Apollonia Kotero born Patricia Apollonia Kotero on August 2, 1959 in Santa Monica, California is an actress, singer, former model and talent manager of Mexican heritage. She is perhaps best known for co-starring in Prince's 1984 film Purple Rain and for having been the lead singer in the girl group Apollonia 6. Kotero is the daughter of immigrants from Mexico, the eldest of six children. Her father, Victor, was a restaurant manager and her mother, Socorro, was a caregiver for the elderly. Always an outgoing child, she dropped out of high school at the age of 16 to become a model.Kotero worked as an actress, singer and model. After winning the Miss San Pedro beauty competition, and following a stint as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Rams in the early 1980s, Kotero began acting in film and television shows such as CHiPs, Tales of the Gold Monkey, Fantasy Island, Matt Houston and Knight Rider. In 1982, she appeared in the music videos for "The Other Woman" by Ray Parker, Jr. and "Shakin'" by Eddie Money. She appeared in the 1984 TV movie The Mystic Warrior as the Native American woman "Wicahpi". During the mid-1980s, Kotero was linked to Prince, Lorenzo Lamas, Robbin Crosby, and David Lee Roth. She was later married to writer Kevin Bernhardt, from 1987 to 1996.
Sheila Escovedo (born December 12, 1957), known by her stage name Sheila E., is an American singer, drummer, and percussionist whose notable collaborators include Prince, Billy Cobham, Lionel Richie, George Duke, Ringo Starr, Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Hans Zimmer and Kanye West. Sheila made her recording debut with jazz bassist Alphonso Johnson on "Yesterday's Dream" in 1976. By her early twenties she had already played with George Duke, Lionel Richie, Marvin Gaye, Herbie Hancock, and Diana Ross. She also plays guitar.Born in California, Sheila E. is the daughter of African American Juanita (Gardere), a dairy factory worker, and percussionist Pete Escovedo, with whom she frequently performs. Escovedo is of Mexican heritage. Sheila E's uncle is Alejandro Escovedo, and Tito Puente was Escovedo's godfather. She also is niece to Javier Escovedo, founder of seminal San Diego punk act The Zeros. Another uncle, Mario Escovedo, fronted long-running indie rockers The Dragons. She also is the niece of Coke Escovedo who was in Santana and formed the band Azteca. Nicole Richie is Sheila E.'s biological niece, the daughter of Sheila's musician brother, Peter Michael Escovedo.
