who are your inspirations
 

Okay this question is for song writers guitarists etc.

which bands and musicians inspired you to start writing songs
and playing guitar drums or what ever instrument you play??

Lynyrd Skynyrd. I listened to ONE MORE FROM THE ROAD and was blown away. Also i'd put ZZ TOP up there pretty high as very influential in my listening pleasures.

I'm probably forgetting a few, but here are the ones I thought of...

The Beatles
The Rolling Stones
The Who
Pink Floyd
The Doors
Jimi Hendrix
Led Zeppelin
Frank Zappa/Mothers
Captain Beefheart/The Magic Band
Cream
Link Wray
Dick Dale
Deep Purple
David Bowie
The Allman Brothers Band
King Crimson
ZZ Top
Howlin' Wolf
Muddy Waters
John Lee Hooker
Hound Dog Taylor
Hubert Sumlin
Grand Funk Railroad
Johnny Cash
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Neil Young
Lee Hazlewood
Chuck Berry
Little Richard
Jeff Beck
John Coltrane
Bo Diddley
Burt Bacharach
Hal David
Jerome "Jerry" Leiber
Mike Stoller
The Ventures
Booker T. & the M.G.'s
Donald "Duck" Dunn
Steve Cropper
Edgard Varese
Jerry Cole

here's some of mine

Bands:
dethklok
cradle of filth
marilyn manson
murder dolls/ wednsday 13
mindless self indulgent's
the Beatles
steely dan
slipknot
avenged sevenfold

guitarists

matt tuck
toki wartooth
skwizgarr skwigelf
synyster gates
mick thompson
eric clapton
jimi hendrix

I can't imagine Steely Dan and Slipknot sharing too many lists.

This thread isn't in the "Artists Corner" section, so I'll venture to expand it a little.
Jim Morrison - my only idol among the musicians (not for his music, though). His philosophy, his lifestyle, his love-life (not the popular belief that he had laid every woman that he had seen. He had a girlfriend through all his life and loved her very much, he had cheated but very rare and, due to his alcohol and drugs-related life I believe that he wasn't sober when he had done that). Everything that this man did and said fits my comprehensions of life. He isn't my main idol, though.

Definitely one of my minor idols as well..

My list as follows:

The Doors
Pink Floyd
Rolling Stones
Bob Dylan
Black Sabbath
Iron Maiden
The Clash
Jimi Hendrix
Bon Iver
Neutral Milk Hotel
The Velvet Underground
Gun
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats

For me as a bass player, it was Geddy Lee/Rush, the "Hemispheres" album and later on,
the early Iron Maiden albums that were big inspirations to take up the instrument. Plus,
I quit smoking at the same time, so I had a lot more disposable income to spend on
musical gear!

Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top are two that are definetly on my list. Other than those, Jimi Hendrix,Eric Clapton,Jimmy Page, and Stevie Ray Vaughn are also great inspirations.

Also, I would like to mention Neil Young. I love his guitar playing. There's just something about it. Not many people can sing and play the guitar at the same time as good as he can. He would also have to be one of my inspirations.

An x girlfriend was the inspiration behind the first song I ever wrote. Then I wanted to be able to put music with it so I learned guitar. Since then I've just kept on learning but instrumental wise SRV and Hendrix probaly play the biggest role in my technique and style now days as my playing has progressed. I listen to a lot of Tab Benoit and older country music. Some classic rock bands in there as well but im just being lazy and not taking the time to name them all.