MASTER drummer Sly Dunbar has added his condolences to the family of Channel One recording studio boss Joseph “Joe Joe” Hoo Kim, who died on September 20 from liver cancer in New York.

Dunbar’s association with the producer goes back to the early years of his career when he did sessions for other artistes at the Maxfield Avenue studio. Their association grew closer when Dunbar became part of the studio’s house band, The Revolutionaries, whose members included bass player Bertram “Ranchie” McLean, keyboardist Ansell Collins and saxophonist Tommy McCook.

They played on some of reggae’s finest songs at Channel One, with Hoo Kim credited as producer on most of them.

“He was such a cool person. Really kind man, who listened to you and what you had to say,” Dunbar told the Jamaica Observer.

Dunbar recalled a pivotal moment at Channel One in 1972 shortly after Hoo Kim and his brothers launched the company. It came during the recording of Delroy Wilson’s It’s A Shame when the musicians threw out a challenge to Hoo Kim.

“We really had great hopes for the song and bet Joe Joe that it would become a hit. When the song was released and it became a hit, he paid us twice the amount. That’s the kind of person he was,” said Dunbar. “In those early days of the Taxi Gang, he would give us free time in the session so that was where we laid tracks for the Black Uhuru songs such as Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and Shine Eye Gyal. I remember when we did Right Time (The Mighty Diamonds), when he heard it he just smiled and said, ‘dat bad man, it bad’. That’s just the person he was, always giving and encouraging.”

Originally done by The Spinners, It’s A Shame was the first of countless hit songs for Channel One. The Mighty Diamonds were one of the main acts there; the trio’s Right Time album, released in 1976, is one of reggae’s finest collections.

Dunbar had not seen Hoo Kim for some time. He explained that his work schedule did not allow them to meet when he was in Jamaica or New York. However, he noted that they communicated through mutual friends.

Hoo Kim was the eldest of four brothers who operated Channel One. Paul was murdered in Greenwich Farm in 1977, while Kenneth died in 2013.

Ernest, the studio’s main engineer, is no longer involved in the music business.

Joseph Hoo Kim is survived by his widow Joyce, children, grandchildren, brother, and three sisters.