Well let me see...
Drummers:
Mike Mangini is the animal at the top of the list, holy shnikey he is amazing...as is Chad Wackerman, Rod Morganstein, Niko McBrain, Manu Katche, Phil Collins, Terry Bozzio, Virgil Donati, Buddy Rich, Mike Portnoy, Bill Bruford, Billy Cobham, Pat Mostellotto, and Neil Peart. Then the old British timekeepers like John Bonham, Keith Moon, and Ian Paice. I could go on here for a while...
Bassists:
Trey Gunn, Jaco Pastorius, Billy Sheehan, Tony Levin, Les Claypool, Stanley Clarke, Michael Manring, Chris Squire, and John Myung. There are a lot of Eastern and Northern European people that are unreal like Oliver Holzwarth from Sieges Even, and Lars K. Norberg from Spiral Architect. Let us not leave out some American little knowns like Troy Tipton and Jeff Berlin, who is among the most amazing. Two more words..Victor Wooten.
Guitarists:
Don't even want to go here...too damn many. Alright, Alan Holdsworth, John Petrucci, SteveVai, Marcel Coenen, Uli Jon Roth, Kaki King, Robert Fripp, Joe Satriani, Hendrix, Steve Morse, Tommy Emmanuel, Jennifer Batten, Jan Akkerman, John Clarke, Ron Jarzombek, Tony MacAlpine, Micheal Schenker, Paul Gilbert, Jeff Beck, Adrian Belew, Michael Romeo, Vinnie Moore, Marty Friedman...never mind...I'm done. I'll leave out too many good ones.
Keys:
Rick Wakeman, M. Frog Labat, Jordan Rudess, Keith Emerson, Eddie Jobson, Klaus Schulze, Mike Kennealy, Miriquette Gaudy, Donald Fagen, Chick Corea, Patrick O'Hearn...guess I could go on here too...
Singers:
My Favorites are as close to clearcut as I can get because of varying musical styles are Edgar Winter, Greg Lake, Ella Fitzgerald, Peter Gabriel, Jon Anderson, Minnie Ripperton, and Todd Rundgren.
All around musicians? The whole Gentle Giant band, Ian Anderson, Frank Zappa, Stevie Wonder, The whole King Crimson group, Shankar, Jean-Luc Ponty, and Bela Fleck. Hell I like the Beatles too...
This apparently was too hard of a question for me...I really can"t pick one. There are so many I did not name that I listen to, learn from, and enjoy. But it was fun mentioning the few that I did. It would have been easier to ask me who I didn't like...I appreciate this thread nonetheless. Suddenly I want to put my headphones on...
:run: