CHANNEL One, where countless hit songs were recorded during the 1970s and 1980s, has been demolished. The facility, located at 29 Maxfield Avenue in Kingston, was destroyed on September 5.

Tony Hoo Kim, whose family owns the property, refused to comment on the action, which has circulated on social media. He told the Jamaica Observer that it is a “legal issue” and “I can’t speak right now”.

Hoo Kim did not disclose who carried out the demolition.

Robert Hill, town planner at the Kingston and Saint Andrew Municipal Corporation, whose office grants permission for such action, told the Observer: “The KSAMC was only made aware of this demolition today, September 8, 2026, and have begun its investigations. So far, we have determined that no approval was granted for a demolition at this location situated at the corner of 29 Maxfield Avenue. The city engineer has dispatched one of his officers to further investigate this issue.”

Tony Hoo Kim is the son of Ernest Hoo Kim, one of four brothers who started Channel One in 1972. Joseph, known as ‘Jo Jo’, was the eldest. Credited as producer on most of the label’s songs, he died in 2018.

Paul, third of the brothers, was killed in Greenwich Town in 1977, while Kenneth, second eldest, died in 2013. Ernest was the senior engineer at the studio.

Although they owned a sound system, the Hoo Kims’ main income source prior to opening the studio were an ice-cream parlour on Maxfield Avenue and slot machines throughout Kingston.

Channel One was home to The Revolutionaries, a prolific band led by drummer Sly Dunbar. Its ranks also include keyboardist Ansel Collins, saxophonist Tommy McCook, bass guitarists Ranchie McLean and Robbie Shakespeare.

Those musicians played on most of the label’s classic songs such as Africa and I Need A Roof by The Mighty Diamonds; Ballistic Affair and Badness nuh Pay (Leroy Smart); Jah Jah Give us Life (The Wailing Souls) and Woman Is Like A Shadow by The Meditations.

After The Revolutionaries disbanded in the late 1970s, the Roots Radics Band backed most of the artistes at Channel One. Like their predecessors, they played on many hit singles including
Shine Eye Girl and Looking My Love by Barrington Levy; Michael Prophet (Here Comes The Bride); and Frankie Paul (Worries In The Dance).

Operations at Channel One slowed during the late 1980s, though the label’s massive catalogue continues to be distributed globally.

—Howard Campbell