The Baylor alum behind a Christian music & media powerhouse
It all started in 1951, when Jarrell McCracken (BA ’50, MA ’53), then a Baylor student, reimagined the Gospel with a twist: as a play‑by‑play radio game featuring two teams, Jesus vs. Satan, refereed by God. He dubbed it “The Game of Life,” pressed a mere 100 vinyl records — and changed the course of contemporary Christian music forever.
McCracken named his nascent label Word Records, inspired by the fictional radio station “W‑O‑R‑D” from his recording. The Baylor School of Music served as his talent pool, and he intentionally surrounded himself with fellow Bears who shared his bold, faith‑infused vision. McCracken had an uncanny knack for recognizing creative potential and letting it flourish. Under his leadership, Word quickly became a multimedia powerhouse, branching into recording, music publishing, book publishing, audiobooks, book clubs, and even record clubs.
By the late 1950s and sweeping into the 1960s and 1970s, the label was riding a wave of rapid growth. Creative director Kurt Kaiser pioneered the youth musicals that redefined worship music for a new generation. In 1968, Billy Ray Hearn (BM ’54) — Baylor’s very first church music grad — signed on and helped lay the foundation for contemporary Christian music as we know it, planting the seeds that would blossom into Christian rock and pop.
Through the mid‑1990s, in its Waco home, Word nurtured generations of Baylor talent and kept the university’s creative pulse at its core. However, growth meant change: The company eventually relocated to Nashville, and later came under the Curb Records banner in 2016 — yet its roots remain firmly entwined with Baylor.
From vinyl experiments to musical ministries, the tale of Jarrell McCracken and Word Records is one of Baylor pride.
Sic ’em, Jarrell McCracken!
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