Remembering the Legacy of Jim Van Hook

Former Founder and CEO/President of Provident Music and Brentwood Music, and CEO/President of Word Entertainment, James Glen (Jim) Van Hook, passed away Sunday, January 11, 2026, at home surrounded by his family.

He was born April 7, 1941, the first child of Glen and Dorothy Van Hook, in Jackson, Alabama. He grew up in southern Georgia and graduated in 1959 from Concord High School in Concord, North Carolina.

After graduation, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to attend Trevecca Nazarene University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Education. Later, he earned a master’s degree from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College and an honorary doctorate from Trevecca Nazarene University.

Jim’s career was filled with service as an educator, music minister, and entrepreneur, always with music and faith woven together. After teaching for several years at the university level, he served as the Minister of Music at Bethany First Church of the Nazarene in Oklahoma. He then founded the traveling Christian group, Bridge.

In 1978, Jim, his wife, and two children moved back to Nashville for him to become Senior Vice President of The Benson Company. He later founded Brentwood Music, which grew to become one of the three largest companies in Christian music. In 1994, he sold the business to the Zomba Corporation and renamed it Provident Music, where he served as President and CEO for the next nine years. He then returned to education as the founding Dean of the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business at Belmont University. He later became President and CEO of Word Entertainment, as well as the President of the Nazarene Publishing House, before retiring to spend more time with his family and grandchildren. Above all else, Jim was a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. His faith was not only the foundation of his career, but the center of his life.

While Jim was dedicated to his career, his greatest accomplishment was his family. In August 1962, he married Myra Sue (Susie) Hayes, and they were married until her death in 2018. Together they raised two children.

He is survived by his son, Brent and Susan Michelle, and grandchildren Matthew and John David Van Hook; his daughter, Susan and Rod Riley, and grandchildren Anna and Jack Riley; his sister, Ann Parham; and many beloved cousins, nieces, nephews, and extended family members.