Pete Escovedo, the Latin jazz percussionist and patriarch of one of the Bay Area's best-known musical families, and his wife, Juanita, reached their platinum anniversary on Wednesday, Oct. 21: 70 years of marriage.
The party
About 130 family members and friends gathered in Walnut Creek on Sunday to celebrate, KTVU reported. Guests came from as far as Georgia and Texas. Their daughter, Grammy winner Sheila E., put together a surprise video of celebrity tributes, including messages from Snoop Dogg and Gloria Estefan.
An Oakland love story
Pete, 91, and Juanita, 89, grew up in Oakland. They started dating when Juanita was at Oakland Technical High School and Pete was at nearby McClymonds High. "I was 19 when I got married and Pops was 21," Juanita told KTVU. His family is from Mexico and hers from New Orleans. She said each family hoped their child would marry within their own community.
Asked about the secret to staying together, Juanita said: "It just takes work. You have to talk to each other. You have to do a lot of laughing."
A musical family
Escovedo and his brothers formed the Escovedo Bros Latin Jazz Sextet before Carlos Santana hired Pete and his brother Coke for Santana. Pete and Sheila E. received the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021. All four of the couple's children, Sheila, Peter Michael, Juan and Zina, are performers. The Escovedos have 12 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren, with another on the way.