Looking up something about Donovan in my Top Pop Singles book, I came across the listing for Don & Juan, a rhythm and blues duo from Brooklyn, NYC.
I well remember the great hit What’s Your Name, which reached #7 on the Billboard pop charts in 1962. The pair also had a minor hit, Magic Wand (#91 in 1962.)
In the minibio, it reads: “Ronald ‘Don’ Trone and Claude ‘Juan’ Johnson of The Genies. Don died in May 1982 (age 45). Juan died on 10/31/2002 (age 67).”
Two things jump out at me: 1) they were really young when they passed away. 2) Who were The Genies? Unsurprisingly, an R&B vocal group from Brooklyn, with Roy Hammond as lead vocalist. The quintet’s sole hit was Who’s that Knocking, #71 in 1959, which I didn’t recognize by title, but knew instantly when I heard it.
Interesting that neither Don and Juan nor the Genies ever charted in the R&B/soul charts. What’s Your Name “is considered one of the signature classics of the doo-wop vocal style.”
LISTEN TO:
Who’s that Knocking – The Genies HERE or HERE or HERE.