Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga

The award-winning regional Mexican ensemble Banda Sinaloense MS de Sergio Lizárraga originated in Mazatlán, Sinaloa. From the moment they unveiled their first full-length effort, No Podrás, in 2004, their live presentations have mixed rancheras with Mexican pop and classic rock selections. Almost immediately the musicians embarked on an exhaustive touring schedule that has continued without interruption, during which they have periodically stepped away long enough to record fresh singles and albums. Their 2008 release Escuela de Rancho ascended to the summit of radio playlists on the strength of the ubiquitous track “El Mechón.” After concluding their lengthy association with Disa Records via the 2012 studio album Mi Razón de Ser, the group preserved its stature as a premier concert attraction and aligned with Sony’s Lizos imprint. The resulting 2017 project Mejor Versión de Mí delivered their initial chart-topping entry, while subsequent offerings such as 2018’s Con Todas las Fuerzas and 2020’s El Trabajo Es la Suerte have kept them inside the Top 20.

Tuba player Sergio Lizárraga and his clarinetist brother Alberto Lizárraga assembled the fifteen-piece Banda Sinaloense MS de Sergio Lizárraga in 2003, originally fronted by a youthful Julión Álvarez. Following a brief stretch performing at neighborhood festivals and weddings, the collective secured a contract with Disa and added vocalist Alan Manuel Ramírez Salcido as its sixteenth member in 2004. Their debut offering No Podrás, also from 2004, established a pattern of near-constant roadwork that has defined the band ever since. Although additional singles and albums maintained their visibility, it was Escuela de Rancho that introduced them to the broader regional Mexican audience in 2008, marking their first appearance on the charts.

Extensive performances throughout the Sinaloan region and across Mexico solidified Banda Sinaloense MS de Sergio Lizárraga’s standing as a premier live act and helped cultivate a growing U.S. following. The 2005 album Mi Mayor Anhelo generated substantial radio attention and a gradual climb in sales. Julión Álvarez departed for a solo career in 2006, after which Oswaldo Silvas joined Alan Manuel Ramírez Salcido in the vocal spotlight. Several more releases passed before commercial breakthrough arrived, yet Disa maintained its support as sales steadily rose. The 2008 album Escuela de Rancho, propelled by the hit “El Mechón,” finally elevated them to the top of radio playlists and into the Top Ten of regional Mexican recordings domestically. Corridos Atrevidos followed in 2009 and included the single “El 24,” further cementing their market position and touring prominence. Amor Enfermo reached the Top 30 in 2011, while the label’s final two projects—2012’s Mi Razón de Ser and 2013’s 10 Aniversario—both entered the Top Ten.

In late 2013 the group moved to Universal and began collaborating with leading traditional Mexican songwriters for its label debut. The single “No Me Pidas Perdón,” title track of the forthcoming album, was issued early in April 2014 and occupied the number-one position for sixteen weeks across multiple charts. The full-length arrived in July to comparable success, and the follow-up single “Háblame de Ti” remained inside the Top 20 for more than fifteen weeks beginning in October. Universal issued a greatest-hits collection in spring 2015, a new live album in July, and the compilation 20 Corridos Bien Perrones in October, all while the musicians continued touring and tracking material for their next studio effort. “A Lo Mejor,” drawn from the live set, charted that summer, succeeded in the fall by an edited version of “Piénsalo.”

February 2016 brought both the single “Solo con Verte” and the studio album Que Bendición, each of which quickly registered on the charts and spurred renewed airplay and digital sales for earlier catalog tracks. La Mejor Versión de Mí appeared in April 2017, featuring contributions from Espinoza Paz, Edén Muñoz, and Horacio Palencia; it reached the summit of Regional Mexican Albums and number three on Top Latin Albums, while the single “Tengo Que Colgar” entered the Top 20 of Latin Streaming Songs. The following year the band received the Billboard Award for Regional Mexican Artist of the Year, Duo or Group. Their next studio album, Con Todas las Fuerzas, entered at number five on Top Latin Albums in 2018 and accumulated ninety weeks on the chart.

After issuing the live recording En Vivo CDMX in 2019, Banda Sinaloense MS returned to the studio and delivered the collaborative single “Que Maldición” with Snoop Dogg in early May of the following year. The track climbed inside the Top Five at streaming and reached number nine on the Regional Mexican charts. August 2020 saw the release of their thirteenth studio album, El Trabajo Es la Suerte, which debuted at number sixteen on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart.