Top Three Influences on Your Playing

[Fiesta Red]

If you play multiple instruments (as many of us here do, including me), who are your top three influences on each of those instruments?

For example, in my case…

Guitar:
Keith Richards
Jimmie Vaughan
Lightnin’ Hopkins

Slide Guitar:
Muddy Waters
Ron Wood
Rollo Smith

Vocals:
Mick Jagger (phrasing, diction)
Waylon Jennings (intonation/tone)
Kim Wilson (performance overall)

Harp/Harmonica:
Kim Wilson
Little Walter
James Cotton

Songwriting:
Willie Dixon
Ray Wylie Hubbard
Jagger/Richards

Bands my band sounds like:
The Fabulous Thunderbirds
The Rolling Stones
ZZ Top

So who are your top three for any and all instruments you play, or the spirit and sound of your band?

 

[Sapient]

Mainly Tiny Tim for me on all accounts.

 

[fitz]

It's hard for me to pick a top 10, let alone 3.
But I'd say these guys best sum up the tones I try to go for with my playing shenanigans.

Jimmy Page
Alex Lifeson
Angus Young

 

[PLX]

Michael Schenker
Edward Van Halen
Joe Satriani

 

[ibmorjamn]

More influence by
Michael Schenker
Jimmy Page
Toni Iomi

 

[LiveeviL2000]

It’s tough since most of my influencers are bass players.
Guitar is hard to say since I started playing relatively late.

My top 3 bass player are
Cliff Burton
Geezer Butler
Lemmy just for pure attitude.

Guitar would be more of who I’d aspire to play like than influence. Each plays differently and I’d love to take something from each one.
Dimebag Darrell
KK Downing
James Hetfield

 

[Session 5]

Keith Richards
Randy Bachman
Keith Scott

 

[fitz]

Ok, I've got a 2nd category - 2nd guitar.
Some of my favorite tones come from the "other" guitar player.

Malcolm Young
Barry Goudreau
Dave Peverett

 

[ibmorjamn]

My aspiration for song writing, I don’t write much and what I do write is nothing like these artist
Neil Peart
—edit —Phil Mogg he has been quite a story teller over the years.
Bruce Dickinson.

I don’t have a band, when I was younger I played with drummer who heavily influenced by Neil Peart

I can’t sing, so I sound like Garbage and not the band Garbage.lol

 

[Seamus OReally]

Guitar: Walter Becker, Larry Carlton and the mighty, mighty Robben Ford.

Keys: Elton John, Bill Evans and mostly Donald F. of Steely Dan. (The dirty word filter won’t let me spell out his name.)

Bass: Sting, Duck Dunne, Paul McCartney.

 

[67plexi]

I started Violin at age 4 my teacher 3rd chair of the Seattle symphony my father was first chair Bassoon 40 years
to put it simple my music teachers through the years

 

[SG John]

Hmmmmmmmmmm......................


I guess for guitar, it would have to be these guys:

Joe Walsh
Dickie Betts/Duane Allman
Rory Gallagher
Robin Trower for honourable mention.

As far as singing goes:

Steve Marriott
Greg Lake (If there's anyone's voice I wish I had)
Rory Gallagher or maybe Greg Allman


Bass (I use it as a writing tool, and it's fun for coming up with riffs):

Lemmy
Greg Lake
Geezer Butler

My own stage presence:

I always try to channel my inner Steve Marriott whenever I play a gig.

After him, it's:

Rory Gallagher and Joe Walsh


What my bands usually sound like:

A bit of a mess that resembles Pink Fairies, Pretty Things, Deviants, Hawkwind's basic Power trio without all the keys, Radio Birdman, MC5, Stranglers, and a bunch of other proto punk bands that still had that 70s psych thing entrenched in their sound.