Wow, a lot! Depending on what part of the musicianship we're talking about. If I should name the four bands that have had the most influence on my musical life, then it's Beatles, Who, Led Zeppelin and Yes, in that order. Of course, Beatles were, are and will always be the most influential band for me.
The instruments then. If I start with the easy one, the guitar, I have to say Steve Howe, Andy Latimer, Jimmy Page and Pete Townshend, all adding to the lot in very different ways.
I don't care too much for drums today, but when I did I mainly tried to ape John Bonham and Ian Paice and when I got my first kit at around 17 it was Keith Moon who inspired me the most.
Bass guitar calls for a Chris Squire treatment, although John Entwistle was the one who made me aware of the instrument's possibilities.
Keyboards, noone in particular.
And the singing then. Well, I've learned to live with my voice and approach my singing with regards to it rather than trying to ape someone else. It's quite close in range and tonality to John Lennon, Ray Davies and maybe Peter Gabriel. On occasion I've been trying to ape guys like Jon Anderson but that is, well, hard.
And let us not forget the artistic aspect. As a songwriter I absorb just about everything I listen to but in the general approach of actually making music I'd say Ian Anderson, Wayne Coyne and John Lennon.
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