Channel One Studio
The Hoo Kim brothers’ Maxfield Avenue room gave mid-1970s roots reggae a harder new engine. The Revolutionaries, Sly Dunbar’s drums and a flood of fresh riddims made Channel One impossible to ignore.
GO DEEPER
Joseph “Jo Jo” Hoo Kim and his brothers built Channel One at 29 Maxfield Avenue in Kingston in 1972. After a learning period, the studio found its identity in the middle of the decade with a house-band culture centered on The Revolutionaries and musicians including Sly Dunbar. The Mighty Diamonds’ “Right Time” sessions became one of the room’s defining statements, and Dunbar’s drumming helped popularize the harder rockers feel associated with the period. Junior Byles, Leroy Smart, The Meditations and many others also cut major records there. Channel One frequently reworked older Studio One foundations, but its sound was not nostalgia: the drum weight, arrangements and studio discipline pushed 1970s reggae into a new phase.
Where the history is argued
- “Rockers” developed across musicians and sessions rather than being invented by one studio. Channel One and Sly Dunbar are central to its mid-1970s visibility, not exclusive owners of the idea.
How they stand with the others
Came togetherChannel One’s house-band system and recutting of existing riddims helped reshape the rhythmic feel of mid-1970s reggae.
Came beforeIts emphasis on reusable riddims and leaner production belongs to the road that later leads into dancehall.
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Last checked 1 September 2026