Technically

Although at one point they had 4 members born in Britain

assuming that most band generally come from Britan as well i asumed, so don't fuss to much at me...

US –
Rage Against the Machine
Smashing Pumpkins
Incubus
Jeff Buckley
Head Automatica (Based on one album. A fickle, but earnest opinion.)

UK -
Muse
Radiohead
Blur (ex-britpopper, what can I say!)
Led Zepellin
David Bowie. He’s a band.

Actually Little Richard was the first person to make the transition from blues to rock. Blues-rock bands like Led Zep are less primitive to me and much more tasteful but their roots are not quite as close to home as the days of Elvis and such.

I would say technically it shouldn't count since their origins were are distinctly aussie - not to complain or anything.

What a funny thread! Are we talking about our all time favorites? The most influential bands? The bands with the biggest followings? Most records sold? Most talent?

The word "Top" implies many things!

Ac/Dc is Australian. Wiki that to double check my facts.

My list is a mix of all-time favorite bands and influences on my music. You could do that or either or.

Incidentally, I need to correct/update my list:

Britain
1. Pink Floyd
2. Led Zeppelin
3. Beatles
4. Jethro Tull
5. Peter Gabriel (+ any pre-Collins as singer Genesis)

USA
1. Neil Young
2. Jimi Hendrix
3. Fishbone
4. Nirvana
5. Tom Waits

Apologies to David Bowie and to the late/great Bradley Nowell and all his bong-toking friends.

Britain

My Bloody Valentine
Black Sabbath
Joy Division
Bauhaus
Magazine

US

Slint
The Mothers (of Invention)
Husker Du
Tool
The Doors

That's my list for maybe the next five minutes.

UK- Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Radiohead, The Stone Roses
US- Alice in Chains, Sonic Youth, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Metallica, The Velvet Underground

By the decades.

60s

Brits - The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Who, Cream.

Yanks - Jimi Hendrix (still a UK act so to speak), Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead, The Velvet Underground, James Brown.

70s

Brits - Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Black Sabbath, The Sex Pistols.

Yanks - Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Ramones, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Parliament/Funkadelic.

80s

Brits - The Smiths, The Cure, The Clash, Joy Division, Iron Maiden.

Yanks - Sonic Youth, Pixies, The Minutemen, Husker Du, Talking Heads.

90s

Brits - Radiohead, My Bloody Valentine, Oasis, Massive Attack, PJ Harvey.

Yanks - Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Beck, Red Hot Chili Peppers.

But when going by all time.

Brits - The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Clash

Yanks - Elvis, Bob Dylan, Chuck Berry, Bruce Springsteen, Jimi Hendrix.

However, im been the topic of just "rock music" this whole time, and i think the brits take us in that category...If we are including all genres, then the US scores a lot of points for Miles Davis, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, John Coltrane, T Monk...Etc.

You know- I've been poring over both of these threads, I have yet to see a couple of KEY bands/individuals mentioned very much or at all!...

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
I've only seen Bob Dylan mentioned a couple times... though that could be just me missing it.
Fleetwood Mac.
Robert Johnson.
The Band.
The Eagles.
Muddy Waters.
Joe Walsh.
Allman Brothers.
James Taylor.
Simon and Garfunkel.
Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band.
Queen.
Guns N Roses.
Sly and the Family Stone.
Michael Jackson.
Billy Joel.
Prince.
Otis Redding.
The Zombies (thought the brits would be all over this band!)
Paul Simon.
Buddy Holly.
Creedence Clearwater Revival! (How'd we miss this Statesiders?)
Frank Sinatra.
Cream. (Hello US?)
The Yardbirds.
The Byrds.
Janis ****ing Joplin.
The Mamas and the Papas.
B.B. King.
Crosby, Stills, Nash...
Jefferson Airplane (NOT STARSHIP)
The Pretenders
The Beastie Boys.
Kiss.
T. Rex.
Abba.
Aerosmith.
Green Day. (As much as you might hate them, they are extremely influential - a lot of bands credit them with providing influence... I'll provide a list if need be)
Clapton's solo career.
Nine Inch Nails.
Bo Diddley.
Pavement.
The Kinks.
Madonna.
The Mothers of Invention.
Jerry Lee Lewis. ( How could we forget this when we mentioned Elvis - the entire Sun Records 1950's line up is the stuff of epic legends.)
The Jesus and Mary Chain. (although they are scottish...)
The Cars.
The Police.
Motor City 5 haven't been getting any ****ing respect.
Weezer.
Jane's Addiction.
No Doubt. (Talk about bringing ska to the forefront... Gwen is a damn joke now, though)
The Cure.
Jethro Tull.
Depeche Mode.
Meat Loaf.

I'll post more later, I have to go get my hairs cut!