? And The Mysterians – 96 Tears

Formed in the Bay City/Saginaw area of Michigan in 1962 by Mexican-American children of migrant farm workers, the band gained popularity with the addition of drummer Robert Martinez’s brother Rudy, aka Question Mark, as lead vocalist. The eccentric Question Mark (often stylized as ‘?’) has claimed to have been born on Mars and lived among dinosaurs in a past life.

The band’s debut single “96 Tears”, with its distinctive organ line played by Mysterians’ keyboardist “Little” Frank Rodriguez, was originally released on Pa-Go-Go Records in 1966, but quickly reissued by the more established Philadelphia-based label Cameo-Parkway Records. The raw-yet-infectious song swept the airwaves, hitting #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 29, 1966, beating out The Monkees, Four Tops, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, Dionne Warwick, Sonny & Cher, The Beach Boys and many more established acts. ? and The Mysterians’ debut album, also titled 96 Tears, followed in October ’66 just as the single was crossing the one million sales mark. The LP, filled out with ten more originals — including the Top 40 hit “I Need Somebody” — plus a version of T-Bone Walker’s “Stormy Monday,” peaked at #66.

Format – LP