Question mark and the mysterians biography examples

The band began promoting the record all over Michigan. With Dick Clark on American Bandstand. Neil Bogart, the year-old vice president and sales manager at Cameo-Parkway traveled to Michigan and bought the master to "96 Tears" ahead of Morris Levy, head of Roulette Records in New York City, who had already made a tentative deal with Pa-Go-Go over the phone.

Bogart then promoted the song tirelessly, traveling with the band to the east coast and then flying with them to Los Angeles to appear on American Bandstand and Where The Action Is. Bogart's legwork soon started to pay dividends. Against all odds, on October 29,,? Seemingly overnight, the band went from playing mid-Michigan teen clubs and dances to national television appearances.

Eleven of the twelve songs that ended up on? This was highly unusual for a new band. Even established groups such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones had only just released their first albums of all original songs in America earlier in the year. It was an uptempo dance tune with a great Question Mark vocal that was dripping with street punk attitude.

Frank Rodriguez with "96 Tears" Gold Record. When Billboard published its year-end chart of the Top Records of , "96 Tears" was listed as 2. This meant that? Another benefit of Cameo-Parkway's good fortune with? The first sign of trouble between? The song had first appeared as a cut on an album they had produced for the Toys "A Lover's Concerto" , and the song had also appeared on an album by the Four Seasons.

The band somewhat reluctantly followed orders and recorded a very good sound-alike single. Strangely enough, Cameo-Parkway also decided to release two more? In an attempt to give the song more edge, Question Mark substituted the lyric "Girl you masturbate me" for the original line "Girl you fascinate me"; but Cameo-Parkway once again failed to give much promotion to the single.

Somewhat surprisingly, the song was performed on American Bandstand on June, 10, The video is available on Youtube, and it shows Question Mark lip-synching the song without any of the other Mysterians in sight. But "Girl You Captivate Me " featured the unmentionable and, once the word got out, the song was taken off most radio playlists. As a result, the single barely scraped into Billboard at It would also prove to be the band's final entry on the Hot All five of the original songs were credited to R.

Unfortunately, its release coincided with the death rattle of the Cameo-Parkway label. The single was only able to reach on the Billboard charts with little or no company support as the Cameo-Parkway label was shut down a month after its release. The band was profiled in the Saginaw News by staff writer Sara Smith in the November 12, edition of the paper.

Her upbeat story foocused on the band members and their families and even included their home addresses. In the article, the band members blamed their record company Cameo-Parkway for the lackluster success of their last three singles and the "Action" album, and declared that they were about to sign a new record deal. In addition, the story revealed that the band had a warm relationship with their manager Lilly Gonzales, describing her as "wonderful, just like a second mother to us all.

Question Mark was quoted in the article as saying: "For a while there, Saginaw and home were just memories. Kids in Saginaw are the grooviest. They are exposed to more big name bands, and they expect more from a band. They really feel the music. We don't have big heads yet. Smith reported that Question Mark's major problem at personal appearances is the girls who try to grab his glasses.

She also wrote that he was entertaining some thoughts of solo projects including a bid to audition for the Kraft Music Hall and the possibility of a TV series. Smith also disclosed that he removed his wrap-around sunglasses only to sleep, and that this was a part of the group's gimmick, like never revealing Question Mark's real name.

The article went on to state that the five young men in the band enjoyed meeting new people on tours, but were happy that their time in Saginaw was more plentiful than during the past year when "96 Tears" was at the top of the national record charts. Everything looked rosey for the group as they approached the new year. Instead, would turn out to be a year of turmoil and change for?

Unfortunately, the single did not catch on and failed to chart. The music scene was changing very fast and to add insult to injury, Jim Morrison of the Doors, one of rock's influential new stars, took a swipe at the band. But the worse was yet to come. On April 2,, the band was the recipient of some very negative publicity when Question Mark, Terrance Gilbert, and a year-old Saginaw juvenile, were arraigned in the Saginaw County Justice Court on charges of glue sniffing.

According to newspaper reports carried around the state, the officers were on routine patrol when they discovered several bags filled with glue after investigating the parked vehicle. The hearing held at the end of the week was adjourned after defense attorneys for Question Mark requested a jury trial on the glue sniffing charge. But the damage had already been done.

Glue sniffing was considered uncool by the vast majority of fans and record buyers, and the singer became something of a laughingstock as the result of the incident. The fallout from the bust also cost the band the services of Jim Leach who had been promoting the band's releases around the country on weekends and during holidays. Leach was also employed as a full-time teacher at Saginaw's Buena Vista High School, and was given the choice of either giving up his job with the Mysterians or resigning from his teaching position.

It was during this turbulent time that? Question Mark claimed that Gonzales' demands to the label were to blame for the collapse of the band's deal with Capitol. Inexperienced in financial matters, Gonzales had also given the band some very questionable advice that resulted in their signing away the copyrights to their original songs recorded at Cameo-Parkway.

This very poor business decision still haunts them to this day. The lineup of the Mysterians was also altered after drummer Eddie Serrato was seriously injured in a car accident and was replaced by Jeff MacDonald and then former Bossmen drummer Pete Woodman who played with the band for almost a year. In addition, Frank Lugo decided to quit the band in order to spend more time at home with his new wife.

He was replaced on bass by Lee Shrieve. It is the great lost? Photo shoot in New York City.

Question mark and the mysterians biography examples

The last? The label was run by producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffrey Katz, whose groups specialized in bubblegum pop. The only original band members on the record were Frank Rodriguez and Question Mark as Bobby Balderrama had left the group to go back to school. After Frank Rodriguez left shortly thereafter, the Mysterians became a revolving door of musicians with the vocals of Question Mark being the one constant.

Kehoe and Atherton also represented a soul band called Junior Lewis and The Selections, and a power trio of brothers named Dick Rabbit. Delta Promotions also put together and booked three highly questionable acts who were billed as 'The Animals', 'The Archies', and 'The Zombies'. None of these bands included any of the people who had recorded the big hits or had toured with the original members.

The Animals, also from England, had dissolved in late Featuring the lead vocals of Eric Burdon, the band had recorded 18 charting hits, including the 1 smash "House Of The Rising Sun" in That gave him sole rights to the name '? The one-sided agreement may very well have been brokered by Bill Kehoe of Delta Promotions which had Question Mark as a client.

A Bay City business man and former owner of the Band Canyon teen club, the year-old Kehoe was serving as Question Mark's manager and reportedly received a check equal to that of the other Mysterians as part of the settlement. Represented by a lawyer with no experience or knowledge of the music business; Rodriguez, Serrato, Balderrama, and Lugo were advised to accept the offer.

It was a bad deal for the other Mysterians but a very good one for Question Mark. Seeing it's potential, Neil Bogart with the Cameo label approached the boys and a deal was struck to produce more pressings. The song quickly became a classic of its genre and a million seller. It reached No. The group enjoyed its brief status as one of the most popular rock-and-roll bands in America in They released their first full-length album, "96 Tears," on Cameo and in late they had their second single "I Need Somebody" enter the charts, where it peaked at number The band took on an air of mystery.

Lead singer Martinez wore sunglasses when performing, recording, or being interviewed or photographed. He went to court and had his name changed legally from Rudy Martinez to? Subsequent singles and an album, "Action", did not have good sales. The group drifted to other labels such as Capitol, Super and Chicory and by it had run its course.

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