José Roel “Flaco” Pulido | Courtesy photo
Roel “Flaco” Pulido, a longtime member of Roberto Pulido Y Los Clásicos, has chosen to embark on a solo career after 50 years of performing with the legendary band.
Roel started playing with Los Clásicos at the age of 14. Born in Edinburg, Texas in 1969, he is José Roberto “El Primo” Pulido’s youngest brother. Their father was the late José Jesus “El Chuy” “Chune” Pulido. Roel played the alto sax and soon after taught himself how to play most woodwind instruments and some brass. “The only reason I did not learn the trombone is because I did not have one,” said Flaco. He mastered the saxophone, flute, soprano, baritone, trumpet, and more.
Roel grew up as a migrant worker riding horses in the fields and he is proud of his culture and hopes to inspire the next generation to keep our Tejano culture and music alive.
José Roel “Flaco” Pulido and his nephew José Roberto Pulido Jr. known professionally as Bobby Pulido.
After joining Los Clásicos, Roel recalls joining the group at a young age his father decided to join the band to keep an eye on him and became the manager of the band to assist the group’s business side making decisions like recording “Corazón De Mi Amor” as a Country tune, which became a hit in Mexico and the United States.
“At this point, we went from tuxedos to cowboy hats,” said Roel. Of course, there were many more hits. Not too long after they made several appearances on Siempre En Domingo, the popular television show hosted by the late and legendary Raul Velasquez.
Fast forward to the present, as with many musicians, Covid-19 halted live performances for Roberto Pulido y Los Clásicos. Roel stayed off the stage for a while and recently started performing again after he recovered from a gallbladder operation. During his off time, he enjoyed contributing time to charities and has been a part of The National Council of La Raza for many years.
The musician and singer is ready for a return to the stage, but now with a solo career and is already receiving calls for bookings. He recorded “Besame” for his solo debut single and is set to release “Amorcito Corazón,” with plans to record original music in the future.
Roberto Pulido — “Besame”
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