By vote of The Latin Recording Academy's Trustees, the Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to performers who have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording during their careers.
Past recipients include Eddie Palmieri, Rita Moreno, Chucho Valdes, Mercedes Sosa and Poncho Sanchez.
Pete Escovedo fell in love with Afro-Caribbean music as a young man and decided to follow his passion, founding a jazz sextet with family members that evolved into the iconic Chicano rock band Azteca in 1972. Five years later, Escovedo launched a solo career, unifying elements of jazz, salsa and Latin soul under the elegant groove of his timbales. His 2017 memoir, "My Life in the Key of E," details the ups and downs of the musician's life and celebrates the family that sustained him.
Pete's daughter, Sheila Escovedo, made a name for herself in the late '70s as the fiery percussionist with The George Duke Band. Global success followed when Prince asked her to join the "Purple Rain" sessions. Her stories of finding her own rhythm and her wild ride through the pop music carnival of the 1970s and 1980s are in her 2014 book, "The Beat of My Own Drum."
Jazz Caliente airs Saturdays at 5 p.m. The show is hosted by Robin Lloyd and produced by KNKX Public Radio.