On this day, December 13, 1945, Question Mark, of ? & The Mysterians, was born.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Last edited Sun Oct 29, 2023, 08:42 AM - Edit history (1)

Well, maybe.

At least that what This Day in Music says.

1945 - Robert Martinez
Robert Martinez, ? & The Mysterians, (1966 US No. 1 & UK No.37 single '96 Tears'). '96 Tears' was a UK No.17 hit for The Stranglers in 1990.

Wikipedia does not confirm this, so all I'll say is, "it's questionable."

? and the Mysterians

Origin Bay City, Michigan, Saginaw, Michigan U.S.
Website: 96tears.net

Members: Question Mark (Rudy Martínez)

{snip a lot of other members}

? and the Mysterians (or Question Mark and the Mysterians) are an American garage rock band from Bay City and Saginaw in Michigan, initially active between 1962 and 1969. Much of the band's music consisted of electric organ-driven garage rock and an enigmatic image inspired by the 1957 Japanese science fiction film The Mysterians. In addition, the band's sound was also marked by raw-resonating lead vocals of "?" (Question Mark, the stage name of Rudy Martínez), making Question Mark and the Mysterians one of the earliest groups whose musical style is described as punk rock. Their music and imagery were highly influential on later bands.

The band signed to Pa-Go-Go Records (based in San Antonio, Texas and run by Rudy "Tee" Gonzales) in 1966 and released its first and most acclaimed single, "96 Tears", in the early part of that year. "96 Tears" became a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and propelled the group to a 15-month period of national prominence. Their debut album, 96 Tears, followed. Though Question Mark and the Mysterians were unable to replicate their success with their later recordings, and are thus deemed a "one-hit wonder", they did manage to reach the singles charts on five occasions.

In 1968, their label, Cameo-Parkway, was shut down for stock manipulation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, taking the band's money and contract with them. Though they disbanded in 1969, the band has regrouped and released additional material over the years. "96 Tears" was listed at number 210 on the 2004 Rolling Stone list The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

{snip}

Gee, what should I play? I know.

Question Mark & The Mysterians - 96 Tears
6,846,383 views Jan 7, 2011

60s70sVintageRock
81K subscribers

Detroit's 'Swingin' Time', 1966. Frank Lugo on bass. (Mel Schacher from Grand Funk filled in for a short time in 1969.) **Excellent source of info on the band: https://michiganrockandrolllegends.com/index.php/special-series/96-tears


2011 live clip here: https://vimeo.com/277791736 Password: QM&M96

If anyone wants to know who "Bill" is, the Disney character and link to this video is on this page: https://www.reddit.com/r/gravityfalls/comments/315yoy/im_bill_cipher_i_know_lots_of_things_ask_me/

{snip}

Wed Mar 9, 2022: On this day, March 9, 1951, Frank Rodriguez, of ? & The Mysterians, was born.

Mon Dec 13, 2021: On this day, December 13, 1945, Question Mark, of ? & The Mysterians, was born.

[cutroot]

1. i know these guys well

they're all good people. i worked with bobbie Balderama the guitar player for fifteen years
they still play out locally once in a while