if you are talking about individual musicians then Elvis has to be the most influencial, followed maybe by chuck barry, buddy holly, and jimi
this is of course modernized music. The most influencial muscians of all time go back to mozart, and umm behtoveen dammit i know that is spelt wrong but you know who i mean, the man who wrote some of the most beautifull music
Eventhough I think specific genres are often times are idiotic (I mean there is no similarity between most grunge bands in their sound) influence needs to go between dates and styles of music.
For example modern bubble gum pop would be most influenced by Madonna.
Whereas jam bands like Phish or Dave Matthews Band would be more influenced by the likes of the Greatful Dead.
Most country eventhough it sounds very little like these guys is usually influenced by Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash.
Late 60's Early 70's Rock like Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd is heavily influenced by a great number of early 20th century blues musicians like Robert Johnson or Leadbelly.
Almost every genre of music has an ear for the Beatles or early Michael Jackson, but does that necessarily make them influential?
But seriously take a genre and really figure out who the quintessential artist(s) are for that specific genre.
Most influencial musician is Mike Patton of Faith No More and many other bands.
If it weren't for him then people like Brandon Boyd of Incubus, Serj Tankien of System Of A Down and countless other MAJOR musicians wouldn't be around or at least as good. Serj Tankien based his entire singing style on ONE Faith No More song. As did Brandon Boyd with Mr.Bungle (another Patton band).
The bands that alot of you name as influencial now, were influenced by Faith No More. You get bands like Metallica who spawn loads and loads of bland and lame rip-offs. But Faith No More and Patton specifically influence peoples unique styles.
The chain is basically:
Bands influenced by bigger bands that are influenced by bigger bands that are influenced by Faith No More/Patton.
Of course there's also Hendrix, Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin, Robert Smith and The Cure.
But I definately think Patton is one of if not the most influencial.
-AC
Baroque was influenced by Bach
Classical was influenced by Beethoven (even though I think his music is overrated) and Mozart
Blues was influenced by suffering
Rock was influenced by blues greats... Robert Johnson, Lightnin' Hopkins, any of the several "Mississippi Johns", and Leadbelly. So coming right down to it... I'd say the old blues guys are the most influential and important musicians in modern music. Rock, gospel, soul, R&B, jazz, and swing all came from blues.
Btw, what's Marilyn Manson doing up there? I like his music, but I wouldn't say he's influential... 😕
I'll just throw this one out there, The Velvet Underground. They did bring about a change of music from being more about solos and what not to going back to the basics and just making a basic song with lyrics and working up from there.
Don't think they're the MOST influential but I think they far out weigh a lot of the musicians you all have listed.