But this is all secondary to "Doc" Cavalier's main function, as the founder of Trod Nossel Studios in Wallingford: giving hundreds of young bands the breaks and encouragement they needed to record their first demo tapes, singles, LPs and CDs. As with that tree that falls in the forest which nobody hears, some say there can be no local music scene with a studio or a label to record it. There's a revered tradition of bands saving their pennies from live gigs and scraping together enough to rent a few hours at Trod Nossel.

I knew Doc Cavalier to be gentlemanly, gracious, frank and real. He wasn't a huckster; he was a dreamer, and his enthusiasm and passion helped a lot of kids keep their own musical dreams alive.