Hoo Kim Family and the Demolition of Channel One Studio
Originally published by South Florida Caribbean News Read the original
Kingston, Jamaica — When Flabba Holt saw the remnants of the legendary Channel One recording studio, he felt a sense of loss. Located in the tough Maxfield Avenue area of Jamaica’s capital, it was where the famed bass guitarist made his name.
“Mi go inside an’ tek some pictures. Inside there dark, dark, dark! Mi cyah (can’t) believe it…di great Channel One,” he told South Florida Caribbean News.
The facility where some of reggae’s greatest songs were recorded, had been in disrepair for many years. On September 5, a demolition crew moved in and destroyed the famous structure.
The Hoo Kim family, which started Channel One in 1972, made no comment on the action. But the Kingston and Saint Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) which issues permits for demolitions, released a statement saying it gave no authorization.
Channel One was launched by four Hoo Kim brothers, who are of Chinese-Jewish descent. Joseph, aka Jo Jo; Kenneth, Paul and Ernest. Jo Jo was the producer and creative head, while Ernest was engineer for most of the classic songs recorded there.
Jo Jo died in 2018, five years after Kenneth. Paul was murdered by gunmen in nearby Greenwich Town in 1977.
Most songs recorded at Channel One during the 1970s reflected the turbulent political times in Jamaica. Its house band was The Revolutionaries, led by a drummer named Sly Dunbar. They played on timeless songs like Right Time and I Need A Roof by The Mighty Diamonds; Ballistic Affair (Leroy Smart); Things And Time (The Wailing Souls); Woman Is Like A Shadow (The Meditations) and I Know Myself (Ernest Wilson).
When The Revolutionaries dissolved, Holt and his Roots Radics Band took over backing duties.
“If dat studio wasn’t there, you wouldn’t hear ‘bout me, Radics or many musicians,” he stated.
The Roots Radics played on a series of hits at Channel One including Front Door by Gregory Isaacs; Big Ship (Freddie McGregor); Lovers Race (Sugar Minott) and Looking My Love by Barrington Levy.
Jo Jo Hoo Kim said that he lost his passion for the music business after his brother was killed. During the mid-1980s, as more advanced recording studios emerged, Channel One gradually declined.
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