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, bassist Larry Borjas was drafted and drummer Robert Marinez enlisted. 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 director 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 its 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 US hit parade.

Question Mark wore sunglasses when performing, recording, or being interviewed or photographed. Popular rumor says that he went to court and had his name changed legally to "?"

The band made several TV appearances on shows like Where the Action Is, and American Bandstand. They also managed a follow up hit called "I Need Somebody", which made it to #22 on the Billboard Pop chart. After that, Cameo Records went down the drain, taking most of their roster with them.

Subsequent 45 releases and an album, "Action", did not have strong sales. The singles "Can't Get Enough Of You Baby", "Girl, You Captivate Me" and "Do Something To Me" all failed to match the group's earlier success. They drifted to other labels such as 'Capitol', 'Super' and 'Chicory' and by 1968, the band had run its course. Over the years, they made various attempted reformations. A single 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.

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 chart.

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.

In 2003, the band toured the United States and recorded enough new, original material for a new album, set to be released in 2004.

? and the Mysterians are truly one of the greatest 'garage bands' in rock and roll history.

Oh, by the way, that "mystery man" know only as "?".... His real name was Rudy Martinez.

Be sure to read Gary James' Interview with ?