Katrin Quinol and Black Box

Talented, Sultry and Plagued with Unfair Press
Michael Holloway

Born: Catherine Quinol
[Birthdate: Currently Unknown]
Birthplace: Guadeloupe, French Caribbean Islands

People have enjoyed Katrin Quinol’s music, which began in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, when she joined a dance band called Black Box. She was discovered dancing in a disco by the band’s three male members; Club DJ Daniele Davoli, classically trained clarinet teacher Valerio Semplici, and electronic music whiz Mirko Limoni.

Discovered

Davoli, Semplici, and Limoni discovered Quinol dancing in a disco to make extra money. They were captivated by her obvious physical charms and the fact that she only spoke English in a very strong French accent mattered not a bit. As a dancer, Quinol could deliver a routine that would set hearts on fire, so they developed her dancing in music videos to promote an album they were working on called Dreamland.

She took to this like a bird flying, even though she had no musical or dance training in her background. This exotic beauty was born in Guadeloupe in the French Caribbean Islands and raised in Paris, France. There she completed her studies in haute couture, whereupon she began working for several notable fashion designers.

Hits

With hits such as Ride On Time, Everybody Everybody, I Don’t Know Anybody Else, Strike It Up, and especially the torrid Fantasy; Quinol and the talented, yet unseen presence of the three Italian music makers broke it big in the the industry. Sweeping the world with accolades and pioneering the Italian house music craze.

Quinol quickly became as fluent in Italian as she was in French, adding more continental charm to her still broken English. Other songs included Open Your Eyes, and Hold On, neither of which were quite as huge in the charts as the other songs, yet remain popular among fans.

Two instrumental solos, performed by the male trio of Davoli, Semplici, and Limoni, rounded out the nine song album, Dreamland, making it simply idyllic. Although, not quite matching the hauntingly bluesy piano and saxophone driven Ghost Box, a truly remarkable and poignant tune if there ever was one.

It seemed nothing could stop Black Box, whose album sales were augmented by a very popular video release of four of their biggest singles as well as a live concert performance from the UK.

 

Misfortune

Unfortunately for Black Box, a major controversy would shatter their image, leaving Quinol without a career, shaming the three helmsmen into relative obscurity, incurring lawsuits, and ruining any chance of following up on the success of Dreamland.

Rumors began to abound shortly after the album’s release and subsequent promotional tours, stating that Quinol was not actually performing the vocals herself on the hit songs. True, she looked wonderful in the videos and danced up a storm, but could the rumors be true that the new darling of house music was a fraud, and that Davoli, Semplici, and Limoni were equally if not more culpable in the deception that outraged and alienated fans worldwide.

Another Milli Vanilli?

It seemed to be Milli Vanilli all over again. The public had been vicious in their condemnation of the band’s shock revelations of not lip-syncing to someone else’s music, and they would not quickly forgive or forget another effrontery, even from a different band.

Allegations

Stories flooded in that both Martha Wash and Loleatta Holloway were the actual vocalists on the album. Wash was a former member of The Weather Girls who had a hit song in the early 80’s, It’s Raining Men. Holloway was another popular underground disco sensation who had enjoyed success in 1980 with Love Sensation.

Wash claims that Black Box hired her for her vocals, but because of her rather ample body size, she would not be featured in videos or any promotional material for the album. Holloway claimed Love Sensation was ripped off by the band and reused as the Black Box hit Ride On Time.

Both Wash and Holloway agreed to perform vocals on the condition the songs be used as nightclub syndication only–not for commercial use. The latter would have entitled them to vocal credit and royalties. Neither of which they received when Dreamland was released; prompting the women to sue the band for damages.

Quinol’s Side

Quinol insisted in an interview that Wash and Holloway were the fraudulent ones, jealous of her success. And, they were trying to score credit for work, which she had indeed done.

She stated regarding lip-syncing, “That is not the way I like to perform–to me it’s not really performing at all. But, that’s what club audiences [in Europe] expect. Yet, I was taught to sing with a live band and I much prefer singing live to anything. The feeling I get from being in front of an audience singing is a more deep, beautiful feeling than singing with a machine. A more complete feeling. It’s the maximum high.”

Damaging Rumors

The hardships faced by Quinol did not end there. Other rumors began to surface she was a transvestite or a transsexual (why this is important or anyone’s business is beyond comprehension). Though she is quick to insist she would not have a problem if she were either of the above, Quinol states firmly she is a biological female and said this of the smear campaign against her.

“The past 18 months have been both the best and the worst of my life. There have been times when I’ve felt very sad, especially when I’ve seen articles in the papers that made me seem like some sort of animal. The journalists who wrote these things don’t even know me – in almost all cases they’ve never met me or spoken to me. They’re insensitive, and it’s very unfair, the way they operate,” said Quinol.

The verbal and print assaults were not all Quinol endured. She was also the victim of physical assaults, both against her and her entourage. She recalled one time she had just finished a concert in Paris and was in the car ready to be taken back to her hotel. An irate fan started a mob riot which resulted in $45,000 worth of damage to the vehicle. In another incident, a zealous fan attacked Quinol herself, resulting in trauma for her and the involvement of the police. There was, sadly, a lot of bad publicity being heaped upon the singer; fueling an already volatile inferno.

She said, “I was frightened for my life. My fans I usually like very much, and I’ll stop and talk to anybody, but once in Paris, I had just finished a concert and was walking off stage and this person grabbed me and tried to steal the ring I was wearing. They were just pulling at my hand; I thought my finger was going to come off. The guard finally had to punch this person to get them to let go of me. I just ran for my life.”

Black Box; Never to Recover

Quinol eventually parted ways with Black Box, who released a second album Positive Vibration with new singer Charvoni which sadly failed to attract attention from fans and critics and sank into obscurity.

It’s a shame as I actually enjoyed this later album, especially the infectiously anthemic Native New Yorke and the beautiful ballad The Beat Of Your Heart, sung not to a lover, but to a newborn baby. This would have to be the most tender and poignant baby ballad ever recorded. So, why did the critics ignore it?

Perhaps the public had been burned by Black Box and Quinol or rather by the perception of them as they had been force-fed by the media unproved allegations. Perhaps they were afraid to take a chance in liking the new singer in case Charvoni was also dragged through the mud for any given reason by unforgiving;and often ill-informed fans.

Quinol’s Philosophy

Whatever the case, Quinol will always be fondly remembered, if not as a singer (depending on whether you believe Quinol or Wash and Holloway) but as a fearless, sultry, lingering icon who suffered much for her art, and whose promising career was cut short by venomous individuals. Whether she was born a man or a woman, and whether she sang or not; Quinol is a human being with warmth, intelligence, and humility as is seen from her interviews.

Quinol’s simple philosophy ensures she will always remain a survivor.

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