Pee Wee is a Latin pop singer from the United States who embarked on a solo career in 2009 after rising to fame as a member of the Kumbia Kings. Born Irvin Salinas on December 8, 1988, in Othello, WA, he moved to southern Texas as an adolescent. In Texas he was recruited by Latin pop hitmaker A.B. Quintanilla III to join the Kumbia Kings, a cumbia-pop collective with a rotating lineup and a track record of commercial success. Adopting the moniker Pee Wee (aka Pee Wee González) on account of his relative youth, he made his recording debut as a Kumbia King in 2004 with the hit single Sabes a Chocolate, a cover version of a Menudo song originally released in 1984 on the album Evolución. In the wake of his breakout hit, Pee Wee was featured prominently on the next Kumbia Kings album, Fuego (2004), and scored another hit single with Na Na Na (Dulce Niña), which reached the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart in 2005. The follow-up Kumbia Kings album, Ayer Fue Kumbia Kings, Hoy Es Kumbia All Starz (2006), spawned another Top Ten hit featuring Pee Wee, Chiquilla. Like many members of the Kumbia Kings before him, Pee Wee spoke of ill treatment by Quintanilla and left the group in February 2008. Free of the Kumbia Kings, he had an illustrious year. He was featured on the Erre XI reggaeton hit Carita Bonita and competed on the television talent shows #El Show de los Sueños and #Los Reyes del Show, finishing as the first-place winner of both. Upon signing a solo recording deal with EMI, Pee Wee made his album debut in 2009 with Yo Soy. Cumbayá was released as the lead single. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi