The Michigan Band That Outshined The Beatles For A Moment

In the shadow of Beatlemania, one band stood out with a sound that was anything but ordinary.

Madonna, Eminem, Bob Seger, and Aretha Franklin are among the first musicians that come to mind when most people think of artists from Michigan.  Did you know that there is a forgotten Mexican-American band from Michigan that somehow took over the charts during Beatlemania in the late 60s?

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Who is Question Mark and the Mysterians?

Question Mark and the Mysterians were a group of five musicians from Bay City and Saginaw, Michigan.  The group was considered a garage rock or punk rock band and was active, touring, and recording from 1962 to 1969.  The band had 4 Hot 100 singles, which included their #1 hit "96 Tears."

The name for this Michigan rock band was inspired by the 1957 Japanese science fiction film The Mysterians, according to The Best of ? & the Mysterians: Cameo Parkway 1966–1967 2005 CD liner notes.

Question Mark and the Mysterian Members

Rudy Martinez - Vocals
Frank Rodriguez - Keyboards
Robert Martinez - Guitar
Larry Borjas - Bass
Eddie Serrato - Drums

What was Beatlemania?

When it comes to the "Oldies" music format, there were Pre-Beatles oldies and Post-Beatles oldies.  When the Beatles hit the scene in 1964, they blew up the charts.  The Beatles had a total of 20 number 1 hits. However, from 1964 to 1965, the Beatles held on to the number one spot for a total of 31 weeks with 10 different number 1 hits.

No other artist could come close to the Beatles' dominance of the US chart in the mid 1960s. But then, in 1966, Question Mark and the Mysterians hit the charts with "96 Tears."  They released the single in August and had a number one hit by late October.  The Beatles only had one number 1 hit that year, "Paperback Writer."

Take a listen to "96 Tears" by Question Mark & the Mysterians below.