We all know that almost no one can top The Beatles overall influence on R&R with their wide range of styles and experimentation. But they were also responsible for the splintering of R&R into sub-genres that flourished in the 70s. While some of the most influencial artists of these sub-genres formed in the mid to late 60s, their most formative years were in the 70s. Here's a list of what I think are the most influencial artists of these sub-genres:
Miles Davis - Fusion
Led Zeppelin - Heavy Metal
Pink Floyd - Art Rock
King Crimson - Prog Rock
David Bowie - Glam Rock
Allman Bros. - Southern Rock
Bee Gees - Disco
Kraftwerk - Techno Rock
Sex Pistols - Punk Rock
Talking Heads - New Wave
I'm sure there are some of you that think I may have left out other artists like Queen which I consider Glam Rock and I think Bowie was a bit ahead of the game on that. T-Rex however may hold a better arguement on that though. The Who on other hand is a bit of a dilemma. You can't really call them Heavy Metal or Art Rock. Sort of an in-between. And yes while Jimi pretty much invented Heavy Metal, it was Zep who refined it. Frank Zappa is pretty much a genre all to his own. I mean, just how the hell do you label an artist like him? Tough list to come up with, so anybody that has any inputs, let's hear it.