National Library of Jamaica --------~.--------~ .~------------.. eponeer ·---=remem ers UNSUNG MUSICAL HERO • Ken Khouri was llke a godfather to many early Jamaican producers . .... ~ NAr1o~'iA' - - ' ... L:B,1ARY o:- i~\1AlcA A ec Durie. WHEN PEOPLE local businessman, ODAY, in Downtown ta1k about the origins Says Khouri: 'I was the king ofcalypso. of Times Store· popu­ Kingston, for support. of the Jamaican to him lar music industry, they I started ska, reggae, rocksteady in my "I made a proposition T that I wanted him to become the about everybody else­ talk studio. Dodd has been given most ofthe sole distributor of the records. except Ken Khouri. and we started man He was excited Retired and a homely credit, but I don't contradict... ' the Times Record label. I told these days. it was Khouri 's him to just sell them and give adventurism which gave birth difference." He agreed. "The fellow was saying that With increasmg commercial me the to the record manufacturing was a real second­ he was desperate, but the success, he decided to import Their first attempt sector. Starting with a hand­ machine he owner was telling him, 'I'm the discs in bulk. Then he gamble, but it paid off hand recording the a hustler in sorry, I can't help you' I turned . called Decca in London and somely. Durie advertised bought from on their he went on to build to the fellow and asked, 'Is it agreed with them to make sale of the records Miami, in the Records, which was omething you're selling?' He records from the discs for sale: Times Records label Federal to pack later sold to the late Bob told me that it was a di ·c "They told me how newspapers for the Saturday: I sent a Marley and has since become recording machine and asked if the discs and send them. "When I got to King Street T did was Tuff Gong International. I was interested. I asked him to Lot. The first song the Saturday, I saw a line two "Nobody ever says thanks," a wait until I had the car radio Lord Flea's 'Naughty Little blocks long. People had lined reluctant Khouri pointed out as fixed." Flea.' I told them I wanted 500 up to buy the records. We sold we talked about his contribu­ in 45 rpms and they s'aid it out in less than two weeks. I tion. "People from abroad do Down and out would cost me one shilling and ordered 5,000 more records sixpence. I ordered thousands and we sold 'them for between and a few people who did busi­ drove the young man · Khouri more, although I didn't even five shillings each," ness with me from the begin­ to his home; "His wife had just four and money to pay for it." ning like Prince Buster and they have the People with gramphones at given birth to a child and This was when Khouri turned Keith 'Matador' Daley, Ernie to return wanted some money to another und more successful Smith and Pluto (Shervington) to California. I told him to _Continue• on BE call me up sometimes, but oth demonstrate how the machine rr--------------------_;..____ ....;._... erwise nobody remembers," h' worked, He reco1ded a disc pointed out. from the radio right there. I Khouri, however, doesn't asked him the price and he said want to seem like somebody he wanted (US) $350, but I begging for recognition: "l could ivt> him (US) $300. I would .rather that you do not gave him the whole (US) $350) say it, but I am disappointed, because I didn't want to take especially with the Government .1d\•antage of him. He was dowi1 for not recognising my contri­ <1nd out and l didn't want to bution." queeze him. He gave me a box A native of St Mai)' where he with 100 dis<.:s to go with the grew up in the machine! I asked him how Richmond/Highgate area, much they cost him, He said Khouri emigrated to Kingston (U ') 50 cents apiece. I gave as a young man and joined the hun (US)$50 more." firm of E.A. Issa and Brothers Two weeks later, Khouri's Limited, where he was eventu.11- father had improved enough ly elevated to a managerial post for them to return home. handling incoming goods. As soon as he came back, he He went into the furniture started cutting voice recordinj.{S busines for two ye,1rs after he on the machin : "People w re left that job. Then, hi~ so fascinated with it, I couldn't Lebanese father took seriously find enough time to do them." ill: "He came to .Jamaica when Khouri was smart enough to he was only 12 and died when come home with 500 discs, but he was 81," he told me. they quicklv ran out as people --..-...... ~~i' . Influential di cs from the machine. He Khouri's father was quite an had to send for another l ,000 influential man, esp dally in discs, immediately political circles, so when he The discs cost 50 shillings took ill and Ken didn't havc a apiece and became so popular passport to take him to Miami that even churches were beg­ for an operation not available ging him to take the machine in Jamaica, the younger Khouri to their functions to record fas. decided to use up that influ- cinated people's voices. ence. Realising the commercial "I decided to go to Drumblair' potential of the maclii" ' to see Norman Manley. I woke Khouri started recording him up at four o'clock in the music, instead ofjust voices. He th st started out at a club which morning. I knew him very well. He wasn't what you would call a was located at Red Gal Ring in personal friend, but we knew _s_t_. _A_n_d_r_ew_, _as_w_el_l_a_s_a_t_h_o_m_e_.__. each other and l was desperate and this was the only way I could get temporary travel doc- uments. "I told him how seriously ill my father was, after I apolo­ gised, and that I needed help to take the plane with him to Miami. He got on the phone immediately and by the time came for the flight, all the nec- essary documents were ready and arrangements were already made for him to be taken by ambulance from the airport in Miami to 1the Jackson Memorial Hospital." Khouri's father was suffering from a growth in his bladder, and Khouri had to visit him day and night. He decided to rent a car to travel around, but the car's radio stopped working the first day he had it. He took back the car and while he was dealing with the problem, he heard a man talking to the owner of the rental agency: · Khouri, the pioneer· COntlriued frOll'l 3E One ofKhouri's earliest associ­ home and no local records to ates was Opposition Leader play were snapping up the Times Edward Seaga, himself a record Records' 45 rpms Iike hot cakes. producer and label owner who This encouraged Khouri to had the franchise for Columbia start manufacturing the records Records in Jamaica: "I manufac­ himself, instead of sending them tured and sold his business to to Decca in London. He called a Byron Lee and it has now factory in California, who agreed become Dynamic Sounds to send him the machinery as Limited. well as an expert who would Khouri remembers Chris spend three months there teach­ Blackwell from those early days: ing him the technique. "He begged me to join him in Khouri said that in two weeks London when he went there (to he had learnt enough. They set start Island Record~)." up shop at a place owned by Khouri like Durie. at 129 King Street, was a godfather to between Charles and North many early Jamaican producers, Street: "I rented a large room, including Clement 'Coxsone' set up a press with boiler and so Dodd, Arthur "Duke" Reid1 on." Then Khouri encountered Prince Buster and Lloyd his first problem - the disc would­ "Matador" Daley: n't come off the die. "I was the king of calypso. I The records were sticking to started ska, reggae, rocksteady in the stamper (the metallic form from which the records are my studio. Dodd has been given pressed). He tried using a most of the credit, but I don't penknife, there were some nicks contradict people. Byron Lee but, at least, they could play. was recording for me. I heard till band, got interested and dedt> Godfather ed to record him." More problems were to devel­ Khouri credits Prince Buster op. Khouri imported five tons of with being the most grateful of vinyl (the material on which the those he had worked with. record is pressed) which turned "I liked him. He was a Federal out to be useless. The man from man: Loyal. Nobody could say California called his office there, anything bad about him to me. I asked them to send 50 pounds did a lot for Coxsone and King of their vinyl, on condition that if Edwards, Edwards eventually it worked, he would start buying cursed me .. from them. It worked, but the Kl1 ouri emigrated to the London company refused to United States with his wife in the take back the five tons he had on 1970s in the height of the social­ his hands, which he had to throw away and order another ism debate, leaving his sons in five tons from California.