The day is calm, humming with usual sounds, when suddenly there's a metal whistle, a rolling, pitching roar. A screaming jet is pushing the sky out of its way, master of all.

Or is that Mark Knoll's guitar?

It happens quickly, in the first track of Knoll's first solo CD, "High Time,"that Knoll's electric lead guitar swoops in and rips open the song like a siren with claws.

Knoll, raised in Mandan, whose lead guitar skills are sometimes described as being Clapton-esque or Stevie Ray Vaughn-like, has been contributing that level of talent for years for some heavy hitter singers - playing with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Little Feat, Edgar Winter's White Trash, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, the Drifters, the Platters, the Coasters, and the Marvelettes. He has appeared as a session guitarist and songwriter on many regional releases with the Lamont Cranston Band, Scottie Miller, and George Faber and others.

But he has mainly taken a back seat for decades with his guitar and his background vocals.

Now 50 and living in Minneapolis, he's decided to give it a go himself, finally, with "High Time."His debut CD is a collection of 10 of his own songs - seven of which were created specifically for this project. It focuses on what he likes best - "guitar-driven blues."

And when he goes solo, it's with a band behind him of the likes of keyboardist Ricky Peterson. Peterson has played for years with saxophone legend David Sanborn, and has produced written and played keyboards for Prince, and others.

And there's drummer Michael Pilhofer on the CD, who has played with local bands in Minnesota as well as national artists such as Joe Lovano, Marian McPartland, Kenny Wheeler, Dave Holland, Bill Holman, Horace Boyer, Wycliffe Gordon and Gene Bertoncini.

And Charles Fletcher, bass player, has played the blues with the likes of Jimmy Valentine, Lamont Cranston and Doug Maynard.

Knoll has family - a wife and son, and his guitars. And his guitars sometimes see a lot more of him, especially during the recent CD that was recorded at Makoche Recording Co. in Bismarck.

He said his older brother, Mike Knoll, taught him some guitar basics at age 5. And his interest solidified about that time when he saw the Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan Show.

"There wasn't much else in my world,"he said about the importance of guitar playing during his childhood.

Knoll, who formed his first band at 11, said when he was growing up live music was something people sought out.

"We didn't have much for entertainment,"he said, referring to his childhood days in Mandan.

He said live music events were special, then. Now, people are inundated with entertainment choices - video games, the computer, cable television.

"Music isn't as important,"he said.

He said there are "some great people in the Bismarck-Mandan area trying to promote live music, and bring quality acts to the area."

"I would encourage everyone to show them your support, so they can continue to offer you the wonderful experience of a live show."

He said he tries to get out as often as possible to see a live band, "because I've experienced first hand how bands and the clubs they play in are struggling to keep it happening."

He said there are clubs in the Minneapolis area where he lives that in the past had live music seven days a week, but now just offer it on weekends.

Knoll said he is still making a living at it, all these years later. Although he says it's more challenging to do so.

To flesh out an income means spending some of his time playing top-40 music for various events. He said he wouldn't mind never playing "Brown-Eyed Girl" or "Brickhouse" again.

But he'll continue to, at times, so that at other times he can do this - make some music all his own, which he says is a distillation of everything he's learned over the years rock, jazz and blues.

But always the blues.

"The common thread in all genres, whether it be rock, jazz, country, or r and b, is the blues,"he said. "The blues is what gives it all depth, and soul power."

For more information, go to http://www.markknoll.com.

(Reach reporter Virginia Grantier at 250-8254 or at virginia.grantier@bismarcktribune.com