Danny Reid Gaulden was born in Shreveport, LA, and was raised in Bossier City, where he attended and graduated from Bossier High School. He later attended Louisiana Tech and the University of Southwestern Louisiana, where he concentrated his studies in business and music.

As a young man, Danny served his country in the U.S. Air Force as a Morse Code Interceptor, spending the four years from 1966 to 1970 at this job. Most of Danny's time on his tour of duty was spent overseas, enabling him to be in areas where another of his unique interests could be enjoyed -- Bavarian yodeling music and polkas! You see, since the tender age of six, Danny has been playing the accordion, and with all those years behind him now, he has become quite an accomplished accordion player.

One of the things that might have drawn Danny and his bride­to­be, Carolyn, together could have been their common interest in music, since Carolyn is also a very talented pianist. Danny, however, claims Carolyn's interest in him was really because of his fantastic talent with barbeque.

Danny married Carolyn in 1972, and they just recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. They have two daughters -- Christy, who is 21, married, and attends New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM, and Camille, who is 18 and works at the Dairy Queen. Danny will be celebrating his 50th birthday in June. So, Q­Fest 97 will also include a celebration for the Q­Man's birthday.

The Q­Man and his wife own and operate the Dairy Queen South restaurant. Once you are in Carlsbad, it quickly becomes obvious that there is only one Dairy Queen in town. So, why the South? Well, once upon a time there was a Dairy Queen North, but it has since disappeared, and left only a very successful Dairy Queen South. Danny just knew he had to incorporate barbeque into the menu at his Dairy Queen, and that idea has proved to be a huge success for him. Interestingly enough, Danny's barbeque is not advertised in any form of the local media, or even anywhere on the outside of the restaurant -- a passing wanderer hungry for some ribs might never know that DQ South is the place to go for great barbeque in Carlsbad. Once you're inside the restaurant, then you will see the only place where Danny's barbeque is listed -- on the backlit menu marquee behind the counter. But the throngs of people at lunchtime and dinnertime more than attest to the superior reputation enjoyed by Danny's barbequed meats, and the phenomenal way that word­of­mouth advertising can positively influence a small business, not to mention a small city's taste buds!

Speaking of taste buds, Danny expressed his own interest in the flavors of barbeque early on by Q­ing in his own backyard. Over the years, he developed his own special methods for cooking the various meats that he serves today. But Q­ing isn't Danny's only interest -- he has many diverse interests outside of the Q. For example, Danny doesn't limit his love of animals to just the ones he can cook on a grill -- to date, he and Carolyn own three dogs and are owned by two cats. Danny and Carolyn also own a cabin in the beautiful Sacramento Mountains, near Cloudcroft, NM, and love to spend the occasional lazy weekend relaxing in this picturesque setting. The Internet quickly became one of his current interests, and his time on the BBQ List is spent trying to help others by sharing as much as he can about his passion for barbeque. Danny doesn't mind sharing his "secrets" with others; for Danny, his payback is truly seeing others enjoying barbeque as much as he does, both in the preparation and in the eating.

Danny has always had an interest in Audio/Video/Stereo equipment. As a matter of fact, he had the second compact disc player in Carlsbad (now that sure dates him!), and was one of the first to purchase a mini dish for satellite TV reception. Once their children had left the nest, Danny and Carolyn were able to turn an extra room into their entertainment room. Currently, the room has a big screen TV with surround sound, VCR, mini dish reception, and even a little corner where the computer lives. And Danny made sure that his comfort was completely satisfied by adding some very comfortable reclining chairs. Watching movies, the SuperBowl, or anything else imaginable is quite an experience in Danny's mini theater, especially since the others in the room have an added treat by being able to place bets on just how long Mr. Gaulden is going to be able to stay awake after the movie starts!

Some of Danny's other interests include guns, four­wheeling, horses, and photography. A man with some quite diverse interests and hobbies, the one flame of interest that never wanes is his remarkable love for the art of barbeque.

Author's Note:

This gives you just a tiny glimpse into the life of the man we fondly call "Q­Man". We sincerely hope that this biography gives you some hint of Danny's dedication to the art of the "Q" -- a dedication that we are fortunate enough to be able to see and experience on a daily basis. A unique man, a tremendous and big­hearted friend, and one hell of a good cook!

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