Mormon Missionaries Formed a Rock Band Under a Dictator

While serving under a dictatorship in Spain, a group of Mormon missionaries formed a rock band. To understand how unusual this was, you have to understand Spain. In 1972, Francisco Franco had ruled the country for decades under an authoritarian regime closely tied to Catholicism. For years, public religious expression by other faiths had been prohibited. Spain finally passed a religious liberty law in 1967 and the Church of Jesus Christ organized the Spain mission in 1970.

But religious freedom was still limited and missionaries sometimes had run-ins with authorities. Mission president R. Raymond Barnes encouraged them to be creative and innovative in finding ways to reach people. So several musically talented missionaries formed a band called Los Salt Lake City. They played American folk and rock music. Songs associated with artists like Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfuncle, and Peter Paul and Mary.

And then something unexpected happened. The people loved them. In only 4 and 1/2 months, these missionaries performed 47 concerts for an estimated 15,000 people and appeared on 37 radio programs. They even performed at the famous Alamra in Granada. Then a record producer discovered them. Low Salt Lake City eventually recorded an EP and two fulllength albums. One missionary later remembered walking into a major Spanish department store and seeing their records for sale alongside the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys.

But they weren't trying to become rock stars. They were missionaries. They used radio and magazine interviews to talk about the church. At concerts, they identified themselves as Mormons, occasionally sang hymns, and shared information about the local church meetings. People who attended their concerts later invited missionaries to teach them about the gospel. And at one concert in Barcelona, Larry Peterson, one of the band members, told the audience they wanted to leave them with something more than just good music.

They wanted to leave them with a spiritual message. Then the Mormon rock band living under a fascist dictatorship ended its concert with give said the little stream. Low Salt Lake City lasted only a few months, but one member later described their purpose with a Spanish phrase, Dar Aonoser, to make known. They used the talents God had given them to make their faith known in a place where traditional missionary work could be difficult.

And maybe there's a lesson in that for us. God can use the gifts he has given each of us in unexpected ways to help bring others closer to Jesus Christ.