The Montego Bay hotel scene has nurtured the careers of many reggae artists and musicians. Most of them who made it big traveled to Kingston, Jamaica’s capital, for greater recording opportunities.
Michael Samuels, a businessman, is keen to change that with K-Chief Studios. Located in the heart of the resort city, it opened last December. Its sole project to date is the ‘Memories’ ‘riddim’ which features songs by singers Clive Emmanuel, Ian Sweetness, Anthony Que, Donovan Banzana and Steve Santana.
Known as Mister Sam, Samuels is also the facility’s lead producer and audio engineer. He spoke about K-Chief Studios’ main objective.
“We want to establish a Western Jamaica hub that provides Montego Bay with a premier facility on Barnett Street (business district) so artists in Western Jamaica can achieve international-standard production without having to travel to Kingston,” said Samuels.
In October, the studio will welcome its most high-profile client. Singer A J Brown, current lead singer of Third World and a Montego Bay native, is expected in town for recording sessions.
Brown is one of many artists from the tourism mecca that cut his teeth in its hotels. Ed Robinson, E T Webster, Benjy Myaz, Mikey Spice and Paul Kastick all came to prominence on those stages.
In recent years, Montego Bay has experienced a dancehall explosion through homegrown acts like Tommy Lee Sparta and Teejay. Samuels and his four-member team have the youth on their radar.
“We want to create a welcoming, professional space where new, emerging acts and seasoned veterans can work together, learn from each other, and share their music worldwide,” he said.