Larson was born in Westwood, California, the son of Viola (née Baum) and Earl Larson.[2][3] He was raised in McCook, Nebraska.[2] Larson plays guitar; he has claimed his early experiences as a musician led to his concerns about occult and destructive influences in rock music.[4] He would later incorporate his guitar playing into some of his sermons. In the 1960s, the focus of Larson's preaching centered mainly on the leftist political ideology, sexually suggestive lyrics, Eastern religious mysticism, and antisocial behavior of many of the era's rock musicians.