1971–94: Early life and career beginnings

Jose Roberto Pulido Jr. was born on April 25, 1971, in Edinburg, Texas.^[1] He is the oldest child of Roberto Pulido, an award-winning Tejano music singer; and Diana Montez, daughter of norteño musician Mario Montez of Los Donneños.^[2] Known professionally as Bobby Pulido, he attended Edinburg High School and became a member of the school's mariachi ensemble before embarking on a journey with his father's band, Los Clásicos, where he contributed as a saxophonist and backup vocalist. In 1994, EMI Latin unveiled a compilation album titled Branding Icons, that showcased Pulido's collaborative effort with his father on "Contigo". Pulido was accepted at St. Mary's University, where he pursued a major in business management. Following the album's release, Pulido abandoned his collegiate pursuits and venture into a singing career during the golden age of Tejano music.^[3]

1995–99: Debut album and commercial success

Pulido spearheaded the establishment of his own band, enlisting guitarist Gilbert Trejo, bassist Mike Fox, drummer and uncle Jimmy Montez, keyboardist Rey Gutierrez, and Frank Caballero, who assumed the role of the band's accordion virtuoso.^[4] Initially, Pulido encountered censure from Tejano musicians, who contended that the vocalist was capitalizing on the prestige amassed by his father's well-established musical career.^[5] In May 1995,^[6] Pulido inked a recording agreement with EMI Latin, culminating in the release of his debut album, Desvelado, that September.^[2] President of EMI Latin, Jose Behar, shared with Billboard his ardent optimism for the singer's propects within the country music market.^[7] His debut single "No Se Por Que" peaked at number 33 on the United States Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart in December 1995.^[8] Debuting at number 44 on the Top Latin Albums, Desvelado propelled Pulido's eponymous title track, where it peaked at number 21,^[9] establishing Pulido as one of the most popular Tejano artists.^[10] In April 1996, the album peaked at number nine on the Top Latin Albums chart and number three on the Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart.^[11] Billboard's John Lannert, lauded Pulido's chart placement as "impressive", hailing the singer as a "fast-rising artist".^[12] It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), signifying shipments of 100,000 units in the US. Pulido ended 1996 as the eighth best-selling regional Mexican artist and Desvelado ended the year as the eleventh best-selling regional Mexican album.^[13] The album reached sales of 100,000 units by the end of 1999.^[2] At the 1996 Tejano Music Awards, Pulido tied first place with Eddie Gonzales for Best New Rising Male Tejano Artists.^[14]

In July 1996, Pulido married Eliza Anzaldua, prompting a brief hiatus from his career.^[2] Pulido persisted in the promotion of his second album, Enséñame, which was released a month following his marriage.^[2] Billboard, recognizing the essence of Enséñame as a resounding ranchera album infused with catchy cumbia undertones, surmised that Pulido aimed to emulate Emilio Navaira, who sought to crossover and establish himself as a country music singer.^[15] Writing in the San Antonio Express-News, Ramiro Burr affirmed that Pulido's vocals had undergone significant refinement compared to the preceding recordings.^[16] Enséñame peaked at number ten on the Top Latin Albums and number two on the Regional Mexican Albums charts. The album generated three Regional Mexican Airplay tracks that secured spots within the top 20; "Enséñame", "Se Murió De Amor", and "La Rosa". The album earned Pulido a nomination for the Tejano Music Award for Male Entertainer of the Year and the Lo Nuestro Award for Regional Mexican New Artist of the Year.^[17][18] In collaboration with Graciela Beltrán, the Barrio Boyzz, Emilio Navaira, Pete Astudillo, and Jennifer Peña, Pulido contributed to the rendition of "Viviras Selena" for the 1997 soundtrack to the biopic film about Selena,^[19] referred to as the "Queen of Tejano music" who was shot and killed in March 1995.^[20] By 1997, Pulido had gained recognition for his role in introducing Tejano music to a younger demographic in the US.^[16]

In 1998, Pulido released his third studio album Llegaste a Mi Vida, where it peaked at number two on the Regional Mexican Albums chart and at number eleven on the Top Latin Albums chart. The only single to appear on the Latin singles chart, "Pedire", peaked at number 28 on the Hot Latin Songs. Llegaste a Mi Vida garnered Pulido five of twelve nominations at the 1998 Tejano Music Awards; winning Male Vocalist of the Year, Male Entertainer of the Year, Tejano Crossover Song of the Year for "¿Dónde Estás?", and Tejano Album of the Year.^[2] The same year, Desvelado and Llegaste a Mi Vida, each sold 100,000 units in Mexico—an unprecedented milestone for the singer.^[21] In September 1998, Pulido released his first live album En Vivo: Desde Monterrey Mexico, which was recorded on April 24, 1998.^[22] The album became the singer's fourth top-ten US recording and peaked at number 21 on the Top Latin Albums chart. Performing at a sold-out concert at the Auditorio Coca-Cola in Monterrey, Pulido became the first Tejano grupo musician to accomplish this feat.^[23] In March 1999, he released his fourth studio album El Cazador, which produced the top-thirty Regional Mexican Airplay single "Cantarle a Ella". Pulido became the youngest recipient to be awarded the Orgullo de la Frontera from the Fiestas Mexicanas in February 1999. In an April 1999 interview, Pulido expressed interest in recording a Latin pop album, resolutely asserting his disinterest in crossover over and recording English-language albums.^[24]

2000–09: Decline in popularity, acting debut, and hiatus

By 2000, Tejano music's popularity continued to wane, despite music critics' projections that the genre would recover by this time.^[25] Critics observed the dominance of more established Tejano singers like Navaira, Selena, Mazz, Michael Salgado, and Pulido on the airwaves of the US, where older generations of singers were not able to compete.^[26] Pulido became a teen idol among Mexican American teenage girls and one of the most influential Tejano recording artists in the same demographic.^[27] In March 2000, Pulido released Zona de Peligro, though it failed to match the singer's previous work's commercial success. None of its singles were commercially successful, though Pulido won the Tejano Music Award for Male Entertainer of the Year—his third consecutive win.^[28] According to musicologist Guadalupe San Miguel, Tejano musicians in the late 20th century and the early 21st century rendered their individuality indiscernible.^[29] Pulido released his sixth studio album, Siempre Pensando En Ti, in March 2001; it fared less commercially successful, peaking at number 50 on the Top Latin Albums chart. The album marked Pulido's final recording to impact a music chart on Billboard. In 2002, Pulido orchestrated the Celebrity Golf Classic, a philanthropic endeavor that raised $50,000 (2002 USD) for the Easter Seals program.^[30] McAllen Mayor Leo Montalvo announced at the event that November 2, 2002, would be "Bobby Pulido Day".^[30]

Pulido released his eponymous album, Bobby, which spawned the top 40 US single "Vanidosa". He recorded a cover version of Mexican singer Juan Gabriel's 1999 single "Se Me Olvidó Otra Vez" for Bobby. His following albums, Montame (2003) and Vive (2005), failed to chart, ending his eight-year presence on Billboard. In 2003, Pulido made his acting debut in the telenovela television movie La Decada Furiosa, in which he played himself.^[31] Two years later, he appeared as a guest on the reality television show Big Brother México.^[31] Pulido performed and recorded "Ya Ves" for the live televised benefit concert, Selena ¡VIVE!, in April 2005.^[32] His following album, Enfermo de Amor, was released in August 2007.^[33] AllMusic's Evan Gutierrez complimented Pulido's use of mixing genres without "[pushing] the envelope very far", and said the album "sound[s] fresh rather than repetitive", though found it lacking in production quality.^[33] He called the title track and "Una Más" a roots rock recording, and "Desvelado Acústico" a "sophisticated acoustic" Latin pop track.^[33] After the album's release, Pulido guest starred in three episodes of the telenovela series Fuego en La Sangre as himself.^[31]

2010–present: Return to music and acting

Bobby Pulido at The Laredo Coliseum in February 2016.

Pulido returned to recording music in 2010 and released Dias de Ayer in March.^[34] It earned Pulido a nomination for the Tejano Music Award for Male Vocalist of the Year;^[35] the first time since 2003.^[36] Two years later, he released Lo Mio, his first album on Apodaca Records. In 2013, Pulido recorded with former Aventura vocalist Henry Santos on Santos' song "No Sé Vivir Sin Tí". Pulido returned to acting and guest starred as himself in two episodes of the telenovela Noches Con Platanito (2013–15).^[31] In 2014, he landed a regular, minor role as himself in the telenovela Qué pobres tan ricos.^[31] In November 2015, Pulido released "No Es Como Tú", a track from his twelfth studio album, Hoy.^[37] The album is Pulido's first as sole songwriter for any of his albums.^[37] Pulido told the Mexican newspaper Publimentero that Hoy will be released as a strategic plan to "help fight the war" on physical music consumption; he is against the digital age of downloading and music streaming in the popular market.^[37] The album was expected to be released only through Pulido's social networking sites to combat piracy.^[37] In a May 2016 concert, Pulido performed "Si No Te Hubiera Conocido", a song he recorded with Miguel Luna that was shelved and forgotten during his career.^[37] At the 2022 Latin Grammy Awards, Pulido won Best Tejano Album for his album, Para Que Baile Mi Pueblo (2021).^[38]