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Word Records is a Christian record label based in Nashville, Tennessee which was founded in 1951 by Jarrell McCracken. The label's name is based on a recording by McCracken, the first recording by the label, of a fictitious American football match held at the "Great Stadium of Life," known as the Game of Life. The event is based on a full length match between the forces of Good and Evil with Jesus Christ and Satan coaching the two teams.
The 23-year old KWTX sportscaster in Waco, TX, read an article by Jimmy Allen, a former athlete who became a Baptist preacher, and based his recording on the article which also is called "The Game of Life".
The label struggled initially, and Marvin Norcross became an equity partner early in the label's beginnings. Word was both a publishing house and a record label by the end of the 1950's.
Several subsidiary labels were started over the years: Canaan Records in the sixties, Myrrh Records and DaySpring Records in the seventies, Rejoice Records in the eighties. (None of these labels exist today.)
In the mid-1970's, McCracken sold part interest in his label to the American Broadcasting Company.
From 1984 until 1990 Word Records was distributed in the general market by A&M Records, afterwards distribution switched to Epic Records until 2002.
In 1992, Capital Cities ABC sold Word to Thomas Nelson (publisher), and Nelson made two major changes -- developing the present swirling W logo which was unveiled in 1995, and also moving its headquarters from Waco, Texas, to its present headquarters in Nashville. Nelson split the record label and book publishing arms in 1996 when the labels were sold to Gaylord Entertainment. The publishing arm became the W Publishing Group in 2002 following litigation.
When Colin Reed took over Gaylord Entertainment in 2001, the hotelier sold off the Word Entertainment group to Time Warner in 2002. In 2004, the label was sold again, as Time Warner divested itself of its music division, selling it to Edgar Bronfman Jr and other interests, forming the Warner Music Group.
See also
External link
American record labels | Christian record labels | Warner Music labels | 1951 establishments
"Word Records"