The history of Question Mark and the Mysterians through the eyes of its guitarist
By Austin Gonzales
BAY CITY – Question Mark and the Mysterians were a proto-punk band originating from our hub in mid-Michigan. They are best known for their hit songs “Can’t Get Enough of You Baby,” “I Need Somebody,” and “96 Tears.” The latter would go on to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 when it was released in 1966, cementing the band’s place in music history. With such a momentous legacy created in our town, I sought out one of the band’s original members, Robert Lee Balderrama.
It was a sunny day on the east side of Bay City. I waited inside the historic Bay County Museum for my guest. When he entered, his smile lit up the faces of the museum employees around him. It was here that I met Robert Lee Balderrama for the first time. He greeted the ladies working with such a gentlemanly, suave tone before turning my way. He extended his hand for a handshake, still wearing that bright smile. We sat down in a room provided by the museum, where Balderrama gave me a deep dive into his history as a musician and his time with the band.
“My parents had a 40-acre farm, and I started learning how to play guitar. I just picked it up. My dad could play guitar, my brother could play guitar, and they would teach me,” Balderrama recalls from his early childhood. “My dad played guitar, he played accordion, and he played Mexican music and Tex-Mex music, but I was more into rock and blues. Jazz was my favorite.”
It wasn’t long before Balderrama and his nephew, Larry Borjas, started a band at the suggestion of his sister. They just needed a few more members to complete the lineup.
Original drummer Robert Martinez brought in his brother, Rudy Martinez, to sing vocals for the band. Rudy would later adopt the stage name Question Mark. “I was watching and thought, ‘Wow, he’s a better dancer than Mick Jagger,’” Balderrama recalls, describing his first time seeing Question Mark perform “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” Soon after, Frank Rodriguez, a skilled pianist, joined the group to play keyboard and organ. With original members Robert Martinez and Larry Borjas both enlisting in the Army, the band added Eddie Serato on drums and Frank Lugo on bass.
“One day, we were in Frank’s (Rodriguez) basement, and I had been working on this chord. Eddie Serato started playing drums to it, and we began to pick up the beat,” Balderrama says. Then, he starts imitating the organ keys to “96 Tears,” recalling how Rodriguez started the song. “And before you knew it, Question Mark was singing to it,” Balderrama says. “We ran through it a few times, and he’s singing, and finally Eddie Serato says, ‘Sounds like we’ve got a song!’”
Recorded in the living room of a house on Raymond Street, “96 Tears” would go on to hit No. 1 on America’s Top 40 in November 1966.
Bobby Balderrama shared many stories from his youth as a teenage musician to fatherhood. To hear more of Balderrama’s story, watch the full feature-length interview on our YouTube channel, where we discuss his idols, touring, searching for his son, his feelings about homeless communities and more. As for meeting Balderrama in person, you can often find him at local gatherings, entertaining guests with his stories and smooth music.
Editor’s note
In a previous version of this article, Question Mark and the Mysterians was incorrectly written as “? and the Mysterians.”