The band was formed by singers Max Pezzali and Mauro Repetto after their roles on the TV show 1,2,3, Jovanotti. They recorded some demos and forwarded them to Claudio Cecchetto, a producer who had worked on 1,2,3, Jovanotti. The group released their debut single Non me la menare, which became a smash hit in Italy. Hanno ucciso l'uomo ragno hit number 1 on the Italian charts. Their second album, Nord sud ovest est, produced the number 1 singles Sei un mito and Come mai. Upon the release of their third album, Repetto left the group. Pezzali recruited new members and continued the group. Un giorno così, from the 1997 album La dura legge del gol!, also went to number one in Italy. In 1998, the group released a film about themselves, entitled Jolly Blu. A greatest hits collection was issued in 1998 as Gli anni. After Grazie mille (1999) and Uno in + (2001), Pezzali himself went solo in 2003.

Considering the total amount of works published under the brand 883/Max Pezzali, 9 albums on 15 reached the top of the Italian charts: Hanno ucciso l'Uomo Ragno, Nord Sud Ovest Est, La Donna il sogno & il grande incubo, La dura legge del gol!, Gli anni, Uno in +, Il mondo insieme a te, TuttoMax and Hanno ucciso l'Uomo Ragno 2012. They also sold over 7.000.000 copies and won Festivalbar (one of the most important musical competition in the country) for three times, in '93 (best album), in '95 (best song) and finally in 2005 (best album).

The group was named after the 883cc Harley-Davidson Sportster.