On this day, December 13, 1945, Robert Martinez, of ? & The Mysterians, was born.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Well, maybe.

At least that what This Day in Music says.

Born on this day in music

13 Dec 1945
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."

Robert Martinez was not "?". That honor goes to his brother, Rudy. I've been getting that wrong for years. I'm correcting that for 2023.

? and the Mysterians

Origin: Bay City and Saginaw, Michigan, U.S.
Genres: Garage rock, proto-punk
Years active: 1962–present
Labels: Cameo-Parkway, Capitol, Norton, Luv, Tangerine, Pa-Go-Go Records
Members: Question Mark (Rudy Martínez)
Frankie Rodríguez
Bobby Balderrama
Robert Martínez
Frank Lugo
Past members: Larry Borjas
Eddie Serrato
Mel Schacher
Frank Montoya
Irwin Aronson
Jeff McDonald
Paul Miller
Richard Schultz
Scott Fulkerson
Randy Hitts
Dennis Dean Lack
Timothy Reed
Randy Iamurri
Willy C Worden
Mark Bliesener
Website: 96tears.net

? 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 the 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.

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.

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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/

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Wed Oct 30, 2024: On October 29, 1966, ? & the Mysterians went to No.1 on the US singles chart with "96 Tears."

Wed Aug 14, 2024: On this day, August 14, 2014, "96 Tears" was proclaimed Bay City, Michigan's Official Rock and Roll Song.

Mon Mar 11, 2024: On March 9, 1951, Frank Rodriguez of ? & The Mysterians was born.

Wed Dec 13, 2023: On this day, December 13, 1945, Robert Martinez, of ? & The Mysterians, was born.

Tue Dec 13, 2022: On this day, December 13, 1945, Question Mark, of ? & The Mysterians, was born.

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.