? and The Mysterians: Punk Rock's Chicano Pioneers

Although their heyday only lasted around two years, ? and The Mysterians remain famous to this day. Their song "96 Tears" reached no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966 and has since become a rock standard, covered by everyone from Aretha Franklin to The Stranglers. What is more, they remain known as garage rock legends and punk rock pioneers.

The band that would become ? and The Mysterians was formed in 1962 by bass guitarist Larry Borjas, drummer Robert Martinez, and lead guitarist Bobby Balderama in Michigan. They were children of migrant farm workers who would go to Michigan each summer to pick the crops there and then go back to their homes in Texas. Many of the migrant farm workers would get jobs at General Motors in Saginaw, Michigan and settle there.

Initially, Larry Borjas, Robert Martinez, and Bobby Balderama were only a three-piece who played instrumentals such as those by Link Wray, The Ventures, and Duane Eddy. It was in 1964 that American rock music changed forever with the arrival of the British Invasion. The British groups were all self-contained, with the band not only performing songs, but writing them as well. And all of them emphasized vocals. They then decided they needed a singer. Robert Martinez then suggested his older brother Rudy Martinez, who was well-known as one of the best dancers around.

The band also decided they needed a name. They considered The Cadets and dressing in military-style outfits on stage. It was one day that Larry Borjas was watching the 1957 Japanese sci-fi movie The Mysterians on television. While the other band members were hesitant at first, they finally settled upon The Mysterians. Rudy Martinez would become ? after The Mysterians hired their first manager, David Torres. He had an idea that they could take up mysterious names, so that Bobby Balderama would be "X," Robert Martinez would be "Y," Larry Borjas would be "Z," and Rudy Martinez would be "?." Only one of the names would stick. Rudy Martinez would forever be ? or "Question Mark," and the band would become known as ? and The Mysterians.

? and The Mysterians would add one more member. The band hired a young, Bay City, Michigan keyboardist named Frank Rodriguez, whose work would prove to be pivotal on their hit "96 Tears." Unfortunately, both Larry Borjas and Robert Martinez were about to be drafted into the United States Army. The two of them decided to enlist to avoid being sent to Vietnam. What was left of ? and The Mysterians continued to practice. It was one day that Frank Rodriguez began playing an organ riff and ? began to singing along to it. Initially called "Too Many Teardrops," it became "96 Tears."

Eventually ? and The Mysterians went to a producer named Lilly Gonzales. She got them booked into a  recording studio and there they recorded "96 Tears" and "Midnight Hour." For the recording session Fernando Augilar of the band Rudy & The Reno bops filled in as the bassist. Frank Lugo was then hired as ? and The Mysterians' permanent bassist Pa-Go-Go Records and "Midnight Hour" was released as a single with "96 Tears" as its B-side on the independent Texas label Pa-Go-Go Records, which was owned in part by Lilly Gonzales's husband, Jose "Pato" Gonzales. Despite "Midnight Hour" being the A-side, ? was convinced that it was "96 Tears" that would be the hit and convinced the deejay at WSAM in Saginaw, Michigan to play "96 Tears."

"96 Tears" soon proved popular in Michigan, so much so that Pa-Go-Go Records could not keep up with the demand. ? and The Mysterians were signed by Cameo-Parkway. Cameo-Parkway released "96 Tears" nationwide and the song began a steady climb up the Billboard singles chart until it reached no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 29 1966. Although often cited as such, ? and The Mysterians were hardly one hit wonders. Their follow up to "96 Tears," "I Need Somebody," peaked at no. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their single "Can't Get Enough of You, Baby"went to no. 56. "Girl (You Captivate Me" peaked at no. 96.

? and The Mysterians would release two albums in the Sixties. Their debut album, 96 Tears, reached no. 66 on the Billboard album chart. Sadly, their second album, Action, did not prove to be a success on the charts. Much of their second album's failure may have had to do with the decline of the Cameo-Parkway Records. By 1967 the label was experiencing severe financial problems. In fact, ? and The Mysterians' single "Do Something to Me" was the very last single ever released on the label. Cameo-Parkway Records folded only a month after the single's release. "Do Something to Me" bubbled under the Billboard Hot 100 at no. 110, but would prove to be a minor hit for Tommy James & The Shondells the following year, going to no. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Following the collapse of Cameo-Parkway Records, ? and The Mysterians recorded for a succession of record labels: Capitol, Super-K, and Tangerine. The line-up of the band would also change over time. The band broke up in 1969, but reformed in the Seventies with a different line-up. The originals would re-unite. In the Nineties they re-recorded th songs on the album 96 Tears for a self-titled album and then re-recorded the songs on their album Action for the album More Action.

While ? and The Mysterians' recording success would be brief, the band would have a lasting impact. The band would influence garage bands to come, with many including "96 Tears" and even other ? and The Mysterians songs in their performances. As mentioned earlier, ? and The Mysterians are also continued pioneers of punk rock. Indeed, they were among the earliest bands to be described as "punk." What is the first known use of the term "punk rock" in the March 22 1970 issue of The Chicago Tribune in which The Fugs co-founder Ed Sanders described his first solo album's sound as "punk rock – redneck sentimentality." Creem used the terms "punk" and "punk rock" beginning in 1971. It was in May 1971 that music critic Dave Marsh described a performance by ? and The Mysterians in a club near Flint, Michigan as giving a "landmark exposition of punk rock." Some have even referred to "96 Tears" as "the first punk rock song."

In addition to pioneering punk rocks, ? and The Mysterians were also pioneers with regards to Mexican Americans in rock music. Ritchie Valens paved the way in the late Fifties.  There we also contemporary bands that included Chicano members. Sunny & The Sunglows had a no. 11  Billboard  hit with "Talk to Me, Talk to Me" in 1963. Sam the Sam of Sam the Sam and The Pharaohs was born Domingo Samudio. Like ? and The Mysterians, Cannibal and The Headhunters were composed entirely of Mexican Americans. They would have a hit with their version of "Land of a Thousand Dances," which reached no. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. Alongside other Chicano artists of the Sixties, ? and The Mysterians paved the way for other Mexican American rock acts. Ultimately, ? and The Mysterians would have a lasting impact on rock music, particularly punk rock.