The musicians were Minangkabau people, from West Sumatra, but recorded their music in Jakarta, far from their cultural heartland.
The band was formed in late 1953 in Jakarta, by Alidir, Anwar Anif (leader), Dhira Suhud, Joesfar Khairudin, Taufik, Syaiful Nawas, Awaludin Djamin, Julius Bahri, Hasmanan, and Azwar.
Minang music was already being played on the 'Penghibur Hati' show ('Entertainment from the heart'), and it was planned that the group would exploit this.
The group performed not only on RRI, but also at the Jakarta Arts Building, State Palace and the Istora Senayan.
Their success inspired three further Minang orchestras, Zaenal Arifin's Zaenal Combo, Oslan Husein's Teruna Ria, and Nuskan Syarif's Kumbang Tjari, these three groups backed most Indonesian singers of the 1960s.