionists for projects featuring their sister and father.

Peter Michael has made a name for himself in the TV and film industry as a composer, songwriter and producer.

He was music director for "The Wayne Brady Show"; "But Can They Sing," a VH1 reality show; and "The One: Making a Music Star" on ABC.

Currently, Peter Michael said, he's directing music for a Disney show, "High School Musical: Get in the Picture," that will air in June. He described the program as "a cross between High School Musical' and "American Idol.'"

Peter Michael converted his garage into a home studio, and when he's not spending time with his wife, six kids and eight grandchildren, is parked in front of his computer, writing music.

@TO-1-Text Subhed:Glamorous' gal

Big sister Sheila, the eldest, had already toured with Richie, Gaye and Ross when, one day, her Prince came.

Prince discovered her in 1983, and Sheila came to pop-funk-R&B fame when she performed with him on "Erotic City."

His Royal Funkiness then produced Sheila's debut solo album, "The Glamorous Life," which received a Grammy nomination and included the Top 10 title tune.

She also opened for Prince on his Purple Rain tour and joined his 2004 Musicology tour.

She and Prince are still pals, jamming together as recently as last month at the Coachella Music Festival.

"We had a blast," Sheila said of the Coachella gig.

In 1998 she achieved a pioneering role as the first female bandleader on a late-night TV show on Magic Johnson's "The Magic Hour," which, alas, lacked magic as well as ratings.

Sheila has released five albums since "Glamorous Life," toured with fellow drummer Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, and produced or performed on a slew of awards shows, including the Latin Grammy Awards in 2007.

Her current band, the all-girl group C.O.E.D. (Chronicles of Every Diva), tours around the world.

Sheila, like other celebs who had their heyday in the '80s, has made her share of appearances on reality shows. In October she was a judge on Fox's "The Next Great American Band"; in April she performed on "American Idol's" "Idol Gives Back" benefit show with Gloria Estefan.

@TO-1-Text Subhed:Heeled and healing

In the early 1990s, Sheila disappeared from the glamorous touring life for a time, but found her spiritual side, when she had two health scares.

After many exhaustive years of touring nonstop and playing percussion in extra-high heels, Sheila said her legs and back gave out on her — she couldn't walk for two weeks.

Podiatrist's note: 5-inch spiked heels and standing for long periods of time do not mix.

Then, when Sheila needed acupuncture to help with a breathing problem, her lung was punctured.

"That was horrifying. It affected me mentally more than anything," she said. "It made me realize I wasn't invincible. I gave my heart to the Lord. I said, I am not in control,' and really wanted to change my life."

It took a year for Sheila to regain mental and physical strength.

"God explained to me what I needed to do to shed the mess I was holding on to," she said. "I didn't have to carry all the burdens."

Sheila still wears heels, but rests a little more and has written and performed devotional music, most notably on her 2001 album "Heaven."

She's also devoted herself to philanthropic work as co-founder of the Elevate Hope Foundation, which supports abused and abandoned children through music and art therapy.

She and her manager, Lynn Mabry, founded Elevate Hope when both realized they "had been abused in different ways growing up," Sheila said. "Music was the key to helping us get through it, so we know it can heal kids as well."

The E Family is gearing up to perform more live shows as word gets out about the new CD.

@TO-1-Text Subhed:

Family album

The new CD, Pete said, "is the first time we've signed a contract with a record company as a family."

Recording the album, Pete said, had minor disadvantages (even four people who adore each other are going to disagree some of the time), but the advantages were greater.

"I usually have the responsibility that comes from running your own orchestra," he said. "It makes it easier that all of us are 100 percent involved; it takes the responsibility off all of us."

Sheila agreed. "As the older sister, I usually kind of oversee everything," she said. "This is the first time we're trying to split everything equally."

Expect to hear a few tunes from the new album at the Strawberry Festival. Sheila said she doubts she'll play any Sheila E. tunes at the festival, but "you never know. If people call for it, I do."

Juanita might make an appearance at the festival too; she's been known to come up on stage.

But even though she's not musically inclined, her husband and children call her their "rock" of support.

Sheila in particular mentioned her mother as an encouraging figure, especially when her career began and she brushed up against the glass drum head as a female percussionist.

"I didn't know there was a gender factor attached to being a musician," Sheila said. "My mom is very athletic. Growing up, she was told girls couldn't play baseball, so she started her own team. She always did what other people said couldn't be done."

Those Escovedos — always hitting something.