The Banda was founded in 2003 as a 15-member band by tuba player Sergio Lizárraga and his brother, clarinetist Alberto Lizárraga. Their original lead vocalist was a young Julión Álvarez. After a short period of playing local festivals and weddings, they were signed to Disa and gained a 16th member in vocalist Alan Manual Ramírez Salcido in 2004. The outfit earned a reputation for nearly constant touring after their debut offering, No Podrás, in 2004. While singles and albums kept their image current, it was Escuela de Rancho that put them in front of the vast majority of Mexico's Regional music fans in 2008; it marked their first charting recording.
Banda Sinaloense MS de Sergio Lizárraga toured hard, playing all over the Sinaloan region and throughout Mexico. Mi Mayor Anhelo appeared in 2005, again to great radio fanfare and a slow but sure increase in sales. Their reputation as a live act grew, and they began to establish a fan base in the United States as well.
Álvarez left for a solo career in 2006, and Salcido and Oswaldo Silvas filled the space. The band didn't completely break through commercially for several more albums, but Disa stuck with them and sales grew. 2008's Escuela de Rancho, featuring the smash single "El Mechón," finally sent them to the top of the radio charts and the Top Ten of Regional Mexican recordings at home. Corridos Atrevidos appeared in 2009 and featured the single "El 24"; it cemented their position in the marketplace and on tour. 2011's Amor Enfermo peaked inside the Top 30, while the group's final pair of recordings for Disa, 2012's Mi Razón de Ser and 2013's 10 Aniversario, both landed inside the Top Ten.
Banda Sinaloense MS de Sergio Lizarraga signed to Universal in late 2013 and began working with the best songwriters on the traditional Mexican music scene for their label debut. In April 2014, the single "No Me Pidas Perdón," the title track for their forthcoming album, was pre-released. It spent 16 weeks in the top spot on various charts. The LP followed in July with similar results, and in October the second single, "Háblame de Ti," spent over 15 weeks in the Top 20. Universal released a hits collection in the spring of 2015, followed by a new live album in July and the collection 20 Corridos Bien Perrones in October, all while the group were touring and recording sessions for a new studio album. "A Lo Mejor" -- from the live album -- charted as a single that summer, followed in the fall by an edited version of "Piénsalo."
In February 2016, a single ("Solo con Verte") and studio date (Que Bendición) were released. Both hit the charts immediately and began to attract the public to cuts from their back catalog (off the greatest-hits record), moving them onto airplay and digital sales charts as well. La Mejor Versión de Mí followed in April 2017, featuring songs by Espinoza Paz, Edén Muñoz, and Horacio Palencia. It peaked in the top spot at Regional Mexican Albums and at three on Top Latin Albums, while the single "Tengo Que Colgar" landed inside the Top 20 on the Latin Streaming Songs charts. The following year, they won Regional Mexican Artist of the Year, Duo or Group at the Billboard Awards. Their follow-up, 2018's studio outing Con Todas las Fuerzas, peaked at five at Top Latin albums and spent a whopping 90 weeks on the chart.
After 2019's live En Vivo CDMX, Banda Sinaloense MS returned to the studio and issued the collaborative hit single "Que Maldición" with Snoop Dogg in early May. It peaked inside the Top Five at streaming and went to number nine on the Regional Mexican charts. In August 2020, they released their 13th studio album, El Trabajo Es la Suerte, which debuted at number 16 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi