+1

Tommy James is from Niles Michigan a town or two over from where I grew up and I remember hearing about him ALL the time growing up. And he outsold the beatles from 68 or 69 to 70! Hows that for being influential. Check out his stuff on youtube...damn fine artist.

My uncles had a band in the early 70s and they got me into guitar playing and they used to do alot of TJ songs. I distinctly remember playing Dragging the Line with them at heresals (I was a bit too young to play at thier gigs) although not too young to have one of them take me to see Derek and The Dominos...so can't believe you left off the worlds greatest guitarist as one of the most influential off your list...

FWIW

T2

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What time is it? It's Fender Time.

without a doubt... The Beatles.

they influenced just about everything in one way or another.

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YMMV

Chont's Mustang Presets

The Stones historical importance comes from there Longevity and slow Sustain thought nearly 50 odd years of change. they are as popular today as they were in the beginning. As long as Jagger & Richards are alive I'll expect the same.
----Danny,

Black Sabbath shaped all of metal for all time. i would put them on the ballot, i don't know if Sabbath are Beatles level but i think they are really important and influential.

Bill Haley and his Comets

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

It would have to be the Beatles,without them heralding in the British Invasion and altering the course of music it is doubtful that any of the other bands-excepting maybe The Stones-would've ever been household names.I'm not stating that because I'm a die-hard fanatic but because anyone who follows rock history can show you that all roads lead back to The Beatles.It is also doubtful that the Stones would've had the huge impact they had if not for the contributions and existence of the Beatles.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

the stooges for me. started the whole punk movement by influencing the ramones, which punk rock went on to influence countless bands that fall under the alternative rock category

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riley

The Beatles. 'nuff said...

Nobody had the impact that The Beatles had back then - and even still today! Example: Observe a family traveling in a car. The kids (ages 12 and 15) are in the backseat. The parents put on an oldies station on the radio, and stumble upon a Beatles tune on the radio:

"...Yeah you got that something
I think you'll understand
When I say that something
I want to hold your hand

I want to hold your hand
I want to hold your hand"

The kids (12 and 15) will know the words to the song and sing along, even though it was written years and years - heck, decades - before they were even born!

The Beatles also influenced every single genre of music whether directly or indirectly.

In a nutshell: NO OTHER BAND HAS DONE WHAT THE BEATLES DID.

The Allman Brothers Band....with Duane Allman and Berry Oakley.

But I voted for the Beatles....without a doubt,they made the biggest impact on American music in the early '60s,I witnessed it.

I'd vote for Bach if he was a band.

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Rated "M" for meaty.

The Stooges started punk, leading to The Ramones, The Clash, and The Sex Pistols who influenced Bad Brains, who inspired a young Kurt Cobain to be a punk, leading to his creation of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" which blasted the doors open for alternative and indie music, leading to todays current Alt. music scene.

But The Beatles really, I have defense for all of these except The Melvins, The Pistols, and The Ramones

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Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

To say that the Beatles weren't the most historically important band makes as much sense as denying that Kennedy was shot.It is a cut and dried fact acknowledged by rock/music historians worldwide that The Beatles were almost solely responsible for the music scene that has progressed to what we have today.I know that there are Beatle haters out there-and there are a good few-but there is no denying their important place in the annals of rock history.To say that they were not important just because you don't like them is an argument that's completely unfounded.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Most historically important? No band is historically important, as none of them have showed up on any of my history exams as of yet >_>

Actually come to think of it, my history teacher in 12th grade used to throw in Beatles questions because he was a fan of them. So....

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I traded my car in for a microphone.

Elvis!