Leadership, Wisdom, and a Life Well Lived
By Mark Cabaniss
It was 1986 when I first met Jim Van Hook. I was young, eager, and standing at the very edge of what would become a lifelong journey in the music business. Brentwood Music, the company Jim founded, led, and poured his heart into, had just become my first ever publisher. Brentwood published a choral anthem I had written titled Break Forth Into Joy. I could not have known it at the time…not only did that moment mark the beginning of my career in the music business, but one of the most formative relationships of my life.
It was Ed Kee, then the Creative Director of Brentwood Music (who also became a lifelong friend), who first introduced me to Jim. Eventually, Jim would create a job for me at Brentwood. From the outset, it was clear that Jim was something special. Brentwood Music was already becoming legendary: creative, ambitious, and full of energy…and Jim was its steady, visionary center. Over time, the company would grow to remarkable heights, eventually acquiring several other companies, including Benson Records and Publishing, where Jim himself had gotten his music business start in 1978. In a beautiful full-circle moment, that acquisition would ultimately become what we now know as Brentwood Benson (of which another Jim Van Hook “disciple” – and lifelong friend – leads again, Dale Mathews).
For the past 40 years, I have often said, and I have never once exaggerated: “Jim Van Hook taught me everything I know about the music business.” Every word of that is true. For that reason, and with immense gratitude, I joyfully dedicated my book 88 Keys to Music Business Success to him.
Jim was a natural teacher. He began his career teaching college at the age of 24, something (among several things) we always shared a special bond over since my first job out of graduate school likewise was teaching college at that age. Teaching was never just something he did; it was who he was.
Not only did Jim teach me the music business, he taught me how to live well. I quoted his wisdom countless times during the 15 years I taught as an adjunct professor at Belmont University (a role I held thanks to Jim bringing me into that world). I have quoted his lessons to colleagues, students, and team members at every company I’ve been privileged to serve to this day. Everyone who knows me knows I am an unabashed Jim Van Hook fan and friend. I often say, only half-jokingly, “He forgot more about the music business than I’ll ever know.”
The six years I spent under his wing at Brentwood Music remain, without question, among the happiest and most fulfilling years of my entire career. The company Jim built was creative, challenging, demanding, and deeply rewarding, but just as importantly, it felt like family. That was no accident. Jim led with clarity, kindness, and an unwavering belief in people.
Jim touched countless lives not only through the organizations he led (especially Brentwood Music) but through teaching, not only early in his career, but later as the first Dean of Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business. Long before that, he had already impacted numerous lives through church music, helping build and lead one of the largest church music programs in the nation with a thriving music ministry that involved hundreds of musicians. The young adult music ensemble of singers and instrumentalists he founded named “Bridge” toured coast-to-coast and even landed a deal with Benson Records. As stated earlier, his journey then led him to Nashville and to a job with one of the most storied companies in Christian music publishing and recording – The Benson Company. There he rose to the role of Senior Vice President. He eventually left Benson to start Brentwood Music in 1981, and as they say, “the rest is history.”
When Brentwood Music’s meteoric rise garnered the attention of many much larger companies, Jim sold it when the right offer came along that would assure the company’s further growth and impact. The new owners wisely insisted Jim stay on and continue to lead it, which he did to even greater heights (by then, it was known as Provident Music Group). When he eventually retired from Provident and stepped into his role at Belmont, Jim famously quipped, “I’ve failed miserably at retirement.” If that was a failure, it was one of the very few I ever knew him to have.
When I left Brentwood Music in 1995 to pursue the next chapter of my career (accepting a position with a Brentwood competitor) Jim threw me a going-away party. He invited over 100 people and had a host do a tribute evening of sorts – complete with an engraved/matted/framed cover collage gift of some of my favorite writing/producing moments at Brentwood. That was Jim. Gracious. Confident. Generous. Secure enough in himself to celebrate people even when their paths diverged. We remained close from that day forward, and his influence on my life only deepened.
Jim’s absence can never be filled. His wisdom cannot be replaced. His generosity and warmth cannot be duplicated. And his sharp, understated, wonderfully dry sense of humor, one not everyone immediately caught, can never be imitated. Except, perhaps, by me. That’s because I was the designated “Jim imitator” at company parties and gatherings, a role I played proudly. Whenever Jim saw me do it, he laughed and laughed. He loved it. That’s because Jim never took himself too seriously. His down-to-earth Southern roots and upbringing wouldn’t allow it. But he understood the difference between humor and flippancy, and he never confused the two. He knew when it was time to have fun, and when it was time to be serious. His life’s work proved that balance and discernment matter.
But my imitation of Jim went far beyond those moments. I tried to emulate his leadership, his integrity, his discernment, and his humanity. I figured if I could get even one-tenth as close to his level of success and impact, I would consider my life well spent. “Shoot for the moon,” I told myself, “and maybe I’ll hit the stars.”
I once heard it said, “Never hitch your wagon to someone’s star if their life doesn’t reflect true, measurable success.” In an industry where talk is cheap and (often empty) promises are plentiful, real results are precious. Jim Van Hook’s life backed up his success in every way that mattered. I am profoundly grateful that I hitched my wagon to his star all those years ago.
Of the countless things Jim said to me that I remember: “The bigger the splash, the greater the ripples.” Well, Jim’s “life splash” will ripple forever.
The greatest gift I received from that long and meaningful ride was Jim’s enduring friendship and infinite wisdom…gifts that will continue to guide and inspire me until the day I rejoin him, and so many others we love, in that great cloud of witnesses.
While Jim always enjoyed reminiscing with me, he always looked to the future and not the past. He was always ready for the next thing. And now he has the ultimate and greatest "next big thing."
Thank you, Jim, for the lessons in the music business and life. Your teaching days on earth are over now, but your legacy and impact will continue to resonate. Always.
