![\"Jarrell](\"https:\/\/www2.baylor.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/word-mccracken-oct25.jpg\")
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It all started in 1951, when Jarrell McCracken<\/a> (BA ’50, MA ’53), then a Baylor student, reimagined the Gospel with a twist: as a play\u2011by\u2011play radio game featuring two teams, Jesus vs. Satan, refereed by God. He dubbed it \u201cThe Game of Life<\/a>,\u201d pressed a mere 100 vinyl records — and changed the course of contemporary Christian music forever.<\/p>\n McCracken named his nascent label Word Records<\/a>, inspired by the fictional radio station \u201cW\u2011O\u2011R\u2011D\u201d from his recording. The Baylor School of Music<\/a> served as his talent pool, and he intentionally surrounded himself with fellow Bears who shared his bold, faith\u2011infused 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.<\/p>\n By the late 1950s and sweeping into the 1960s and 1970s, the label was riding a wave of rapid growth. Creative director Kurt Kaiser<\/a> pioneered the youth musicals that redefined worship music for a new generation. In 1968, Billy Ray Hearn<\/a> (BM ’54) — Baylor\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Through the mid\u20111990s, in its Waco home, Word nurtured generations of Baylor talent and kept the university\u2019s creative pulse at its core. However, growth meant change: The company eventually relocated to Nashville, and later came under the Curb Records<\/a> banner in 2016 — yet its roots remain firmly entwined with Baylor.<\/p>\n From vinyl experiments to musical ministries, the tale of Jarrell McCracken and Word Records is one of Baylor pride.<\/p>\n Sic \u2019em, Jarrell McCracken!<\/p>\n You might also like:<\/em><\/strong> 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\u2011by\u2011play radio game featuring two teams, Jesus vs. Satan, refereed by God. He dubbed it \u201cThe Game of Life,\u201d pressed a mere 100 vinyl records — and changed the course of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,8,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni","category-faith","category-history"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.baylor.edu\/baylorproud\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.baylor.edu\/baylorproud\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.baylor.edu\/baylorproud\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.baylor.edu\/baylorproud\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.baylor.edu\/baylorproud\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24936"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www2.baylor.edu\/baylorproud\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24936\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.baylor.edu\/baylorproud\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.baylor.edu\/baylorproud\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.baylor.edu\/baylorproud\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n* Forrest Frank\u2019s energy makes for a perfect first concert at Foster Pavilion<\/a> (April 2025)<\/em>
\n* Baylor\u2019s Curb S3E program develops leaders in the business of sports & entertainment<\/a> (May 2024)<\/em>
\n* How Baylor is working to improve youth participation in church music ministries<\/a> (Jan. 2019)<\/em>
\n* Word Records comes home to Baylor\/Waco roots to celebrate 60th anniversary<\/a> (Nov. 2011)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"