Mommy, Why?

It’s Friday, which means more terrible music for you.

 Why Doesn’t Daddy Come Home originally appeared on the album Movin’ Thru Dakota Country, one of the many, many releases from the various incarnations of the Lundstrom family.

Preachers Larry and Gloria Lundstrom have been hard at it since they married in 1965. Originally joined in their ministry by Larry’s brother Lowell and his wife, Connie (who sadly passed away in December 2011), the quartet were augmented by a third brother, Leon, his wife, Ronda and their various children. According to Larry’s website: “As the children grew up, we realized we had two sets of keyboardists (sic), drummers, bass players, singers, etc.  In November 1982, Lowell suggested we take our family on the road and (that December) we packed our family and instruments into a coach and off we went!”

Between engagements Larry wrote books, and he and Gloria recorded albums and hosted Christian TV and radio shows. The Lundstroms raised four children in that coach and spent up to 300 days a year on the road. “From 1982 until 1996, we were privileged to have our children LaShawn, LaDawn, and Donovan travel, sing and play in our "Family to Family” rallies.  Only too soon, they all left the nest and in 1997, we were back down to two—just Gloria and I - just like we started back in 1965.” Those 14 years saw the family produce a number of albums – dozens apparently although I’ve yet to find a detailed discography.

The Lundstrom family seem to be genuinely nice people and very well loved by their community, which makes it even more depressing that they should have produced something like this: yet another revolting country ballad with yet another winsome spoken vocal, only this time overshadowed by a pre-pubescent brat balefully whining “Mommy, Why Doesn’t Daddy Come Home?”

Infuriatingly, although the little bastard keeps repeating his line over and over again, we never get to find out why Daddy has absconded. Personally I believe it’s so that he doesn’t have to face this kind of hateful, off-key moaning from his brood.  

Enjoy!