Because of an unfortunate confluence of outdated societal norms and the general, male-dominated nature of the music industry, women are still under-represented among drummers and percussionists. Things are changing, ever so slowly, and now a female drummer is no longer a novelty like she would have been in the early ’80s, when a young Sheila Escovedo first started making her way into the music business.

“Some of the musicians, especially of course, men—other men drummers—were not very happy and pleased at the beginning of my career,” she recalled during a recent interview. “Women have come a long way. It’s not just saying, ‘You play good for a girl.’ If you’re a great musician, you’re a great musician.”

While social mores can be significant barriers, they can’t hold back sheer talent and force of will. Sheila E., as she has long been known, grew up in a musical family. Her father, Pete Escovedo, is a renowned percussionist, as are her brothers, and the legendary Tito Puente was her godfather. Growing up, the elder Escovedo didn’t offer lessons to his kids. In fact, Sheila’s dream was to be an Olympic sprinter. Instead, he taught by example, holding jam sessions in the house and introducing his children to a wide variety of music. Her mother did the same, and Sheila E. credits her for giving the competitiveness to overcome discrimination.

“Just be who you are. That’s what my parents instilled in me,” she said.

Sheila E. was performing professionally by her late teens, first with jazz bassist Alphonso Johnson and over the next few years with luminaries like George Duke, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Herbie Hancock. It was in Duke’s band that she started playing drumset in addition to Latin percussion. She gained wider notoriety in 1984, when she joined Prince’s band during his Purple Rain era. She remained in his band through the ’80s, but also released her own albums and had hits with the Grammy-nominated “The Glamorous Life” and “A Love Bizarre”. Her mainstream popularity decreased in the ’90s, but Sheila E. has spent the last two decades performing with her father and brothers, collaborating with platinum-selling pop acts and leading her own bands. She is also involved in a number of philanthropic projects, most notably the Elevate Hope Foundation.

“This gift that I have, it has a purpose. It’s for me to give back,” she explained. “I used to not think about it and that’s what’s changed for me from then to who I am now.”

Escovedo will bring the latest iteration of her band to the Howard Theatre tomorrow night. This is a smaller touring unit than what she usually assembles, but such are the vagaries of being a contemporary bandleader, where musicians are constantly rotating in and out in order to maintain steady work. She tends to gravitate toward musicians from her native Bay Area, and performing with her will be bassist Raymond McKinley, guitarist Nate Mercer, keyboardist Mike Blankenship, saxophonist Eddie M. and drummer Chris Coleman.

A Sheila E. performance is known to be high energy and spontaneous. She routinely brings audience members up on stage, and often targets those few who aren’t feeling the groove. As for the set list, the audience can expect a handful of hits with which she is associated, but otherwise it’s a free-for-all between the musicians on stage. Any song may turn into a 20-minute dance groove or a song might be called at the bandleader’s whim.

“Your watching us paint a picture right in front of you,” she said. “I can play ‘Love Bizarre’ and do a verse-chorus-verse-chorus and then do 20 minutes of different types of music just within that one song.”

Along with her charitable work, Sheila E. also sees her concerts as a way to make a larger contribution. She wants people, especially women, to see her success despite long odds, and she also feels an obligation to be a role model to those coming after her.

“Definitely I know what I went through and I know women are going through that now,” she said. “Part of the testimony for me is to share with women that it’s never too late.”

Sheila E. & Co. will perform at The Howard Theatre on May 16, 2013. 7:30 p.m. Tickets $34.50 in advance, $39 day of show.