Channel One is a

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for Sound recording and reproduction, recording and Audio mixing, mixing of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home proje ...

in Maxfield Avenue, West

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...

. The studio was built by the Hoo Kim brothers in 1972, and has had a profound influence on the development of

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

music.

History

Joseph Hoo Kim's parents ran a bar and ice cream parlour in Kingston, and Kim became interested in opening a studio after visiting the Dynamic Sounds recording studio with John Holt. He purchased the API studio console for $38,000 and allowed other producers to record at Channel One without charge after it opened to build up custom. When it opened, Channel One's

tape recorder An audio tape recorder, also known as a tape deck, tape player or tape machine or simply a tape recorder, is a sound recording and reproduction device that records and plays back sounds usually using magnetic tape for storage. In its present ...

s were capable of recording on a maximum of only four tracks. There were early problems with the studio's sound, and the producer

Bunny Lee Edward O'Sullivan Lee OD (23 August 1941 – 6 October 2020), better known as Bunny "Striker" Lee, was a Jamaican record producer. He was known as a pioneer of the United Kingdom reggae market, licensing his productions to Trojan Records i ...

recorded an album there with singer Alton Ellis that he did not release due to these issues. The problems were resolved within a year, and the first hit single recorded at the studio was

Delroy Wilson Delroy George Wilson CD (5 October 1948 – 6 March 1995) Greene, Jo-Ann, " Delroy Wilson Biography, allmusic.com, Macrovision Corporation was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer. Wilson is often regarded as Jamaica's first child s ...

's 1973 recording of "It's a Shame". In 1975, the studio was upgraded to a 16-track recorder which enabled the

audio engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduc ...

s to record each instrument distinctly, lending intricacy to dub mixes and giving rise to the " rockers" sound. According to the 2006 book ''Caribbean Popular Music'', the studio became widely known after the 1976 release of the Mighty Diamonds' album '' Right Time''. Other artists to have successful recordings at the studio include

Horace Andy Horace Andy (born Horace Keith Hinds, 19 February 1951) is a Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as " Skylarking", as well as "Government Land", "Angel", "Spying Glass", and "Five Ma ...

Leroy Smart Leroy Smart (born 1952) is a reggae singer-songwriter and record producer from Kingston, Jamaica. Biography Smart was born in 1952 and orphaned at the age of two. He was raised at Maxfield Park Children's Home and educated at Alpha Boys School ...

the Wailing Souls The Wailing Souls (originally The Renegades) are a Jamaican reggae vocal group whose origins date back to the 1960s. The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years with Winston "Pipe" Matthews and Lloyd "Bread" McDonald the only ...

the Meditations The Meditations are a spiritual, conscious roots reggae vocal harmony group from Jamaica formed in late 1974, who have released several studio albums and are still performing in the 2000s and today. History The Meditations were formed in 1974 ...

, Ernest Wilson, the Jays, and

Jimmy Cliff James Chambers, Jamaican Order of Merit, OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hol ...

, whose ''Follow My Mind'' album was recorded there. The studio's house band, the Revolutionaries, were one of the top studio bands of the mid to late 1970s with a tremendous impact on the evolution of reggae music during that period, essentially driven by the innovative drumming styles of

Sly Dunbar Lowell Fillmore "Sly" Dunbar (born 10 May 1952, Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican drummer, best known as one half of the prolific Jamaican rhythm section and reggae production duo Sly and Robbie. Biography Dunbar began playing at 15 in a ba ...

. Joseph ran the studio and was credited as producer, Ernest acted as studio engineer, and Paul ran the

sound system Sound system may refer to: Technology media * Sound reinforcement system, a system for amplifying audio for an audience * High fidelity, a sound system intended for accurate reproduction of music in the home * Public address system, an institution ...

associated with the studio. Kenneth began producing in the 1980s. They became less involved after the second oldest brother Paul was killed in 1977, but it remained popular with other producers into the 1980s, with

Sly and Robbie Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separat ...

and

Henry "Junjo" Lawes Henry "Junjo" Lawes (1948 in Kingston, Jamaica – 14 June 1999 in London, England) was a highly influential Jamaican record producer and a sound engineer. Biography Born in the Waterhouse district of Kingston, Jamaica, Lawes began working ...

recording many of their productions there. The studio closed in the early 1990s. Kenneth Hoo Kim died from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

in October 2013, aged 66. Channel One is also the name of the brothers' sound system and

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

References

{{coord, 17.9960, -76.8045, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:JM, display=title Reggae Recording studios in Jamaica Buildings and structures in Kingston, Jamaica