For me, it's definitely Walter Carlos (back before she became Wendy).  Switched on Bach profoundly rocked my world.

The FM Band. 
 
(That and Craig Goldy who basically channeled his Godfather, Ritchie Blackmore, to me.)

I gotta say... I pretty much learned how to be a slippery, hard pickin' bugger by learning most of Megadeth's "Rust In Peace" a couple years into my playing (I was around 14... started "officially" playing at 12).
 
So that'd be Freidman for the licks and Mustaine for the riffs.
 
Of course I've done WAAAAAY more since then but those are definitely the dudes that limbered me up enough to make all that followed happen. From rock to blues to country to folk and all the piles of ridiculous punk rock in between.

Randy Rhoads and Arcangelo Corelli

Deep Purple  for the band
 
Neil Young as the musician
 
DP was the first really heavy band.... man I just loved their energy and songwriting.
 
Young was a country rocker and a writer extraordinaire.  I didn't know I liked country rock music until I heard Young...and at the time didn't know it was country but man it was cool.

hmm... I'd consider ole Neil (in his younger years) more of a folk rocker than country. Kind of a fiddle faddle distinction I know but country is a little more defined than what Neil was doing.
 
Fun fact... his sister's band occasionally rented out the same room I used to rehearse in. Nice lady.

Leadfoot
Randy Rhoads

Do I have to to tell the whole story again?
(I have only two degrees of separation to RR) 

When I was growing up, rock music was not permitted in my house.  I had to listen to safe music.  It was odd because my Mother and Father loved to experience life, they were not averse to the neighborhood party, if you know what I mean.
 
I went to parochial school, and was raised by nuns for 12 years, meaning, I was with them eight hours a day, and only three hours a day with my parents.  I loved those nuns.  Not one of them ever tried to change me.
 
Then I grew bigger than my Father, and because I was ignorant I ignored my Mother. 
 
To their credit, both parents took jobs so that I could attend University. Then I fell in with the wrong crowd.
 
I remember the first time I heard Bohemian Rhapsody on some 80's nostalgia internet radio station on my buddies smart phone.  I was ruined then and there.
 
Jesse Q. Screed
 
 
 
 

Many bands have had tremendous impact on popular music. But I would still posit it's still the individual artists that over the long haul have the most influence. I love the Beatles. But did they really single handedly (without the aid of many other British Invasion bands) precipitate more change to the course of pop music? Or did Bob Dylan? Was it the Modern Jazz Quartet...or Miles Davis...or Thelonius Monk...or Sun Ra? From Mozart to Little Richard...it still takes one bat **** crazy mofo to keep turning the dial ever closer to eleven. Always has...always will.

PS...just read a few more entries and am always glad when Bit and I agree on something. I was gaga over Snowflakes Are Dancing when it first came out and still love it near to death. I've still got my original T-Shirt which, of course, doesn't even fit one of my arms now...let alone my torso. Amazing work. (And, an individual to boot:-)

yorolpal
Many bands have had tremendous impact on popular music. But I would still posit it's still the individual artists that over the long haul have the most influence. I love the Beatles. But did they really single handedly (without the aid of many other British Invasion bands) precipitate more change to the course of pop music? Or did Bob Dylan? Was it the Modern Jazz Quartet...or Miles Davis...or Thelonius Monk...or Sun Ra? From Mozart to Little Richard...it still takes one bat **** crazy mofo to keep turning the dial ever closer to eleven. Always has...always will.

It could also be your neighbors wife.  I've heard artists who kill it, but they gots the  Jay Oh Beee, cosequntly nothing.
 
You nailed it mofo yorolpalfo 
 
Do it My Brother!!!  Do IT!!!!!!!  Who cares what anyone says. 
 
Set yourself free.
 
Jesse Q. Screed
 
I'm going to.
 
Jesse Q. Screed