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Saginaw, Michigan, 1962... an out-of-work bass player sits at home, watching a three year old Japanese sci-fi movie on television. It's about invaders who try to take over Earth after their own planet has been destroyed. The title of the movie is "The Mysterians".
And thus a band was born in the mind of Larry Borjas.
He contacted a cousin, guitarist Bobby Balderrama, and a drummer, Robert Marinez. Together they started playing at teen clubs around central Michigan. Eventually, they added a fourth member, organist Franklin Rodriguez.
One night, while appearing at the Mount Holly Ski Lodge, the band was approached by a stranger who said he wanted to become their manager. They agreed and later found out that he could sing so well that they made him their lead vocalist.
It was said that not even the members of the band new his real name or anything about his past. He never removed his sun-glasses and was known only by the pseudonym, "?" (Question Mark). He even tried to give the other members a secret initial such as Y, X and other letters. The boys were grateful, but decided to keep their own names.
When the Vietnam war escalated, both basist Larry and drummer Robert were drafted. They were replaced by Frank Lugo and Eddie Serrato. Soon after, Question Mark revealed that he had written a poem, entitled "Too Many Teardrops." He invited the group to set his words to music and they did so. Eddie, however wasn't happy with the title and suggested they call it "69 Tears".
"We can't use that" said another band member. "If we call it that, it will never get played on the radio."
Another suggested that they turn the numbers around and call it "96 Tears". All the Mysterians thought that was a good idea.
"96 Tears" became a great crown pleaser at the Mount Holly dance hall and before long word had reached Lilly Gonzlaez, the owner of Pa-Go-Go Records. She agreed to financially back the group in recording the song. The session took place in a makeshift two-track "studio" in Lilly's living room. Afterward, there was a disagreement as to which side of the record to promote. Some Mysterians opted for the flip side, "Midnight Hour," because it was "more funky".
Question Mark, though, pushed "96 Tears", and when the tune began to do well locally, he took copies to Bob Dell, the program directer of radio station WTAC in Flint Michigan. Dell helped the group get better bookings and before long "96 Tears" was the number one request item at the station. Air play spread to Detroit, and when radio giant CKLW across the border in Windsor added the record to it's play list, Cameo Records stepped in and bought the master tape.
"96 Tears" broke coast-to-coast in early September 1966, and by October, it was the top-selling record in America. In November, twelve weeks after Cameo picked it up, " Question Mark and the Mysterians" were presented with a gold record, signifying over a million dollars in sales. In all, their tune spent nearly four months on the U.S. hit parade.
Question Mark wore sunglasses when performing, recording, or being interviewed or photographed. He went to court and had his name changed legally to "?" (not "Question Mark," his name actually is "?" to this day).
The band made several TV appearences on shows like 'Where the Action Is', and 'American Bandstand'. They also managed a follow up hit of lesser success called "I Need Somebody".
After that, Cameo Records went down the drain, taking most of their roster with them.
Subsequent singles and an album, "Action", did not have good sales. The group drifted to other labels such as 'Capitol', 'Super' and 'Chicory' and by 1968 it had run its course. The band has made various attempted reformations. A 45 was issued in 1973 and new demos were recorded in 1978. They also played a re-union concert at the Dallas Arcadia in 1984 and worked as the opening act for Joe "King" Carrasco. The Michigan band "Inflight" also included ex-members of The Mysterians.
The original members of "Question Mark and the Mysterians" have re-formed and are still together. They maintain that the group never actually broke up at all.
A new album was released on October 29, 1997 in commemoration of the 31st anniversary of
"Question Mark and the Mysterians" hitting #1 on the Billboard charts.
In November 1999, ? & the Mysterians released their first studio album in 33 years. All the original members returned for the recording of "More Action", a double CD that features new material like the raw, rockin' "It's Not Easy" and "I'll Be Back," alongside cover tracks of Bobby Darin's "Beachcomber" and the Stones' "Satisfaction." The band also rehashes "96 Tears" and includes a Spanish version of the track--a natural, considering the band's Mexican heritage. On "More Action", ? & the Mysterians don't miss a beat, integrating the signature organ treble of "96 Tears" into each track. Collectors will covet the inclusion of "Are You for Real?" and "I'll Be Back," the band's first studio recordings ever. This CD could easily be mistaken for a '60s-era follow-up to the 96 Tears album, though it fits in easily with the work of current garage revivalists.
Oh, and that "mystery man" know only as "?"....
He is really Eddie Serrato's Brother-In-Law, Rudy Martinez.
? and the Mysterians
