Don E Juan

Claude Johnson and Roland Trone, performing as Don & Juan, delivered their lone major success in 1962 with the release of “What’s Your Name.” Although the track is now regarded as a doo-wop standard, its polished ballad approach also signals the early stirrings of soul music.

The pair launched their recording career as members of the Brooklyn group the Genies. Under that name they issued the up-tempo “Who’s That Knocking” on Shad Records in 1959; the single climbed to number 71 on the U.S. charts. Unable to match that modest showing, they were released from the label. Johnson and Trone kept up occasional live work while employed as painters on Long Island until agent Peter Paul located them and secured a contract with Big Top Records. Adopting the duo name Don & Juan, they cut “What’s Your Name,” which rose to number seven. Their only other charting side was “Magic Wand,” yet they continued to make records through 1967. Trone passed away in 1983; Johnson later resumed the act alongside former Genies member Alexander Faison, who assumed the role of the new Juan.