posted 09-27-2005 11:15 PM         

? was actually lead singer Rudy Martinez, who had been born in Mexico in 1945 and who grew up in Saginaw, Michigan. The group was originally formed in Saginaw and consisted of Frank Rodriguez, Jr. on keyboards, Larry Borjas on guitar, drummer Robert Martinez, and lead guitarist Bobby Balderrama. They started to play in Adrian, Michigan around 1964. Group members Larry Borjas and Robert Martinez were drafted and went on active duty in Germany; they were replaced by drummer Eddie Serrato and bass player Frank Lugo.

Calling themselves ? and the Mysterians, they came up with a song called 69 Tears but later changed its name to 96 Tears due to concerns that the original title might cause some radio station programmers to avoid giving the song airplay. The song was recorded at Shields Recording Studio in Bay City, Michigan using a Farfisa and a Vox organ. The band's manager, Lilly Gonzoles, had 750 copies of the song pressed on the Pa-Go-Go label that she owned. The song was played on some regional radio stations such as WTAC in Flint and CKLW in Detroit [which actually broadcast from Canada], and requests to play it again began to come in to the radio stations in large numbers. A deal was struck with Cameo to produce more pressings and eventually the song became a million seller and reached the top of the charts nationally.

The group enjoyed its brief status as one of the most popular rock-and-roll bands in America in 1966. They took on an air of mystery. Lead singer Martinez wore sunglasses when performing, recording, or being interviewed or photographed. He went to court and had his name changed legally from Rudy Martinez to ? [not "Question Mark," his name actually is "?" to this day]. They claimed that all of the members of the group had been born in Mexico.

Late in 1966 they had their second single I Need Somebody enter the charts, where it peaked at number twenty-two. 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. ? and the Mysterians underwent some personnel changes.

In 1980 96 Tears was covered by Garland Jeffreys and became a minor hit. The group had a reunion in Dallas in 1984 and worked as the opening act for Joe "King" Carrasco. It was revealed that some members of the group, including Rodriguez, Lugo, Balderrama and Serrato had been born in Texas.

The original members of ? and the Mysterians are together again in the 90's and they say that the group never really broke up. They completed recording another version of the original 96 Tears album in 1997.

posted 09-27-2005 11:27 PM         

one of my favorite songs as a teen...still like it...

curious, what line of work is he in these days ???...

posted 09-28-2005 07:30 AM         

I seem to recall some legal problem with the song 96 Tears and that's why the original version of the song has never been put on CD or rereleased. As I recall the story, a producer or someone who bought the rights to the masters impounded the tapes in his vault and to this day won't let anyone have access to the tapes.

I was able to get a CD pressing of the original recording from France. Apparently the copyright laws in Europe are a little different, and there is no prohibition against recording directly from LP to CD and selling it. The LP used for the recording was in excellent shape and the CD sounds very good.

If someone knows more about the legal problems I for one would be interested in hearing the facts.